Here’s where they stand - Here's the Deal

A Horizon High School student at a vigil in honor of classmate Javier Rodriguez, who was killed while shopping at Walmart, two days after a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas. Photo by Callaghan O'Hare, Reuters

It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy. We think of it as a mini-magazine in your inbox.

EVERY CONGRESSIONAL BILL ON GUN VIOLENCE
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews ([link removed])
Correspondent

The weekend’s bloody spate of mass shootings, and another shooting the weekend before, have again raised the question of what can be done to prevent such violence ([link removed]) in America.

State legislatures have increased their attention ([link removed]) in the past year on the debate over gun-related deaths, but today we’d like to turn our attention to national leaders. Congress is away from Washington on summer recess, but lawmakers left behind scores of bills related to gun control and gun rights -- which can give a sense of their baseline approach to the issue before the El Paso and Dayton shootings. Here’s a look:
* 110 gun bills. Some 110 bills containing the word “gun” ([link removed]) have been introduced since this Congress convened in January, according to the Capitol’s official record-keeping website, Congress.gov. ([link removed]) (Most of the 110 are directly related to the gun debate, though a few recognize historical events or deal with foreign countries.) This is out of 7,639 total bills introduced ([link removed]) .
* One became law. Just one of these bills passed both chambers, and it was not focused on the gun debate. It was the spending bill which ended the partial government shutdown in January ([link removed]) . It included $20 million in funding to “reduce crime and gang violence.”
* Who is behind the legislation? Democrats have written most of the gun-related legislation proposed this Congress, with 82 bills, compared to 28 by Republicans.
* Two bills have the most support. Two bills stand out for gaining the most support (in the form of cosponsors). See next two bullet points.
+ Background checks. The Bipartisan Background Checks Act ([link removed]) would require a background check on most every gun sale or transfer, allowing exceptions for some transfers within a family. It would mean background checks at gun shows, where most states do not currently require background checks when purchasing from a private individual at a gun show. This bill passed the House with 240 votes ([link removed]) ; most were Democrats and eight were Republicans. It has not moved forward in the Senate.
+ Concealed Carry. The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act ([link removed]) would allow any individual with a permit to carry a concealed handgun in one state to also do so in any other state which allows concealed carry, as well as in school zones and on federal public land. This Republican-led House bill has 155 cosponsors, including two Democrats. It has not received a vote in either chamber.

What do the bills cover?
* Assault weapons. The Assault Weapons Ban of 2019 ([link removed]) would outlaw the sale or possession of semi-automatic assault-style weapons. It would allow some individuals to own -- but never sell or transfer -- grandfathered weapons already in their possession. It also would ban high-capacity magazines. The primary bill is sponsored by Sen.Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., in the Senate, and Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., in the House. (Rep. Eric Swalwell, R-Calif. has another version ([link removed]) ). A different approach from Rep. Anthony Brown, D-Md., is the Raise the Age Act ([link removed]) , which would ban semi-automatic sales to anyone under 21 years old.
* High-capacity magazines. In addition to the bills above, the Keep America Safe Act ([link removed]) would also ban most magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. It is sponsored by Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., who represents the town of Parkland, where 17 people were killed in a high school shooting last year. His bill has some 90 House cosponsors, all Democrats.
* Guns and schools. Another relatively popular bill is a non-binding resolution by Rep. Jahanna Hayes, D-Conn., whose district includes Newtown, where 20 small children and six adults were killed in a mass shooting in 2012. Her “Keeping Guns out of Classrooms” ([link removed]) resolution expresses a sense that no federal funds should be used to train teachers to use guns. All 86 cosponsors of the bill are Democrats. It has not received a vote. A Republican, Rep. Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin, has proposed the “Student and Teacher Safety Act” ([link removed]) to allow federal funds to go toward activities that “prevent gun violence” at schools, including physical barriers. This has a handful of cosponsors. It also has not received a vote. Another Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, has
written the Safe Students Act ([link removed]) to remove any federal bans on possessing a handgun at a school and encourage more teachers and staff to carry firearms. It has nine cosponsors.
* Research on gun violence. A few bills would authorize the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research gun deaths and gun safety as a public health issue. These include the Gun Violence Prevention ([link removed]) Research Act ([link removed]) and National Gun Violence Research Act ([link removed]) , which also would create a National Gun Violence Research program. These all have dozens of House and Senate sponsors, including one Republican, Rep. Peter King of N.Y. An additional bill ([link removed]) , from Rep. Robin Kelly, R-Ill., would require an annual report from the surgeon general on gun violence.
* Red flag laws. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has introduced the “Extreme Risk Protection Orders and Violence Prevention Act ([link removed]) ” to encourage states to adopt “red flag laws”. Those allow police agencies, family members and others to petition for a gun to be taken from someone they believe has become dangerous. The idea has been much discussed, including by President Donald Trump this week, but Rubio’s bill has just three cosponsors. Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., has a “Protecting our Communities and Rights Act” ([link removed]) that similarly encourages and allows states to enact more red flag laws. His bill has nine cosponsors.
* Blocking more people from owning guns. An alternate approach is found in bills by Sen. Amy Klobuchar ([link removed]) , D-Minn., Rep. Debbie Dingell ([link removed]) , D-Mich., Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill. ([link removed]) , Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., ([link removed]) and Rep. Katherine Clark, D-N.Y. ([link removed]) , which would expand the federal ban who can own a gun. Klobuchar and Dingell’s proposals would block stalkers and make it easier to stop domestic abusers from owning or keeping guns. Kelly’s bill would add bans
on people convicted of a violent crime or of stalking in the past 10 years, and those convicted at least twice of drug or alcohol possession or distribution. Rush would include anyone who illegally sells a gun. Clark would add those convicted of animal cruelty.

* Other ideas. One bill would use federal funds for a mass gun buyback ([link removed]) program. Another would make it easier to sue companies that make firearms ([link removed]) or ammunition. Some bills tackle ([link removed]) the issue ([link removed]) of “ghost guns ([link removed]) ,” which are weapons with no serial number, often homemade. Others focus on the rise of 3D printed guns ([link removed]) .

Where does everything stand?
Few bills have made it to committee. So far, just five of these bills have received committee consideration in either chamber, usually the first step toward significant debate and votes.


'Words matter.' Anger, fear await Trump in El Paso
By Daniel Bush, @DanielBush ([link removed])
Senior Politics Reporter

Across the Hispanic community in El Paso, the initial shock from the deadly shooting Saturday has given way to anger and fear as the city prepares to welcome President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

The visit will stoke a long-running debate about Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric, which was echoed in a racist online manifesto written by the shooter who carried out the attack at a Walmart store that killed 22 people and left dozens more injured.

But for many Hispanic residents in a major border city that is often caught in the crossfire of the national debate over immigration, the shooting offered conclusive proof that Trump’s disparaging remarks about minorities can have tragic real-world consequences.

“Crazy white people listen to him and they’re like, ‘We don’t want Mexicans in the U.S. because they’re bad and they don’t belong here,’” said Sylvia Saucedo, who was inside the Walmart store at the time of the shooting.

In the days since the attack, Saucedo has stayed at home, with the blinds drawn, too upset to eat or sleep. Others have taken different approaches to cope with the attack and its aftermath.

The NewsHour’s Daniel Bush has been on the ground in El Paso this week. Read more about what residents there told him ahead of the president’s visit ([link removed]) .


FIVE OVERLOOKED POLITICAL STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK

By Erica R. Hendry, @EricaRHendry ([link removed])
Managing editor, digital

Rep. Kenny Marchant becomes fourth house Republican to retire ([link removed]) -- Aug. 5. Texas Republican Rep. Kenny Marchant announced Monday he wouldn’t run for another term representing his district just outside of Dallas, making him the fourth Texas Republican to call it quits. Why it matters: Marchant is one of a dozen House Republicans who are leaving an open seat in 2020. While GOP leaders have the confidence that comes with having a Republican president on the ballot, the vacancies give Democrats more openings to gain seats in the House. -- Axios

Majority of Trump’s trade aid went to biggest farms, study finds ([link removed]) -- July 30. President Donald Trump has promised relief for farmers hurt by his trade war with China. But a new study from the left-leaning Environmental Working Group suggests that the majority of the aid is going to very few farms. Why it matters: The recipients are largely among the nation’s biggest farm companies, and not necessarily the small and mid-size family farmers who might take hits from tariffs sooner. -- Bloomberg

Parents are giving up custody of their kids to get need-based college financial aid ([link removed]) -- July 29. According to a new ProPublica investigation, some families in the Chicago area have taken a new approach to more affordable college: giving up custody of their children so that they can declare financial independence, which opens up a large pool of aid from universities and the state and federal governments. Why it matters: “Coming months after the national ‘Varsity Blues’ college admissions scandal, this tactic also appears to involve families attempting to gain an advantage in an increasingly competitive and expensive college admissions system,” the authors write. Critics argue it takes away aid from students who have fewer resources. -- ProPublica

Anti-gay ‘conversion therapy’ won’t get any state money, Gov. Roy Cooper orders. ([link removed]) -- August 2. North Carolina’s governor signed an executive order saying no state funds would pay for so-called “conversion therapy,” a practice that aims to change young LGBTQ people’s sexual orientation. Why it matters: It appears the decision makes North Carolina the first Southern state to restrict or ban the practice, though it joins 17 other states that have already done so. -- The Charlotte Observer

Right-wing blogger files to run for Congress representing Mar-a-Lago ([link removed]) -- Aug 5. Laura Loomer, a conservative blogger and activist whose controversial antics have gotten her banned from many social media outlets, had filed to run for Congress in Florida. She is hoping to represent the Democratic-leaning area that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club. Why it Matters: Loomer, 26, joins a crowded Republican field in her bid to unseat Rep. Lois Frankel in a district that includes most of Palm Beach County. She made a name for herself with stunts like jumping the fence at Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s California home and handcuffing herself to the door at Twitter headquarters. She has been banned from Facebook and Twitter for racist, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim rhetoric. -- The Miami Herald


#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Kate Grumke, @KGrumke ([link removed]) and Lisa Desjardins

On this day in 1912, a former president laid out his presidential platform at the Chicago convention of a third party he had just created. Our question: What was that third party?

Send your answers to or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.

Last week, we asked: What is the official motto of the United States, as determined by a 1956 Congressional resolution? The answer is, “In God We Trust.” This question was tricky for students of history, as the words first gained national attention and were added to U.S. coins during the Civil War ([link removed]) . In addition, “E Pluribus Unum” is often thought of as the country’s signature phrase. But that was never officially declared and in 1956, Congress voted to make “In God We Trust” the nation’s official motto. What about separation of church and state? In 2010, an appeals court upheld the use of the phrase ([link removed]) in this way as Constitutional.

It is also the motto of the state of Florida ([link removed]) and is inscribed on all coins in Nicaragua ([link removed]) .
Congratulations to our winners: Paul Taylor and Ralph Wilhelm!

Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.
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** Lessons we can learn from Toni Morrison ([link removed])
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