Senate Dems Waiting for ‘National Movement’ to Back Gun Control Before They Attempt a Vote

On October 8–one week after Chris Harper Mercer opened fire in the gun free facilities of Umpqua Community College (UCC)–nearly 24 Senate Democrats stood on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to say they want to put forth gun control legislation, and they are going to do so as soon as the American people rise up in support of the idea.

For now, the Senators contented themselves with simply describing the new gun controls they would like to put on the backs of law-abiding citizens, and they exchanged pleasantries with the press regarding the ease with which they could accomplish this if the American people would simply support the effort.

According to The Hill, the Democrat Senators want to push gun control in three areas–background checks, gun shows and online sales, and new laws on gun trafficking.

It is interesting to note that none of these proposals–not a single one–would have stopped the attack at UCC because the gunman in that attack passed a background check for his firearms. 

It is also interesting to note that none of these proposals–not a single one–would have stopped the on-air August 26 attack on a television reporter in Virginia or the July 23 attack in the Lafayette Grand Theatre or the July 16 attack on unarmed military personnel in Chattanooga or the June 2014 attack on police officers in Las Vegas or the May 2014 attack in Santa Barbara or the April 2014 attack on unarmed military personnel in Fort Hood or the December 2013 attack in Arapahoe High School or the November 2013 attack in LAX or the July 2012 attack on the Aurora movie theater or the January 2011 attack on Gabby Giffords in Tucson or the November 2009 attack on unarmed military personnel at Fort Hood.

In each of these attacks–and many more that could be listed–the gunman or gunwoman (Las Vegas) passed a background check to acquire the weapon they used to take innocent lives.

The Democrats proposal? Expand background checks to more places so that more gun purchasers have to pass the same background check that was passed by the UCC gunman, the Virginia gunman, the alleged Lafayette gunman, the alleged Chattanooga gunman, both Fort Hood gunmen, the Aurora movie theater gunman, and so on and so forth.

And they also want requirements that online gun sales go through a background check–which is already the law–and they also want laws against gun trafficking–which is already illegal.

It is peculiar at best to hear Democrats continually harp on the need for background checks and gun trafficking laws in the U.S., and that peculiarity arises from the fact the first question on background check form 4473–for the background checks we’ve had in place since 1998–is designed to ascertain whether the person buying a firearm is actually buying it for themselves or if they plan to traffick it. If the buyer is planning to traffick the gun, the sale is stopped, because trafficking a gun is illegal. Yet the Democrats want Americans to rally around more gun trafficking laws.

So now it is a wait-and-see game. The Democrats have put forth a mass of gun control proposals that would not have stopped the UCC shooting, and they are waiting to see if the American people will support it.

Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.