Congress to Take Action on Guns
Zach Gibson/Getty Images
We ran the numbers: There are 840 news articles covering this topic. 22% (183) are left leaning, 37% (314) center, 41% (343) right leaning.
Members of Congress returned to Washington this week after a recess and are being urged to take legislative action on gun control. After mass shootings in El Paso, Dayton, and Odessa in the past month, calls for gun control legislation have strengthened. President Trump has indicated that he might be open to background check legislation, but has also continued to meet with the NRA. Two polls released on Monday show that the majority of voters support gun control legislation.
In the leadup to the new Congressional session, a left-leaning New York Times article focuses on the survey results showing that gun control legislation has significant support among American voters. The article reports that “Last month, a third of Americans reported that fear of a mass shooting stops them from going to certain public places, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association. Sixty percent say they’re worried about a mass shooting in their community.” However, the article also expresses skepticism that this fact will lead to congressional action on gun control. The article notes that the sentiments of Republican voters are not necessarily reflected in the decisions of Republican elected officials.
A centrist article from USA Today also notes the unlikelihood of Congress passing significant gun control legislation. The article reports that a USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll shows that less than a quarter of Americans expect Congress to pass a gun control bill in the next legislative session. The majority of Democrats surveyed by USA Today support stricter gun control measures, while very few Republicans said they would support such legislation.
A right-leaning Fox News article focuses on Democratic leaders’ position on the issue of guns. The article reports that Senator Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent Trump a letter on Sunday urging him to take action on gun control. Specifically, the legislators have asked Trump to use his influence to pressure Congress to expand background checks. On Trump’s expressed willingness to expand background check legislation, the article writes “Democrats seize on any willingness to compromise and say ‘no, unless you’re for saying to Hell with the Second Amendment and taking guns away from law-abiding citizens, then you are responsible for the deaths of people across the country.’”