U.S.A. — Led by California Congressman Mike Thompson, 109 House Democrats in the “Gun Violence Prevention Task Force” have signed a letter to Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, insisting that the House “schedule votes on gun violence prevention legislation without further delay and also offer to quickly advance gun violence prevention legislation should other planned legislation be canceled again.”
The one-page letter asserts, “The American people strongly support action on the gun violence crisis and the gun violence prevention laws that will keep their kids alive. A recent Fox News poll shows that 87 percent support universal background checks; 80 percent support red flag laws and 61 percent support banning assault weapons.”
According to a press release from Thompson’s office, Democrats in the “task force” want McCarthy to fill any voids in the House schedule that might occur when other business is suspended or delayed. They claim gun control legislation is “life-saving.”
As reported by The Hill, Congress started its August recess a day early, cancelling scheduled votes in the process, allegedly due to “internal disagreements” among House Republicans on an appropriations bill.
Incredibly, Democrats want help from Republicans to pass their gun control package.
“To save the lives of our kids,” the Task Force letter says, “we only need the opportunity to vote on gun violence prevention legislation and the support from a tiny minority of the Republican Conference. For example, if only 20 Republicans, 10 in the House and 10 in the Senate voted for the Bipartisan Background Checks bill, we would have the votes to help prevent felons, domestic abusers, terrorists and people with serious mental health conditions from accessing guns.”
Democrats want this for more than just getting their agenda moving. With even a handful of GOP votes, Democrats and President Joe Biden—along with the gun prohibition lobby—can claim the legislation is “bi-partisan.”
What The Hill and the Task Force letter both overlook is that criminals and terrorists do not get their guns through legitimate channels, so there is no background check involved anywhere in the process. People convicted of domestic violence are also disqualified from buying firearms, so existing law needs to be enforced.
The Democrats’ 300-word letter was transmitted Thursday. The focus on child safety pulls on emotional strings as Thompson writes, “American children should not be scared to go to school. Parents should not be scared that when they send their kids off in the morning that it may be the last time they see them alive.”
The letter also refers to “a recent Fox News poll” which says 87 percent of Americans support universal background checks while 80 percent support so-called “red flag laws” and 61 percent “support banning assault weapons.”
Similarly, a CNN poll from May said 64 percent of respondents “favor stricter gun control laws” with Democrats (92%) and Independents (65%) tilting towards more restrictions but only 36 percent of Republicans felt that way.
Other revelations in the CNN survey included:
- Strong support for gun ownership among Republican men, who say (72%) “believe guns make public places safer;
- Seventy-three percent of Republican men and 55 percent of Republican women oppose tougher gun laws;
- While 58 percent believe government action can prevent mass shootings, but 42 percent disagree;
- Seventy-six percent of people living in homes without guns support tougher laws.
However, a Rasmussen poll released May 5 said, “Sixty-eight percent of Republicans, 47% of Democrats and 57% of the unaffiliated don’t trust the government to enforce gun control laws fairly.”
Rasmussen also reported that 51 percent of Republicans, 41 percent of Democrats and 35 percent of Independents “live in gun-owning households.”
In May 2022, Rasmussen released the results of another survey which revealed more likely voters (50%) do not believe stricter gun control laws will prevent mass shootings, while 40 percent think tougher gun laws would prevent such shootings.
At the time, the shooting of several people in a Buffalo, N.Y. supermarket was still fresh on people’s minds, but according to Rasmussen, “Sixty-one percent (61%) think it is not possible to completely prevent shootings like the one in Buffalo. Only 24% think it is possible to prevent such shootings completely, while 15% are not sure.”
The Hill recalled last year’s passage of Joe Biden’s gun control bill, but there likely will not be a repeat performance, especially not with an election year looming.
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About Dave Workman
Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.