Before We Leave Town

 Politicians are notoriously brave when they are a) retiring b) when they are in the minority c) actually believe in what they are fighting for d) know they will be defeated/choose to retire, so you have to ask: why do they wait so long? This leads me to the current bipartisan gun legislation. Of the 10 Republicans involved, 4 are retiring at the end of their terms. Not having to worry about the NRA or Second Amendment or Die folks, certainly frees them up to vote their conscience and have a meaningful legacy. For the other 6, their re-election cycles are far enough off that they feel they can do "something" as people have been asking them to do (also most are at an age where retirement is not out of the question). 

But what will that something look like? It certainly does not look like raising the age of people owning semi-automatic assault-like rifles or banning those weapons again (as happened in 1994) is part of the agenda. On the other hand, enhanced background checks for buyers under the age of 21 and measures to close the so-called "boyfriend loophole," which would prevent domestic abusers from owning guns are likely to be helpful. Still, if we are trying to reduce gun violence in schools and items in the House-passed bill, the "Protecting Our Kids Act," which includes the prohibition of the sale or transfer of semi-automatic firearms to people aged under 21, a federal statutory framework to regulate ghost guns and new federal criminal offenses for gun trafficking, were met with widespread opposition by the GOP.

So it would seem that bipartisan also means the bill with the least resistance to pass--which also means that the parts that are not terribly helpful. For instance, arming teachers or putting armed guards in schools will be seen as wins by gun lovers, but another loss of freedom for school kids. And this is what frustrates the public, our leaders have power, and choose to use it to address the periphery, but not the problem of too many guns in the hands of people who believe they are justified in using them. This is the elephant in the room and it isn't leaving.