Guns in
America: A 'Political Fiasco' (L'Express, France)
"The
assault weapons ban - the type of semi-automatic rifle used so infamously in
Newtown - was jettisoned last month. The complexity of the bill, in particular
when it comes to the designation of 'assault weapons,' and industry pressure,
for whom these toys, so similar to military M16s, are a commercial cash cow to
be milked, contributed along with the NRA to this alarming political
retreat."
President Obama, touring the country to press for 'common sense' gun control, listens for a response from the audience in Hartford Connecticut, in his latest impassioned plea to lawmakers to act: will it do an good?
Nine out of 10 Americans favor stricter controls on the
purchase of firearms. Since the horror at Newtown, the famous "background
checks" have come to be seen as the most logical and easy step to take to
make it harder for the imbalanced to buy guns. But will members of Congress,
particularly in the Senate, accept the consequences of democracy, with Obama
crisscrossing the country calling for "common sense" restrictions?
Absolutely not.
Thirteen Republican senators, including the party's
minority leader [Mitch McConnell], have even decided to block debate precisely
on the pretext that such controls could help compile a future national registry
of people carrying firearms, which is deemed detrimental to constitutional
freedoms. Clearly, given the low turnout of poor Americans during legislative
elections, the opinion of a majority of voters weigh little against the
minority of organized activist extremists financed by local chapters of the
NRA, or simply by the party's radical fringe which have so much influence
during party primaries.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
So as the 2014 elections draw closer, many Democrats are
expressing caution. Especially those in western states (like Harry Reid,
Democratic leader in the Senate) and members of the House of Representatives.
The only chance for Democrats to regain a majority in the House is to target
districts previously held by Republicans. Hence their moderation on the issue
of firearms.
Thus the assault weapons ban - the type of semi-automatic
rifle used so infamously in Newtown - was jettisoned last month. The
complexity of the bill, in particular when it comes to the designation of
"assault weapons," and industry pressure, for whom these toys, so
similar to military M16s, are a commercial cash cow to be milked, contributed
along with the NRA to this alarming political retreat.
But the general public is not so alarmed. It favors, as
we know, controls on buyers; but much less so when it comes to banning gun
sales (only 43 percent). Failing to grasp the pig picture, it tends to rely on
a point put forward by allies of the NRA, which is that it would be better to
ensure that existing gun laws are more vigorously enforced. This is false,
because such laws are almost comically ignored. And no matter. If by some
miracle, the Americans, after the shock of Newtown passes, really wanted to
send a message about their prevailing "gun culture," they would head
to the polls during legislative elections, and make it known with their votes.
