U.S. House passes slate of bills to restrict access to guns and ammunition; measures unlikely to be considered by the Senate

[onthedarkside]

 

WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday passed a series of new gun measures, including a measure to raise the minimum age to buy semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, in response to a horrific spate of mass shootings across the country.

 

The legislative package passed in a 223-204 vote, with five Republicans joining all but two Democrats in support. It now heads to the evenly split Senate, which is not expected to take up the legislation as negotiators seek to craft a much narrower measure designed to win enough bipartisan support to overcome a GOP filibuster.

 

Democratic Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Kurt Schrader of Oregon opposed the bill. The five Republicans who bucked their party were Chris Jacobs of New York, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Fred Upton of Michigan, Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.

 

(more)

 

https://news.yahoo.com/house-passes-slate-bills-restrict-235927153.html

 

 

[onthedarkside]

Democratic, Republican lawmakers push to maintain momentum in U.S. Senate gun talks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A rare bipartisan effort in the U.S. Senate to agree on legislation to address a wave of mass shootings could reach a watershed moment on Thursday as lawmakers decide whether the drive has enough momentum to succeed.

 

About a dozen lawmakers led by Democratic Senator Chris Murphy and Republican Senator John Cornyn are trying to find common ground on a plan that would bolster school security, address gaps in the U.S. mental health system and keep guns out of the hands of criminals and individuals deemed to be a danger to the public or themselves.

 

Lawmakers including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and his Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell, had expressed hope for an agreement by the end of the week.

 

(more)

 

https://news.yahoo.com/democratic-republican-lawmakers-push-maintain-100904664.html

 

 

 

[Bluespunk]

“Our love affair with guns has nothing to do with tyranny, or militias, or self-preservation. Just ask any NRA member the following: If Jesus Christ himself were to come down off the cross and grant you one wish, would you opt for a world without guns -- or the one we live in now? If every gun owner truly feared for their life and liberty, the answer would be obvious. But it's not about life and liberty. It's all about the sheer hard-on of owning a gun.”

 

Quentin R. Bufogle