By Lisa Marie Pane - The Associated Press
The firearms debate in the United States will soon enter a new chapter with a Democrat in the White House after four years under Donald Trump, in which gun control activists demanded tough reforms after the massacres in places like Las Vegas, El Paso and Parkland, Florida.
But any hope that President-elect Joe Biden will launch a new era of restrictions
could be dashed by the same polarization as in Washington that has held back similar initiatives in previous governments
.
Goals on the agenda - mostly relegated in recent years - include renewing a ban on AR-style automatic rifles, universal background checks, restrictions on large-capacity magazines, and a federal law created to prevent people at risk of causing injury. damage to themselves or others buy weapons.
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But virtually all of those steps require action from Congress.
And no matter the outcome of two Georgia senatorial races that determine which party will control that chamber, it will be difficult to get a majority of legislators to back the changes.
A key reason is that those issues have become highly polarized.
Years ago, firearms policies crossed party lines and it was easier for Republicans and Democrats to find common positions.
"There used to be Democrats who were very pro-gun and Democratic legislators who won districts in part because of their pro-gun opinions
,
"
recalled Matt Grossman, associate professor at Michigan State University and director of its Institute for Public Policy and Social Studies.
"But that no longer exists," he added.
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The number of firearms has multiplied in the last 12 years, beginning during the administration of former President Barack Obama when gun owners feared that it would impose significant restrictions.
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It continued to grow during Trump's term.
In the early years of that presidency, Americans stockpiled firearms fearing new restrictive measures after the massacres.
Lobbyists gained further momentum in the past year, with civil unrest, the economic crisis and the pandemic driving purchases.
And with the pandemic dominating the conversation,
the issue of weapons was relegated in the 2020 elections
.
However, gun control groups still want to be heard.
For starters, they want universal background checks that would require a screening of virtually all gun sales and a ban on online sales of guns, ammunition and parts.
Among the legislative proposals, one that appears to have some bipartisan backing is a federal law that would make it easier to temporarily confiscate firearms from people deemed a danger to themselves or others.
Fewer than twenty states have such laws
.
Pro-control groups are also more actively highlighting fears they have about the abundance of firearms in American homes, claiming they lead to suicides and murders.
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At a news conference Thursday, the Everytown for Gun Safety group cited statistics showing that calls to domestic violence and suicide hotlines have risen and gun violence in cities is on the rise.
His priority list includes restrictions on access to untraceable weapons and taking action against people who manage to buy firearms if the background check by the FBI is not ready in the required three days.
“The need for action is urgent,”
said Michael-Sean Spence, director of community initiatives for Everytown.
"It was already a public health crisis before the arrival of COVID-19, and the pandemic has made it much worse," he added.
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There are other steps that Biden can take administratively.
Among the key issues that will almost certainly be addressed is a rule adopted in recent weeks by the Obama administration but soon overruled by Trump: require the Social Security Administration to provide information to the gun purchase background check system on troubled beneficiaries. so severe that they cannot work or cope with their own benefits.
The rule would affect about 75,000 people.
The law most desired by pro-gun control activists has been a renewal of the assault rifle ban that expired in 2004
.
Biden played a central role in sponsoring that ban and has vowed to push for another ban on semi-automatic weapons that have risen in popularity since their return to the market.
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Much has changed since the initial ban was approved - from the political landscape to the saturation of those weapons in the civilian market.
In the years before and after prohibition, there were an estimated 8.5 million AR-style rifles in circulation in the United States.
Since the ban was lifted, the rifles - which the industry labels as "modern hunting rifles" - have gained popularity.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation now estimates that there are more than 17 million in circulation.
And there are almost certainly more after this year, which consistently smashed monthly records for federal background checks.
The NRA, which pumped tens of millions of dollars into Trump's 2016 election campaign
, has been weakened by internal disputes as well as legal litigation over its finances.
Although it remains a political force, the influence it will achieve in the Biden Administration is unclear.
Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, an advocacy group for the right to own guns, said he is looking at the two senatorial races in Georgia to determine who controls the Senate.
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But whatever happens, he is hopeful that efforts to severely restrict firearms will meet resistance in the courts after four years of Trump appointing conservative justices in the federal court system in addition to the Supreme Court.
“We know their positions, we know what they want to do.
They have a long list of things they would like to accomplish.
And we'll see where we go with that, ”Gottlieb said.
