House Democrats passed a series of strict gun regulations this week, banning so-called “high capacity magazines” and instituting a handful of “protections” to keep guns out of the hands of undesirable potential owners, but behind the scenes, prominent Dems are backing away from proposals that would create a national ban on the sale and ownership of “assault” weapons.
Bearing Arms reports that House Democrats, led by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), passed three “gun control” bills on Tuesday: “a measure offering grants to states to set up ‘red flag’ laws, a prohibition on gun ownership for those convicted of misdemeanor hate crimes, and a ban on magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition.”
The bills have little hope of becoming law; Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has already said that, while the Senate will consider possible gun control legislation, it is not planning on adopting any bills authored and passed exclusively by Democrats — and that includes the three bills that passed the House this week. The bills have their own problems: it’s not immediately clear that either “red flag” or “hate crime” restrictions on gun ownership pass constitutional muster, and leftists are notoriously hard to pin down on what they consider a “high capacity magazine.”
But the point is, of course, to put pressure on both McConnell and the White House to tackle gun control ahead of the 2020 elections, largely because the issue appeals to many middle-of-the-road Americans who believe America lacks strict gun laws, and because the issue splits Republicans. While many have expressed skepticism with any proposed gun regulation, the president and prominent leaders like Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), have promised that some gun control legislation will be forthcoming. – READ MORE