Politico: Gun Control a Dead Issue in Congress

According to Politico, “like much of Obama’s second term agenda, gun control is buried under the reality of a divided Congress.” The outlet reports a “political shift” has taken place, and the push to pass gun control in Congress is gone.

This leaves President Obama with little else to do but capitulate. Thus he will mark the first anniversary of the heinous crime at Sandy Hook Elementary “not with a visit to Connecticut or even Saturday’s National Cathedral Memorial Service but a private moment of silence at the White House.”

Meanwhile, local and regional groups try to take up the slack by launching targeted campaigns against businesses that allow customers to carry guns for self-defense. 

For example, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America–which pressured Starbucks to ban guns and in return received only a request that customers not openly carry firearms–is now pressuring Staples and certain fast food outlets not to allow guns in their stores. This includes guns carried by law-abiding citizens with concealed carry licenses. 

Gun control advocates working with Congress say the next time they have public support for gun control they will not move as slow as they did in early 2013. They blame their failure to pass legislation on the fact that it was four months after Sandy Hook before they even got a vote on the Manchin/Toomey bill. 

Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.