As the one-year anniversary of the tragic Parkland, Florida, school shooting approaches, Democrats and gun control activists are making a concerted effort to pass strict new gun laws.
On Feb. 14, 2018, Nikolas Cruz allegedly opened fire at his former school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 17 students and school staff members, and injuring 17 others. The shocking carnage and innocent loss of life marked the deadliest school shooting in the nation’s history.
Much of the ensuing outrage was aimed at the National Rifle Association and lawmakers’ unwillingness to back unpopular gun control measures—but the latter part appears to have changed.
Currently, while guns purchased from licensed dealers already require a background check, legally purchased guns that are resold privately don’t. This is sometimes referred to as the “gun-show loophole.”
A Call to Action
Last week, the House Judiciary Committee held its first gun control hearing in almost a decade, titled “Preventing Gun Violence: A Call to Action.”The hearing was an opening salvo for the slew of bills already introduced. Notably, the Democratic-controlled committee blocked House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) from speaking in favor of victims—and gun rights.
Scalise is himself a survivor of gun violence, having been critically injured during a politically motivated mass shooting in Alexandria, Virginia, on June 14, 2017. Scalise was shot when shooter James Hodgkinson opened fire on a group of Republican lawmakers and volunteers during a baseball practice.
“The new gun control restrictions currently being considered by the Democratic majority in H.R. 8 would not have prevented my shooting,” he wrote. “In fact, these new gun control measures being proposed in H.R. 8 would not have prevented any number of recent mass violence events.”
But following their recent midterm election successes, Democrats are enthusiastic about their chances of securing legislative victories, in spite of Republican control of the Senate.
Heading into last year’s elections, many Democrats—particularly in suburban areas—not only campaigned on gun control, but those in battleground House districts closed the final days of their campaigns vowing to take action.
“If you are a member of a well-regulated militia, I have no problem with you having access to muskets,” Casten said, during a widely reported gun-control forum one week prior to the election. “Beyond that, I have some concerns.”
Similarly, Democrat Lizzie Fletcher defeated incumbent Republican John Culberson in Texas’ 7th Congressional District, and Democrat Jason Crow unseated incumbent Republican Mike Coffman in Colorado’s 6th Congressional District, despite both Republicans being endorsed by the NRA.
State Efforts
A number of states are pushing gun control measures in what looks to be a two-pronged state and federal legislative strategy.A significant development from the 2018 elections is the newly acquired full Democratic control of governorships and legislatures in New Mexico, New York, Maine, Nevada, and Colorado, and lawmakers don’t seem to be wasting any time advancing new limitations.
In Washington state, a November ballot initiative raised the minimum age to buy a semi-automatic firearm to 21 from 18, and further requires expanded background checks and strict gun storage requirements, among other items.
But on Feb, 11, nearly a dozen Washington sheriffs said they won’t enforce the new restrictions because they believe it violates the Second Amendment.
Accountability or Gun Control?
Kyle Kashuv, a student who survived the Parkland shooting, has been marginalized by the media for his stance on gun rights. During a one-hour interview on the “The Rubin Report,” Kashuv recounted his harrowing experience and explained why he supports the Second Amendment and opposes the gun control activism of his classmates.Andrew Pollack, the father of slain 17-year-old student Meadow Pollack, has been a leading advocate of accountability, rather than gun control. Former Gov. Rick Scott, now a Republican U.S. senator from Florida, invited Pollack to be his guest at President Donald Trump’s Feb. 4 State of the Union address in Washington.
The report cited alleged shooter Cruz’s documented history of problems and failed institutional responses. Prior to the Valentine’s Day 2018 massacre, there were 69 incidents on record in which Cruz engaged in concerning behavior, talked about guns, threatened someone, or committed violence.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office also received at least 18 calls warning about Cruz from 2008 to 2017, including that he “planned to shoot up the school.” But somehow, Cruz went unchecked.
But for Pollack, the best way to prevent another Parkland is to be prepared—and that’s getting lost amid politics as usual.
“With the precedence of school shootings over the past 20 years it is inexcusable to not be prepared,“ he wrote on Twitter. ”One year later after our tragedy and still no urgency.”