US lawmakers on Sunday expressed cautious optimism about tougher gun control laws after the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, shocked the country.
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Like every massacre before it, Tuesday’s shooting, in which 19 children and two female teachers died, reignited calls for political action on guns.
“I know, after each of these killings, there are discussions in Washington, and they never come to fruition. But, this time, there are more Republicans ready to discuss”, declared on the ABC chain the democratic senator Chris Murphy, who had “begged” his colleagues on Tuesday to act.
Similar feelings for his fellow Democrat Dick Durbin, who spoke on CNN of “a different state of mind” among elected officials, while admitting “not being able to be sure” that they would come to an agreement.
Because compromises will have to be found. The elected representatives of the narrow Democratic parliamentary majority must convince a few Republicans to bring together the necessary qualified majority.
This is to see if the Republicans will “show political courage,” said Dick Durbin.
Among the avenues mentioned is a generalization of the examination of the psychiatric and judicial antecedents of arms buyers.
Improving this examination is a solution “on which we could agree”, affirmed a Republican elected representative from Texas in the House of Representatives, Dan Crenshaw on CNN, while seeming skeptical about its usefulness.
Another option cited is a law allowing the temporary removal of weapons from a person whose behavior has been reported as dangerous.
The elected officials are also discussing the possibility of raising the age to buy a weapon. The Uvalde shooter was barely 18, like many perpetrators of massacres.
“Raise the age to buy a gun to 21 seems obvious,” said another Republican elected to the House of Representatives Adam Kinzinger on ABC, in favor of a stricter framework.
Eyes are also on Florida, which tightened its gun restrictions after a high school massacre in Parkland in 2018.
The state had also “invested more in mental health and safety at school”, praised Chris Murphy, putting forward ideas more popular in the conservative camp.
A ban on assault rifles, the type of weapon used in Uvalde, seems more difficult to impose.
“We have to be realistic about what we can do,” said Dick Durbin, recalling that more than 20 million AR-15 rifles were already in circulation in the United States.
