As pressure builds across the country to stem a wave of violence that includes the recent massacres in the states of Texas and New York, a bipartisan group of US senators is expected to continue negotiations on a modest gun control bill on Thursday.
Nine senators met this week to discuss the response to the sniper attacks that have wreaked havoc in the country, and were somewhat optimistic about the prospects for reforms.
The group focused on school safety, strengthening mental health services, and encouraging states to give courts the ability to temporarily remove guns from people deemed dangerous.
Moderate Republican Susan Collins said the group was making “rapid progress”, while Democrat Senator Chris Murphy said: “I’ve never seen so many Republicans willing to sit at the table and talk.”
“Something different is going on right now and I’m hoping it will result in a bill in the Senate,” Murphy told MSNBC on Wednesday.
Lawmakers are aware that the urgency of reform spawned by the massacres risks losing momentum if the urgency of reform dissipates, and another small group is holding parallel discussions about expanding background checks on arms buyers.
The political difficulty of legislating in an evenly divided Senate (50-50), where most bills need 60 votes to pass, means that far-reaching reforms have little chance of succeeding.
Mitch McConnell, leader of the Republican senators, told reporters that congressmen are focusing on “mental health and school safety” rather than guns.
On the other hand, Democrats in the House of Representatives are keen to pass a much broader, but largely symbolic, law that includes raising the minimum age for purchasing semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21.
The proposal will likely pass the House next week before being buried by the Republican opposition in the Senate.
source: Noticias
