The gunman who tried to kill former President Donald Trump at a rally in western Pennsylvania on Saturday has been found. An AR-15-style rifle to his body.
Anyone familiar with the recent history of American gun violence should not be surprised. AR-15 – An exceptionally deadly weapon capable of firing Several rounds at high speed — and AR-15 style weapons have been used in recent years to kill scores of people and injure hundreds more in mass shootings. Uvalde, Texas; Buffalo, New York; Dayton, Ohio; Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaParkland, Florida, and Orlando Florida.
Republicans can take measures so that people can get these weapons, if they want. There is even a precedent for this: in 1994, Democratic President Bill Clinton, with the help of congressional Democrats and a A small but essential bloc of Republican lawmakersmade Federal assault weapons ban, excluding certain types of semi-automatic weapons (including the Colt AR-15) with high-capacity magazines. In passing the regulation, lawmakers agreed that it would expire in 10 years unless renewed by Congress.
Politics around gun ownership became more polarized, and the provision expired without renewal after 2004. Today, another federal ban was introduced. A top priority for several DemocratsAfter the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown Connecticut. organizations Guns work to reduce violence Agree with them; Polling suggests that a majority of Americans would approve a ban, too. According to a Fox News poll last year, 61 percent are American Would support legislation restricting weapons commonly referred to as assault rifles.
Opponents of assault weapons bans point out that most American gun homicides are committed by handguns, not so-called assault rifles — which is true. But policymakers and security advocates focus specifically on AR-style weapons what a loss They are able to do it with multiple people, and how fast they can do it, as well as the fact that they have been used in several recent mass shootings.
But even after an assassination attempt on the former president this weekend, it’s highly unlikely that modern-day Republicans will do anything to prevent people from getting these guns.
In fact, hardly anyone expects them to come with guns in the coming days. To the extent that Republicans are to blame, it’s mostly Democrats. Although officials have not yet released any information about the shooter’s possible motive, GOP Sen. JD Vance (Ohio), now Trump’s running mate, wrote on x That Democratic rhetoric “directly led to the assassination attempt on President Trump.” South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott said That Democrats’ “inflammatory rhetoric puts lives at risk.” Utah Sen. Mike Lee to call “For government control, not gun control,” arguing that too much centralized power inevitably leads to political violence (or something).
But it wasn’t always this way.
Republicans have been instrumental in passing gun protection laws in the past
It may be hard to imagine now, but the last time a gunman came close to killing a president, it resulted in one of the most significant gun protection laws in American history. A small but powerful group of Republicans was instrumental in advocating and ultimately voting for the legislation.
It was March 30, 1981, when John Hinckley Jr. shot President Ronald Reagan outside a Washington DC hotel, wounding Reagan and three others. Reagan suffered a punctured lung, but survived after emergency surgery.
His press secretary, James Brady, was even more seriously injured. After being shot in the head, Brady survived but was left partially paralyzed for life. When Brady died in 2014, His death was declared a genocide As a result of gunshot wounds.
After the shooting, Brady and his wife, Sarah, both high-profile Republicans, became involved in a nascent campaign to prevent gun violence. They are connected National Council to Control HandgunsWhich Sarah finally accepted in 1989 and began meeting with lawmakers to build support for legislation requiring background checks on prospective gun buyers.
Hinckley, the man who shot Reagan and Brady, was arrested months ago Attempted murder for bringing a gun to an airport, and had a history of mental illness. Setting up a background check system to ensure people who aren’t supposed to own firearms — including people convicted of felonies — could help prevent others from falling victim to gun violence.
The first iteration of the Brady Bill was introduced in 1987. Even at a less polarizing time, the bill faced opposition from the National Rifle Association and Congressional opposition, stalled and died in committee. In 1993, after a push in Congress from President Clinton, then-Rep. Chuck Schumer reintroduced the bill and began working to pass it in Congress. Later in the year, Bradys was at the White House watching Clinton sign the legislation.
The Brady bill expanded those barred from owning guns to include those convicted of domestic violence and those who have been dishonorably discharged from the military. It requires all federally licensed gun dealers to run a check before selling a gun to someone. And it established the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which helped conduct background checks on those dealers and which now gives policymakers and law enforcement agencies a rough idea of how many people are currently buying guns. A year later, when members of Congress moved to pass an assault weapons ban, the Bradys was the main supporterSome pro-gun Democrats helped pass the ban over opposition.
The Bradys were Republicans and gun owners. They were motivated not by partisanship but by their experiences as survivors of gun violence who wanted to prevent others from doing what they did. Although the law establishing background checks was ultimately unpopular, it established an important process for the sale of firearms, which is very popular with the public today.
In recent years, polling has shown that expanded background checks are supported by over 90 percent of the public. and contains current law loopholes That allows more people to get around the restrictions, according to Bureau of Justice Statistics, has denied the sale of 4.4 million background checks since Brady’s passing. In other words, they blocked sales to people who weren’t legally allowed to own guns.
It is not a coincidence that the United States has so many guns
It is not a coincidence that the United States has so many guns.
Even with those barriers, the United States has the highest rate of civilian firearm ownership in the world, with At least 120 guns per 100 people, and hardly any restrictions on their sale or access. Gun saturation in the United States was created through decades of advocacy and lobbying efforts by pro-gun organizations like the National Rifle Association, and it was built by Republican allies in Congress and the White House, who stood firm and consistent. In the way of any legislation that would restrict people from acquiring guns, In 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019And many more times to mention.
The presence of so many guns has led to a sense of cynicism that gun laws can even be effective, but we didn’t accidentally end up as the only nation with more guns than people.
A country with so many guns and this level of deep polarization is a nation vulnerable to political violence, as we experienced this past weekend. Former Dr. like the shot Trump Democratic Representative Gabrielle GiffordsAnd Republican Representative Steve Scalise Clearly, leaders of both parties are at risk of victimization because of this.
The dark irony is that you’ve probably only heard one side talk directly about the weapons that make leaders so vulnerable to assassination attempts. Time and again, Republicans have gone out of their way to avoid criticism of the instruments that make this political climate potentially dangerous.
Details how the Brady Bill and Assault Weapons Ban came into being. They undermine the idea that politics around gun ownership have always been, and always will be, hopelessly stagnant.
Our recent history shows us that it is possible to break the party deadlock. But it requires that both sides fully appreciate the ways in which we are all vulnerable to gun violence — even former presidents of the United States.
