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| Democrats' hope for gun control reform: appeal to Trump's 'unpredictable' nature | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Gun control advocates’ best hope under President Donald Trump is that the businessman will have a “Nixon in China moment”, and push for reforms his Democratic predecessor did not have the political capital to achieve. | Gun control advocates’ best hope under President Donald Trump is that the businessman will have a “Nixon in China moment”, and push for reforms his Democratic predecessor did not have the political capital to achieve. |
| That was what Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal proposed at a press conference on Thursday, held in memory of the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school in which 20 young children and six adults were killed. | That was what Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal proposed at a press conference on Thursday, held in memory of the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school in which 20 young children and six adults were killed. |
| “My hope is that newly elected President Trump will use this opportunity much as President Nixon did in going to China,” Blumenthal said. | “My hope is that newly elected President Trump will use this opportunity much as President Nixon did in going to China,” Blumenthal said. |
| “It’s a Nixon-to-China moment for Donald Trump, where he can defy the expectation, do the unpredictable. | “It’s a Nixon-to-China moment for Donald Trump, where he can defy the expectation, do the unpredictable. |
| “He likes doing the unpredictable,” he added, drily. | “He likes doing the unpredictable,” he added, drily. |
| Blumenthal, one of the senators for Connecticut, where the Sandy Hook shooting occurred, said that unlike President Obama, Trump was “hardly committed to the cause of ending gun violence”. | Blumenthal, one of the senators for Connecticut, where the Sandy Hook shooting occurred, said that unlike President Obama, Trump was “hardly committed to the cause of ending gun violence”. |
| The National Rifle Association spent at least $30m to support Trump’s run for the White House – a greater sum than any other outside group. | The National Rifle Association spent at least $30m to support Trump’s run for the White House – a greater sum than any other outside group. |
| “There would be good reason for people to be desolate and maybe despairing,” Blumenthal said. | “There would be good reason for people to be desolate and maybe despairing,” Blumenthal said. |
| But he portrayed gun control as an issue on which Trump could “respond to a rally, which he also likes to do, and the rally is the American people, who are clamoring and demanding action”. | But he portrayed gun control as an issue on which Trump could “respond to a rally, which he also likes to do, and the rally is the American people, who are clamoring and demanding action”. |
| Once in the White House, he said, Trump would have a “historic opportunity to do the right thing” and adopt “commonsense measures”. | Once in the White House, he said, Trump would have a “historic opportunity to do the right thing” and adopt “commonsense measures”. |
| Such measures include banning suspected terrorists from buying guns, requiring background checks for every gun purchase and repealing a federal law giving gun companies immunity from lawsuits when guns are misused by criminals. | Such measures include banning suspected terrorists from buying guns, requiring background checks for every gun purchase and repealing a federal law giving gun companies immunity from lawsuits when guns are misused by criminals. |
| “These are your ideas, Donald,” Blumenthal said, to laughter. “We’ll give you credit for them.” | “These are your ideas, Donald,” Blumenthal said, to laughter. “We’ll give you credit for them.” |
| Trump’s gun rights platform suggests that he does not support expanding background checks, which he called a “broken system”, but instead believes “we need to fix the system we have and make it work as intended”. | Trump’s gun rights platform suggests that he does not support expanding background checks, which he called a “broken system”, but instead believes “we need to fix the system we have and make it work as intended”. |
| Repealing the gun industry immunity law was a high-profile agenda item for Hillary Clinton, not Trump. But the president-elect did suggest throughout the campaign that he wanted to do something to make it more difficult for suspected terrorists to buy guns legally. | Repealing the gun industry immunity law was a high-profile agenda item for Hillary Clinton, not Trump. But the president-elect did suggest throughout the campaign that he wanted to do something to make it more difficult for suspected terrorists to buy guns legally. |
| Closing the gun-buying “terror gap” would have virtually no impact on America’s larger gun violence problem, which leaves about 100,000 people dead or wounded each year, including more than 20,000 gun suicides. | Closing the gun-buying “terror gap” would have virtually no impact on America’s larger gun violence problem, which leaves about 100,000 people dead or wounded each year, including more than 20,000 gun suicides. |
| The NRA chief executive, Wayne LaPierre, told members in November that Trump’s victory, with Republican majorities in Congress, would allow gun rights advocates to “go on offense”. | The NRA chief executive, Wayne LaPierre, told members in November that Trump’s victory, with Republican majorities in Congress, would allow gun rights advocates to “go on offense”. |
| Gun rights advocates’ top priority for the Trump White House is the appointment of a supreme court justice who will protect or even expand the court’s gun-friendly interpretation of the second amendment. | Gun rights advocates’ top priority for the Trump White House is the appointment of a supreme court justice who will protect or even expand the court’s gun-friendly interpretation of the second amendment. |
| “I will not let you down,” Trump told NRA members at their annual conference in Louisville in May, accepting the group’s endorsement in the presidential race. “Remember that, I will not let you down.” | “I will not let you down,” Trump told NRA members at their annual conference in Louisville in May, accepting the group’s endorsement in the presidential race. “Remember that, I will not let you down.” |
| In Congress, the NRA’s top legislative agenda is passing a national law that would allow people with a permit to carry a concealed weapon in one state to carry their guns in all 50 states – a measure gun control advocates say is dangerous, since states have dramatically different requirements for who is allowed to carry a concealed gun. | In Congress, the NRA’s top legislative agenda is passing a national law that would allow people with a permit to carry a concealed weapon in one state to carry their guns in all 50 states – a measure gun control advocates say is dangerous, since states have dramatically different requirements for who is allowed to carry a concealed gun. |
| The new law could mean that tourists would be allowed to carry their guns around New York City, and might allow residents of states with strict gun laws to bypass local regulations altogether. | The new law could mean that tourists would be allowed to carry their guns around New York City, and might allow residents of states with strict gun laws to bypass local regulations altogether. |
| After a year in which gun violence prevention moved from a marginal, often-ignored policy debate to a central issue of the presidential campaign, gun control advocates were left stunned at the unexpected defeat of Clinton, who had made herself a champion of the movement. | After a year in which gun violence prevention moved from a marginal, often-ignored policy debate to a central issue of the presidential campaign, gun control advocates were left stunned at the unexpected defeat of Clinton, who had made herself a champion of the movement. |
| At Thursday’s annual congressional press conference on gun violence prevention, politicians and advocates vowed to keep fighting despite the ascendancy of the NRA, and said decades of political dominance by gun rights advocates could not be vanquished in just four years. | At Thursday’s annual congressional press conference on gun violence prevention, politicians and advocates vowed to keep fighting despite the ascendancy of the NRA, and said decades of political dominance by gun rights advocates could not be vanquished in just four years. |
| “People are so frustrated and so mad that we haven’t been able to make more progress in four years, given that so many people are on our side,” said Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator from Connecticut who staged a filibuster after the Orlando massacre, forcing the Senate to hold a vote on gun control bills. | “People are so frustrated and so mad that we haven’t been able to make more progress in four years, given that so many people are on our side,” said Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator from Connecticut who staged a filibuster after the Orlando massacre, forcing the Senate to hold a vote on gun control bills. |
| “The modern gun violence movement really did start four years ago this week,” he said, “and we’ve been playing a lot of catch-up.” | “The modern gun violence movement really did start four years ago this week,” he said, “and we’ve been playing a lot of catch-up.” |