The grim news of another mass shooting rang out across the United States once again, this time leaving four lives tragically ended at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia. Held in custody is a 14-year-old suspected culprit, the latest to add to the growing list of young violence perpetrators. The proverbial hamster wheel spun again, with politicians expressing condolences and empty assurances of change. Vice President Kamala Harris, ever predictable, stuck to the Democrats’ script and lamented over the death toll as ‘senseless tragedies’.
Her partner in political maneuvering, Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota, chimed in with hollow words about ‘more work’ needing to be done, a phrase which has become a political cliché in the wake of such tragedies. Their rhetoric might carry more weight if it wasn’t so seemingly rehearsed, a mere echo of past promises. The platitudes continue with President Joe Biden. He, who penned the transient 1994 ban on assault weapons that expired a decade later, pitched the same old argument towards Republicans in Congress, begging for ‘common-sense gun safety legislation’.
The audacity of Biden’s appeals almost borders on comedy, given that his ban failed to make a lasting impact. Nostalgically recalling the days when he could champion a major legislative victory in the absence of tangible results adds a layer of irony to his plea. He elects to conveniently ignore the fact that the problem has only burgeoned under his watch, preferring to lay the blame at the doorstep of Republicans. But let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that anything will significantly shift in the American gun landscape. Not in the immediate future, at least. The cycle of tragedy, outrage, and inaction continues unabated.
The bitter truth is that Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia himself signed legislation among a series of states that provided easier access to handguns, saying people could now do so ‘without having to ask permission from state government’. Peculiarly, he has expressed his condolences to the grieving families. Ironic, isn’t it? His political ambition to run for president in 2028 clearly supersedes any commitment to substantive action on gun control.
The prospects for effective gun legislation are further dimmed when looking at the House of Representatives. Led by Representative Mike Johnson, the house pretty much assures that any meaningful gun policy is a nonstarter. One can safely assume that the Senate won’t be much different, mirroring the stalemate we’ve grown so familiar with over time. Despite Democrats holding a slight majority of 51 seats, change seems distant.
Democratic Senators Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, both from states that favored Donald Trump in the last two elections, can’t dare to lose favor with their rural voters. Risking their re-election bids by supporting gun control seems unlikely. Even if by some miracle all the majority senators unite to pass a legislation, the filibuster is there to run it aground, providing Republicans with a safe harbor.
The GOP hardly needs any reminders of the consequent political fallout from supporting gun legislation. They still remember the gamble they took with the bipartisan gun bill of 2022 following the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. As another election looms, they would be extremely hesitant to stick their necks out.
Post-election scenarios don’t paint a promising picture either. Should Trump secure a second White House tenure, it’s doubtful any gun safety measure would see daylight. On the flip side, Harris taking over doesn’t seem to offer hope either. There’s little doubt that she would be up against a potentially Republican Senate ready to stonewall almost every piece of gun legislation she’d put forth, even if Democrats control the House.
Moreover, Harris shouldn’t entertain any thoughts of turning to executive orders to put her will into action. In June, the Supreme Court, clearly leaning conservative with a 6-3 majority, dismissed an ordinance put forth by the Trump administration without congressional approval. The ordinance, designed to ban bump stocks (devices modifying semi-automatic rifles to fire more rapidly), fell prey to procedural hurdles. It’s a grim reminder that the current political climate does not look kindly upon gun control measures, even those cloaked in the guise of executive orders.
The harsh reality is, gun legislation in America seems to pass only when all the stars align. Even then, such instances are rare. The last time such a miracle happened was in 2022, when Democrats occupied the trifecta and a barely sufficient number of Republicans felt inclined to pass something. Those circumstances look less likely with each passing tragedy.
It’s another day, and another mass shooting rocks America. One can almost hear the collective sigh of resignation as familiar scenes of chaos and heartbreak unravel. Yet, the wheels of change remain wedged firmly in the mire of political partisanship, preserving the status quo. For the foreseeable future, it seems the bullets will keep flying.