Author: Noel Hemphill
Just four months into 2013, our country has continued to fall victim to senseless gun violence. Beyond supporting mandates for more thorough background checks and banning assault rifles, President Obama has fallen short on his pledge to make gun control one of his top priorities in his second term. Congress hasn’t been much better; the Senate failed to pass the Toomey-Manchin bill for expanded background checks on April 17. Governmental inaction is of grave concern and indicates a growing divide between constituent and Congressional priorities.
The Toomey-Manchin bill was a ray of hope for bipartisanship in the Senate. Drafted by Republican Senator Pat Toomey (Pennsylvania) and Democratic Senator Joe Manchin (West Virginia), the bill proposed a National Instant Criminal Background Check System to list individuals prohibited against buying firearms and a secondary proposition to have more consistent background checks. The bill was a hot topic in D.C., where Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the President and Republican Senator John McCain expressed support. It appeared to be a good yet benign attempt to increase background checks; a tiny step towards more gun regulation.
Despite this advance in bipartisanship, the bill lacked any meaningful gun control provisions. The Washington Post reported that the American Civil Liberties Union cautiously supported the amendment, pointing out that the language in the Toomey-Manchin compromise would likely prohibit a national gun registry. A national gun registry is a major concern for many Republicans and the NRA, who believe such a registry would be an invasion of individual privacy. However a national gun registry would be an effective way to decrease black-market gun sales.
Further examination of the Toomey-Manchin proposal revealed startling information: out-of-market gun sales would be exempt from background checks. According to a 2004 survey, 39.5 percent of prisoners in jail for gun-related crimes got their guns from family or friends, and 37.5 percent of these prisoners admitted to purchasing guns off the streets or from black market suppliers. These private transfers would be exempt from background checks under the proposal. The only major change in background checks that will be regulated by this bill would be for purchases at gun shows or over the internet. Since the correlation between gun sales and criminal activity exists in other markets, this is a particularly weak part of the compromise.
Another egregious item missing from the proposal was assault weapons, including which include semi-automatic firearms with military-grade features. The absence of this provision, which had been proposed on previous occasions in Congress, was publicly noted by States United to Prevent Gun Violence (SUPGV). The organization released a commercial featuring a man going into an office building with a single-shot rifle and proceeding to shoot at the employees. He is unable to cause any injury as the employees escape while he is reloading. With today’s assault rifles that fire multiple rounds of bullets in seconds, the scene the SUPGV depicted is unrealistic. Their argument at the end of the video was simple: “Guns have changed. Shouldn’t our gun laws?” This plea should not fall on deaf ears, yet President Obama must take a step beyond reprimand and take action to hasten gun control initiatives.
The failure to pass this bill is a shameful moment for the Senate. Clearly NRA intimidation and other powerful and deep-pocketed lobbyists are more than enough to stop even the smallest step towards gun control. President Obama acknowledged the NRA’s sentiment in a press conference after the bill was defeated. More concerning is how out of touch the Senate is with the general population. 90 percent of Americans support expanded background checks. Congress’ indifferent conclusion and failure to pass this compromise prompted criticism from shooting survivor and former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who said publicly the Senate has “ignored the will of the American people.” President Obama’s sentiments mirrored Giffords when he asked Congress “who are we here to represent?”
Gun violence is a serious issue in America. Congress controlled by lobbyists rather than it’s citizens is a serious problem. If a bipartisan-drafted and altogether too lenient bill cannot pass in Washington, gun control might be a lost cause. Congress must work together to solve this issue and represent their constituents, not special interest groups; its up to President Obama to push our Congress to do so.
Noel Hemphill is a sophomore ECLS major. She can be reached at hemphill@oxy.edu.
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