DemDaily: Game of Guns
March 18, 2021
March 16, 2021: Acworth County, Georgia. Asian Massage Parlors. Of the eight people killed, six were Asian women - victims of the eighth mass shooting this year.
The killer was able to purchase his 9mm handgun legally, just hours before at a local gun shop, because Georgia does not require a waiting period for firearm sales.
| A mass shooting is defined as an act of public firearm violence in which at least four victims are killed, excluding the shooter. There are virtually thousands more where at least four people have been injured. |
Of the 181 mass shootings that have occurred since 1967, 13 of the deadliest have been in the last decade. Over the past decade, seven of the top ten incidents of hate were mass killings.
The Other Victims
(Mass Shootings 1966 to present, 10+ deaths)
2017 Las Vegas Music Festival Killing Spree holds "the record" with 58 deaths
| Every day, more than 100 people in the United States are killed with guns and 230 more are shot and wounded. The gun homicide rate in the US is 25 times higher than that of other developed countries. |
June 17, 2015: A White supremacist murdered nine people at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC (Win McNamee)
| The last major piece of gun control legislation to make it into law was the 1994 assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004. Repeated attempts to renew it have failed. |
The Decision Makers
Congress
Last Thursday, March 11th, the US House passed two bills aimed at strengthening the nation's gun laws, including required background checks on all gun sales and transfers, and extending the time for the FBI to vet those flagged by the national instant check system.
(Image: CNN)
Democrats' attempt to advance the first major gun safety measures in decades, however, faces considerable GOP opposition in the Senate, despite its popularity with the voters.
This means it is likely to go the way of a growing list of Democratic agenda pieces that fall short of the 60-vote threshold needed to override the filibuster and pass the Upper Chamber.
The States
While the federal government continually fails to act, state legislatures have taken the issue of gun violence into their own hands.
Gifford Law Center State Gun Law Score Card (CLICK)
In 2020, many state legislatures were set to enact new gun safety laws, but most of those plans were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the 10 states with the strongest gun laws, seven of them have the lowest gun death rates. California continues to have the strongest gun safety laws in the country, while Mississippi has the weakest.
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The People: According to a Morning Consult/Politico poll conducted March 6-8, 2021 of 1990 registered voters, 84% of Americans, including 77% of Republicans, support universal background checks (MOError ±2)
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Don't forget the victims when you go to the ballot box.
DemList will keep you informed.
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