A Defeat for Public Safety

The Manchin-Toomey amendment to U.S. Senate gun violence legislation is not perfect. Liberals argue the bill does not go far enough, while conservatives believe such legislation neglects larger issues related to gun violence. What is clear, however, is that the bill would improve public safety. Most guns used criminally are purchased legally, contrary to conservative claims that criminals steal the weapons they use. Criminals or others prohibited from owning a gun, like the mentally ill, can, and often do, easily acquire their firearms at gun shows or online where background checks are not required. The Manchin-Toomey amendment addresses these loopholes by mandating background checks for firearms purchased at gun shows and online. The bill, paired with another bipartisan bill that cracked down on gun trafficking, would have shut down an easy avenue for acquiring guns by those who should not possess them.
Despite its evident merits, a minority of senators defeated the bill last week, along with the gun trafficking bill. Why? Why wouldn’t lawmakers want to do everything they can to prevent violence on our streets? The NRA and its friends in the Senate claimed the bill would affect private sales or gifts between family members and friends, interfering in cultural traditions of passing down guns from father to son and the like. That’s not true – it exempts private sales of this nature. They also said this bill was the start of a national gun registry. Also not true – the bill in fact made a national gun registry less likely. Essentially, the NRA and its allies had no ideological leg to stand on in opposing this legislation. The bill respects gun owners’ rights.
From an effectiveness standpoint, even if conservatives believe deficiencies in the mental health system or poor school safety carry more blame for gun violence in America, there was no reason to oppose this bill. It would have been part of a larger legislative package that addressed those additional issues.
The motivation behind conservative opposition appears to be cynical politics, especially given the protections afforded by the Manchin-Toomey amendment to gun owners. That’s what makes the actions of these senators opposing the legislation so egregious. Principle did not inform their decision. Nor did constituent opinion for that matter: 92 percent of Americans support background checks for all gun sales. They voted out of fear that the NRA would come after them in an election. That’s unacceptable as representatives. I can understand ideological differences and respect them, but I cannot respect the 45 men and women who turned their backs both on public safety and on the victims of gun violence who lobbied so admirably for this bill.