Republicans, Democrats brace for long battle on gun control; little agreement on legislation

Gun control – more specifically what kind of guns can be sold, who can get them and the process for obtaining them – has long been a dividing issue among Americans and certainly among our elected officials.

And in this election from president on down, it is one of the hot-button issues.

If ever there was a time to move on gun control it would be now. The June 12 massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando that left 49 dead is fresh in the minds of people. The murderer pledged allegiance to the radical Islamic State, also known as ISIS.

A recent CNN poll showed that support for specific gun control measures is “very strong, with 92 percent saying they wanted expanded background checks, 87 percent supporting a ban for felons or people with mental health problems and 85 percent saying they would ban people on federal watchlists from buying guns.”

There’s support in Congress for gun control, but Democrats and Republicans differ on what that means.

The Senate failed Monday to garner the needed 60 votes for four amendments, two by Republicans and two by Democrats, to close loopholes in background checks and prohibit those on terrorist watch lists from buying guns.

They were doomed from the start as they were largely partisan in nature.

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican from the Cincinnati area, said, “There is a consensus that we should stop suspected terrorists from buying guns, and a consensus that every American should receive due process if they are mistakenly placed on a government watch list. I will continue to work with both sides of the aisle to find a way to accomplish those goals. We must also remember that the terror attack targeting the LGBT community in Orlando was inspired by ISIS. We are a nation at war with radical Islamic terrorism. For years, I’ve called on the president to put in place a comprehensive strategy to defeat this hateful and violent ideology.”

Ex-Gov. Ted Strickland, his Democratic challenger, said, “Sen. Portman’s vote against banning suspected terrorists from buying guns is another tragic example of how he is pushing the agenda of his rich and powerful friends and the Washington power brokers he serves while Ohioans pay the price.”

Polls show a dead-heat between Portman and Strickland in the Senate race.

When Republican leadership in the House declined to vote on gun-control legislation Wednesday, Democrats disrupted session and staged a sit-in on the floor of the legislative body.

Among those at the sit-in, a rarity in Congress, was U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th.

While C-SPAN didn’t air most of the speeches, Democrats did and posted them on various social media websites.

Ryan’s speech is on his congressional Facebook page.

“I think everyone of us need to talk about it in this way: Republicans are soft on terrorism, period, dot, end of sentence,” he said. “If you’re not for [gun control], you are weak on terrorism and you are weak on protecting the American people. That is our message.”

Ryan added: “After all the tragedies and after all the bloodshed, it is far past time for Congress to act. The Republicans can turn off the cameras and microphones, but we will make sure that those men and women who have lost loved ones from gun violence have their voices heard.”

After 15 hours, Republicans returned to the House floor to vote on an appropriations bill, over the objections of Democrats, and adjourned until July 5.

U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson of Marietta, R-6th, was not pleased with the actions of the Democrats, and, like Ryan, didn’t hold back on the rhetoric.

“A handful of liberal members of Congress [Wednesday] violated the rules of the House of Representatives by sitting down on the House floor like petulant children,” Johnson said. “And, they’re also trying to violate the Second Amendment by taking guns away from law-abiding Americans. Luckily, common- sense citizens in my district and across the county won’t stand for this sit-in.”

He added: “It’s unfortunate the House Democrats continue to exploit the terrorist attack in Orlando for political gain.”

The two sides are digging in their heels with not enough members willing to make the compromises needed on gun control.

That means we’ll hear a lot more on this issue during the rest of this campaign, but we’ll likely not see change.