As the dust settled over Sandy Hook elementary school last December and the inhabitants of Newtown, Connecticut, dined to news of one of the worst child massacres in US history; a nation mourned once again over the wanton sacrifice of its citizenry in the name of a virtually unchallenged second amendment. A month later Poet Richard Blanco tentatively echoed the mass sentiment of loss felt by the US general public in his presidential inauguration poem ‘One Today’ and president Barrack Obama vowed, yet again, to implement change. The unlikely figure of Piers Morgan briefly gave voice to America’s liberal community by labelling Gun Owners of America director Larry Pratt an ‘idiot’ and responding superciliously to the frankly bizarre ravings of gun advocate Alex Jones. Yet, out of the Christmas season media firestorm, lambasting the tragic events at Sandy Hook, one man emerged from the sea of apologetic and bemused politicians. Armed with public outrage and dangerous with the political blessing of a president, a figure stepped down from Capitol Hill to continue the previously abandoned Democrat ‘assault’ on the legally sanctioned, military-styled, self-armament of America’s few too many gun-ho civilians. His name, following the universal Hollywood rule for generic action men, contains just three syllables: Joe Biden.
Silver haired and gaffe prone, at first glance the softly spoken vice-president, serving his second term in office, does not come across as the ‘ball-busting’ figure many would think required to challenge the likes of the irrational Alex Jones and the infamously uncompromising National Rifle Association (NRA ); an organisation which boasts almost five million paying members and a self-righteous core of second amendment ‘defenders-of-American-freedom’ zealots. However, take a look past the camera friendly, campaign-savvy ‘Biden’ exterior and it is easy to see why president Barrack Obama instantly chose the former Delaware senator and lifelong advocate of gun control as leader of the Gun Violence Task Force. This ‘task force’, newly created by the Obama administration, has two specific purposes: firstly to identify the causes and recommend counter measures against US gun violence, and secondly to implement the White House’s latest drive to drag the aging Virginia delegation drafted US Constitution into the 21st century via legislation aimed to halt the misappropriation of its 2nd Amendment.
The first step in the Biden worked, Obama backed gun control mission of 2013 was the highly public unveiling by the president of four main White House vetted legislative proposals in mid January and their later incorporation into the Californian Senator Dianne Feinstein introduced Assault Weapon Ban of 2013 on the 24th. Though varied and with numerous additional and specific provisions, the Assault Weapon Ban essential aims to ban fully the sale of ‘military-style’ assault weapons to the general public, limit the number of ammunition rounds in a magazine to 10 and impose uniform criminal background checks on all gun sales. Currently the bill is still under review by the Judiciary committee deciding whether to put it before the Senate for debate.
Although laying claim to over 40 years of political nous and with previous success in gun control: instigating the 1994 ten year long assault weapon ban, the Pennsylvania-born Biden has some serious opposition standing in his way. We have already made mention of one of America’s most influential single issue pressure groups, the ever prominent NRA however it is not the citizen run manifestations of American conservatism that threaten most to derail legislation akin to Feinstein’s Assault Weapon Ban but instead their political counterparts sitting confidently in Congress. With a 32 Republican majority holding the House of Representatives hostage ), regardless of the Democrat majority in the Senate, and effectively neutralising the passage of legislation un-friendly to Republican ideals (and voters); the Feinstein Assault Ban is looking increasingly unlikely to successfully run the US legislative gauntlet without some major concessions
More frustratingly than a lack of cross-party cooperation for team Obama/Biden/Feinstein is the questionable support of a unified Democrat voting bloc. For many Democrats, both in the Senate and House, majorities in their home state/district are slender and open support for an assault rifle ban may be a step to close toward forfeiting another term in office, considering the proximity of the 2014 Congressional elections and the potentially lethal ‘anti-constitution’ flak to be expected from political opponents. The same can be said but tripled for the few Republican politicians who wish to pursue some form of active legislation in light of recent public massacres, yet realise that the inevitable backlash and potential ‘turn-coat’ connotations could put a premature halt to their political careers.
Though the situation in Congress is by no means preferable, there is hope for the Biden fuelled assault-ban innovative. Actions typically speak louder than words and the 2013 $200 million super-PAC anti-gun add campaigns, donated by illustrious Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg in support of pro-assault rifle ban Democrat candidate Robin Kelly, running to replace resigning Illinois representative Jessie Jackson Jr; gives a cross-party flavour to the post-Sandy gun control mission. Furthermore within the US legislative system, there is more than one way to skin the proverbial legislative ‘cat’. The recent passage of gun-controlling legislation through the Representative House of Colorado, helped along by the ever present vice-president, though potentially applicable only within Colorado sets a clear precedent for other state governments to consider and implement; whilst also atoning in part for the horrific cinema mass-shooting which occurred in the state last year.
Ultimately time can only tell if successful federal or equivalent state level legislation shall be rumbled through the necessary legislative steps and instigated to complete its ‘Biden-defined’ function of at least ‘saving’ one life,’ if not many more. However what is certain is that the USA shall not soon forget the all too common and destructive phenomenon of ‘kids riddled – not shot with a stray bullet – but riddled with bullet holes’ due to a child murderer’s access to high capacity magazine holding rifles.
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