Some better than none
We don’t often give our political “leaders” in Washington, D.C., credit for doing something smart. The reason: There’s usually not much for which to give credit. But we have to say that it was an intelligent move on the part of Democrats in the Senate to compartmentalize their approach to gun-control legislation.
By introducing specific pieces of legislation to address separate gun-control goals, the Democrats, it is hoped, can eliminate the possibility of one especially contentious part of the whole package from dragging down the entire process, resulting in nothing being done.
There is zero chance that a ban on an entire class of weapons (so-called assault weapons) is going to be approved by this Congress. The prospects are about the same for restrictions on high-capacity ammunition magazines.
But there is hope that something can be done to make it more difficult for the criminally insane and the just plain criminal to get their hands on guns. There is overwhelming support among the populace for tighter background checks for gun purchases, including an elimination of the gun show loophole, by which pretty much anyone can purchase a gun without any real questions being asked.
We would hope that reasonable people in both parties will carry the day and produce legislation that can at least reduce the number of gun deaths in this country. A measure that leads to even one fewer massacre like the one in Newtown, Conn., is a major step forward.