That statement is true only because it's the ONLY "gun safety legislation" in decades. So much for applauding this watered-down bill. It's nothing short of an embarrassment, far, far from the legislation needed to address the killing of innocent children, which happens in our public schools, no less. See below for previous gun control legislation. I personally gave up hope of actual, substantial gun control legislation after the Newtown Massacre: if that didn't bring action, nothing will. And 20 years later, now we have Uvalde. Again, the new legislation is so weak, it's embarrassing. This certainly doesn't stop our elected officials from trumpeting this bill, though.
What is the problem with us? It's Congress. It's filled with long time, very old, white men, who are serious only about being re-elected. They have been shirking their oath of office for decades. The Founding Fathers, in writing the US Constitution, did an absolutely incredible job of acting on current circumstances and on realizing that those circumstances would change over time, and therefore incorporated a means to address those changes, through amendments.
The trouble is, now its been 244 years since the Constitution was ratified, the ten amendments of the Bill of Rights almost immediately, then four more in the 1800's. in the 20th century, only 12 more were added. Is that enough? What do you think? Has there been grand changes since, let's say, 1980?Let's look at a few barometers of change over that time
At our country's founding, there were just 3,929,000 citizens, 94.9% of which lived in rural communities.
In 1900, there were 76,212,000 of us, with still 60% living in rural communities.
By 2000, there were 291,424,000 of us, and just 19% living in rural communities.
Add in technological advances and the pollution that came with it, increased crime, etc., etc., etc., and yes, I think we can all agree we are overdue for several amendments.
Yet here we are, stuck with a frozen, do-nothing Congress. Remember, once a new amendment is ratified, it is part of the Constitution, thereby over-ruling what the US Supreme Court may or may not rule on a decision.
So let's at least keep our eye on the right ball. Voting for incumbents as a bad, bad action to take. Let's get real people into the Congress.
The Federal Assault Weapons Ban (Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act), part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on Sep. 13, 1994. The ban outlawed 19 models of semi-automatic assault weapons by name and others by “military features,” as well as large-capacity magazines manufactured after the law’s enactment. The ban expired on Sep. 13, 2004 and was not renewed due in part to NRA lobbying efforts.
The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 (also called the Brady Act) was signed into law on Nov. 30, 1993 and required a five-day waiting period for a licensed seller to hand over a gun to an unlicensed person in states without an alternate background check system. [116] The five-day waiting period has since been replaced by an instant background check system that can take up to three days if there is an inconsistency or more information is needed to complete the sale. [114] Gun owners who have a federal firearms license or a state-issued permit are exempt from the waiting period.
The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 was enacted as a condition of the Brady Act and provides incentives to states (including grants from the Attorney General) for them to provide information to NICS including information on people who are prohibited from purchasing firearms. [114] The NICS was implemented on Nov. 30, 1998 and later amended on Jan. 8, 2008 in response to the Apr. 16, 2007 Virginia Tech University shooting so that the Attorney General could more easily acquire information pertinent to background checks such as disqualifying mental conditions.
Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act and Child Safety Lock Act of 2005 was enacted on Oct. 26 by President George W. Bush and gives broad civil liability immunity to firearms manufacturers so they cannot be sued by a gun death victim’s family. The Child Safety Lock Act requires that all handguns be sold with a “secure gun storage or safety device.”
| 16th | Permits Congress to levy an income tax without apportioning it among the various states or basing it on the United States Census | July 12, 1909 | February 3, 1913 | 3 years, 206 days |
| 17th | Establishes the direct election of United States senators by popular vote | May 13, 1912 | April 8, 1913 | 330 days |
| 18th | Prohibited the manufacturing or sale of alcohol within the United States (Repealed December 5, 1933, via the 21st Amendment) | December 18, 1917 | January 16, 1919 | 1 year, 29 days |
| 19th | Prohibits the denial of the right to vote based on sex | June 4, 1919 | August 18, 1920 | 1 year, 75 days |
| 20th | Changes the dates on which the terms of the president and vice president, and of members of Congress, begin and end, to January 20 and January 3 respectively. States that if the president-elect dies before taking office, the vice president–elect is to be inaugurated as President. | March 2, 1932 | January 23, 1933 | 327 days |
| 21st[22] | Repeals the 18th Amendment and makes it a federal offense to transport or import intoxicating liquors into U.S. states and territories where such is prohibited by law | February 20, 1933 | December 5, 1933 | 288 days |
| 22nd[23] | Limits the number of times a person can be elected president. | March 21, 1947 | February 27, 1951 | 3 years, 343 days |
| 23rd[24] | Grants the District of Columbia electors in the Electoral College | June 16, 1960 | March 29, 1961 | 286 days |
| 24th | Prohibits the revocation of voting rights due to the non-payment of a poll tax or any other tax | September 14, 1962 | January 23, 1964 | 1 year, 131 days |
| 25th | Addresses succession to the presidency and establishes procedures both for filling a vacancy in the office of the vice president and responding to presidential disabilities | July 6, 1965 | February 10, 1967 | 1 year, 219 days |
| 26th | Prohibits the denial of the right of US citizens, 18 years of age or older, to vote on account of age | March 23, 1971 | July 1, 1971 | 100 days |
| 27th | Delays laws affecting Congressional salary from taking effect until after the next election of representatives | September 25, 1789 | May 5, 1992 | 202 years, 223 day |
