What the Hell Is Mitch McConnell Doing?
TownhallJun 14, 2022
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tues. said he would support the recent bipartisan gun legislation reportedly already backed by ten Republicans.
The package includes expanding the "convicted domestic violence abusers" list to include all romantic partners past and present, enhancing background check reviews for purchasers under the age of 21, and strengthening penalties for straw purchasing and illegal gun trafficking. Billions of dollars in funding for mental healthcare and a federal grant program to incentivize states to enact their separate red flag laws could also be included.
What is McConnell thinking right now? The GOP is headed for a landslide victory in the midterms and they've decided to support a bill that could decrease Republican voter turnout. At this rate, we could even see the GOP cave on immigration next.
These proposals fall way short of what's needed to reduce the likelihood of another mass shooting, but if McConnell sticks to his word and the eventual legislation passes, it'll represent the first significant move toward gun control in the US in decades. Of course, there's no telling what the GOP will do considering how much they're even bashing these modest reforms.
Don't celebrate this compromise too hard yet. The lobbying against these measures won't start until there's an actual bill. We've been here before only to see lawmakers fail to pass meaningful gun legislation over the past several decades.
There's a 50% chance that there will be at least 1.38 small firearms per capita in the USA by 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.