Read the ABCNews article titled Lawmakers note profile of mass shooters –mostly young men– as they weight gun compromise (Links to an external site.)” written by Isabella Murray (2021). Identify and define one concept from any of the material from Module 1-3 and/or assigned textbook readings.
Read the ABCNews article titled “Lawmakers note ‘profile’ of mass shooters –mostly young men– as they weight gun compromise (Links to an external site.)” written by Isabella Murray (2021).
Identify and define one concept from any of the material from Module 1-3 and/or assigned textbook readings. (See the Exam One Study Guide for a list of all the concepts we have covered Module 1-3).
Apply the defined concept to explain and/or discuss the current event news article.
Discuss the following question within the context of the modules and textbook reading material:
What is a strategy (or strategies) that you think U.S. American society could implement to decrease gun violence in the U.S.?
Bipartisan talks about passing a new federal gun law continued through Memorial Day weekend despite members of Congress being out of session in a weeklong recess that also set a deadline for a possible breakthrough, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy said on Monday.
In a tweet, the lead Democrat on the negotiations wrote that he and others in his party have discussed with some Republican Senate colleagues throughout the holiday weekend details of possible bill intended to address gun violence.
The Senate left Washington on Thursday, with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., indicating a short turnaround for the compromise legislation — members would vote upon a June 6 return to the chamber.
“In between parades, I’ve been on the phone today w Republican and Democratic Senators trying to find the common denominator on a gun violence bill,” Murphy wrote on Twitter on Monday. “Senator Schumer has given us just over a week to find a compromise. This time, failure cannot be an option.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has blessed the negotiations, tasking Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn to take the lead for the GOP in the talks. Murphy has said that in the wake of two high-profile mass shootings over the past few weeks, “many more” Republicans appear willing to discuss gun reform than in the past.
“We have continued to work throughout the weekend. I was in touch with Sen. Cornyn and Sen. [Pat] Toomey, other Republicans and Democrats yesterday,” said Murphy, who represents the community that includes Sandy Hook Elementary School, site of a 2012 mass shooting.
“Inside this room we’re talking about ‘red flag’ laws, we’re talking about strengthening, expanding the background check system, if not universal background checks. We’re talking about safe storage,” Murphy said, noting that school safety measures and mental health resources were also discussed.
There has been talk about the “profile” of mass shooters, Murphy said — in particular the pattern of many of the perpetrators to be young men between 18 and 21 years old.
Murphy, elected to the Senate in 2012, drew new attention in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting last week that left 19 students and two teachers dead. One of Congress’ most outspoken voices for gun control, Murphy again urged action including from Republicans, many of whom contend the laws are misplaced or violate the Second Amendment.
On “This Week,” Murphy reiterated his concern with the lack of federal legislation on the issue in the near-decade since Sandy Hook — a period that has also been stained by a slew of other high-profile mass shootings.
“And while, in the end, I may end up being heartbroken, I am at the table in a more significant way right now with Republicans and Democrats than ever before,” Murphy said. “Certainly, many more Republicans willing to talk right now than were willing to talk after Sandy Hook.”
Murphy pointed to his recent discussions with Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who now represents in Congress the site of another school shooting, in Parkland, where a gunman shot and killed 17 students and staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.
Following that massacre, then-Gov. Scott signed into law a bill that tightened gun control measures, including raising the minimum age for owning guns from 18 to 21.