Top Democrats are calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to cancel the Senate’s August recess in light of the two mass shootings that occurred this week.
“Make no mistake, tomorrow the @NRA will go back to doing the dirty work of gun manufacturers and blocking progress at every turn. [McConnell] must call us back into session to vote on the two background check bills that have already passed the House,” tweeted Sen. Elizabeth Warren on her 2020 presidential account.
Make no mistake, tomorrow the @NRA will go back to doing the dirty work of gun manufacturers and blocking progress at every turn. @SenateMajLdr must call us back into session to vote on the two background check bills that have already passed the House. pic.twitter.com/uaEmrdMRbY
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) August 5, 2019
Warren was referencing two bills on gun reform that passed the House of Representatives but have yet to pass the Senate.
The first bill is H.R.8, which would require a background check for every firearm sale. The bill passed the House in February of this year with 240 votes in favor of the bill and 190 against it.
The second bill is H.R.1112, which attempts to close gaps in the background check system by forcing individuals to obtain a license before gaining access to a firearm. The licensing process would include a background check, and only those individuals who passed could legally possess a firearm. The bill also passed the House in February, 228-198.
After the tragic mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, which left a total of 30 people dead and 52 injured, calls for gun reform have reemerged.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., tweeted, “Mitch McConnell should bring the Senate back into session immediately to pass HR 8, the gun safety bill that has already passed the House. That’s a first step to addressing our serious gun violence epidemic.”
Mitch McConnell should bring the Senate back into session immediately to pass HR 8, the gun safety bill that has already passed the House. That's a first step to addressing our serious gun violence epidemic.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) August 4, 2019
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is also calling on McConnell to bring the Senate back into session.
“El Paso, Dayton, one awful event after another. [Mitch McConnell] must call the Senate back for an emergency session to put the House-passed universal background checks legislation on the Senate floor for debate and a vote immediately.”
El Paso, Dayton, one awful event after another. @SenateMajLdr McConnell must call the Senate back for an emergency session to put the House-passed universal background checks legislation on the Senate floor for debate and a vote immediately.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) August 4, 2019
But would passing these bills actually prevent mass shootings, such as the two that occurred in Ohio and Texas? According to Gun Owners of America, it wouldn’t.
“Shooters are always going to shoot. No, [passing the House legislation] wouldn’t have stopped a thing,” said Gun Owners of America.
According to Ohio police and sources in Texas, neither of the shooters had background history that would have prevented them from obtaining a firearm. Therefore, even if these bills were passed, they would not have prevented these tragic mass shootings.
