‘Like moving deck chairs on the Titanic’: mixed local reactions to Senate gun control deal
A bipartisan agreement struck by Senate dealmakers on proposed gun safety measures was met with mixed reactions from local advocates and members of the state’s congressional delegation Sunday.
The proposal, which falls short of gun control legislation passed by the House Wednesday, is intended to pass muster in a deeply divided Senate. It was criticized by some local advocates for failing to stanch the gun violence plaguing the country because it did not require universal background checks or a ban on AR-15-style semiautomatic rifles and high-capacity magazines.
“This compromise is like moving deck chairs on the Titanic while there’s a gaping hole in the hull,” said John Rosenthal, the co-founder of Stop Handgun Violence, in an interview. “It’s a Band-Aid on a broken bone.”