Massacre reignites gun debate
2007-04-20 14:28
Washington - The massacre at Virginia Tech has ignited fresh talk in the new Democratic-led US Congress to tighten America's gun laws but it is doubtful enough lawmakers will tackle the politically charged issue.
With so many Americans in love with their guns and
defensive of their right under the US Constitution to keep
and bear arms, politicians are reluctant to take on gun owners
or the powerful gun lobby.
"It'd be foolish politically for Democrats to do it," said
Larry Sabato, a political science professor at the University
of Virginia. "There's little chance of anything meaningful."
Guns are a deep part of the often-violent US culture. Americans are among the world's most heavily armed people, and the country has among the highest murder rates.
There are an estimated 250 million privately owned guns in
the United States, which has a population of about 300 million.
About 30 000 people a year die from gun wounds, about evenly
split between murders and suicides.
Polls show Americans favour tougher gun laws. But gun-rights
groups have helped stop such action by rallying their members,
many of them hunters, against it.
Gun bans 'the problem, not solution'
Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America said the shootings
that left 33 people dead, including the assailant, at Virginia
Tech on Monday showed gun bans are the problem, not the
solution.
"Isn't it interesting that Utah and Oregon are the only two
states that allow faculty to carry guns. And isn't it
interesting that you haven't read about any school or
university shootings in Utah and Oregon," Pratt said.
Gun lobbies have helped defeat Democratic candidates
pushing gun control.
In 1994, after a Democratic Congress imposed a ban on assault weapons, Republicans won control of the legislature, capturing the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. As a result, many Democrats have backed off in recent years.
Democrats regained control of Congress in last year's
elections with many campaign promises but none were for
stricter gun laws.
Some Democrats even ran on a gun-rights platform.
Regardless, shortly after shots rang out at Virginia Tech,
Democratic gun-control advocates called for action.
Common-sense gun regulations
"I believe this will reignite the dormant effort to pass
common-sense gun regulations," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a
California Democrat.
Representative Carolyn McCarthy, a New York Democrat, said, "The
unfortunate situation in Virginia could have been avoided if congressional leaders stood up to the gun lobby."
A number of gun-control bills have been offered in this Congress but none have gotten very far. They include measures to expand background checks, reduce the number of bullets allowed in an ammunition clip and reinstate the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004.
"I'm sceptical," said Representative Marion Berry, a moderate Arkansas Democrat. Liberal Connecticut Democrat Representative Rosa DeLauro said: "I suspect there isn't much appetite" for it.
Paul Helmke of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence voiced hope, however, that the Virginia Tech tragedy would force lawmakers to answer tough questions and take tough action.
Helmke said, "People are again asking: 'What are we doing
about gun violence? Why is it so easy to get a weapon? Why does
this keep happening in our country?'"
But Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said, "I hope
there's not a rush to do anything. We need to take a deep
breath."