How often do 92% of Americans agree on gun policy? Right now, 9 out of every 10 Americans supports one key piece of legislation. But even Democrats like Sen. Harry Reid say it’s not at the top of the priority list. If not now, when?
The latest CBS News/New York Times poll shows 92% of Americans support universal background checks on gun purchases. That is, 92% of Americans think every gun sale, whether it happens in a store or at a gun show or online, should involve a background check.
- 89% of Republicans favor universal background checks.
- 93% of independents favor universal background checks.
- 93% of people who live in households with guns support background checks.
For Pete’s sake, 85% of people who either are or live with NRA members support background checks.
Seriously, let’s do this! The president said Wednesday Congress needs to move quickly. Obama named universal background check legislation as the first bill.
Representative Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., has already introduced comprehensive gun control legislation in the House. H.R. 137 already has 25 co-sponsors. It’s been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary for review.
But the Senate’s falling behind. A spokesman for Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., says he’ll reintroduce the “Fix Guns Check Act.” But the senator’s office says he’ll introduce it in “the next couple of weeks.”
The Chicago Sun-Times reports Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., says the Senate won’t consider ANY gun legislation for at least three months. Senate Majority Leader Reid, D-Nev., says fiscal issues and immigration are his top priority. Not gun control.
Let’s review: a huge, amazing, sweeping majority of Americans agree that there’s one thing Congress can do to make the country safer and protect American children. The House is at least discussing background checks as part of a much bigger, and more controversial bill that also bans certain kinds of firearms. The Senate apparently has better things to do.
Wouldn’t this take just an up-and-down vote in both houses? We don’t have to get into the definition of “assault weapon” or talk about who gets to keep which kinds of weapons.
One of the parents of a first grader who was slaughtered at Sandy Hook Elementary school last month asked, “What’s it worth?” What’s the price of change? And if not now, when will 92% of Americans back the same policy?
Jen Brockman