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A6 U.S. NEWS
Friday 8 February 2019

Parkland attack fueled big shift in America’s gun politics

By LISA MARIE PANE Even under GOP-control of gas and the slayings of 26 years. fail to gain traction in the
Associated Press both chambers during Pres- churchgoers in Sutherland Parkland “definitely marked Senate or be signed into
Last year’s shooting at a ident Donald Trump’s first Springs, Texas. a turning point,” said Adam law by the president, she
Florida high school sparked two years in office, some of In the wake of those mas- Winkler, a professor at the said.
a movement among a
younger generation an-
gered by gun violence and
set the stage for a signifi-
cant shift in America’s gun
politics.
Thousands of student pro-
testers took to the streets
and inspired hashtags
such as #NeverAgain and
#Enough. They also mobi-
lized to register a new gen-
eration of voters.
Candidates were embold-
ened too. Many of them
confronted the issue in last
year’s elections and were
rewarded with victory over
incumbents supported by
the National Rifle Associa-
tion. That helped Demo-
crats take back control of
the House.
“What we’ve seen here is
a tectonic shift in our poli-
tics on the guns issue,” said
Peter Ambler, executive di-
rector of Giffords, the gun
violence prevention group
founded by former Rep.
Gabrielle Giffords. These
people “didn’t get elected In this March 24, 2018 file photo, Emma Gonzalez, a survivor of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in
despite their advocacy for Parkland, Fla., closes her eyes and cries as she stands silently at the podium for the amount of time it took the Parkland shooter to
safer gun laws. They got go on his killing spree during the “March for Our Lives” rally in support of gun control in Washington.
elected because of their Associated Press
advocacy for safer gun
laws. They made that a the gun industry’s top pri- sacres, the NRA’s influence University of California Los “They exploit these high-
core part of their message orities — easing restrictions waned. Trump directed the Angeles School of Law and profile tragedies to sensa-
to the American people.” on firearm suppressors and Justice Department to ban gun rights expert. “There is tionalize. They exploit them
The political landscape be- making it easier to carry bump stocks, the device no doubt that the energy, to play on people’s emo-
gan to change just days concealed firearms over used by the Las Vegas gun- the enthusiasm, the mobili- tions instead of doing their
after a former student shot state borders — stalled. man that allowed his rifles zation of these students was jobs to address the under-
and killed 17 students and Still, with one of the most to mimic fully automatic very influential. It did affect lying issues that are really
adults at Marjory Stone- gun-friendly presidents in weaponry. a lot of people across the causing these” shootings,
man Douglas High School the White House, the U.S. The NRA also faced boy- country.” Baker said.
in Parkland, Florida. Supreme Court now has a cotts from corporate Amer- But, he said, the NRA “re- Erich Pratt, executive di-
At the state level, a surge majority of justices who are ica, with some financial mains a powerhouse,” and rector of Gun Owners of
of gun-control measures viewed as ardent support- firms refusing to do business it’s too early to suggest that America, said the industry is
were enacted, including in- ers of the Second Amend- with gunmakers and some gun groups’ troubles are in- accustomed to people be-
creasing the minimum age ment, a shift that is likely retailers pulling firearms and surmountable. lieving the latest shooting
for purchasing a firearm to have a lasting effect on ammunition off shelves. A “No one ever made a lot of will bring the gun industry
and requiring waiting peri- gun rights. federal investigation into money betting against the to its knees.
ods. The number of states The most prominent shift Russian meddling in the NRA,” he said. “They said that in 2013 after
with so-called “red flag” occurred in Florida, a state 2016 election widened NRA spokeswoman Jennifer the Sandy Hook shooting,
laws — which allow tempo- that has long welcomed to include suspicions that Baker questioned whether and they absolutely said
rary confiscation of weap- guns and has a strong agents sought to court NRA the influence of gun-rights that again last year,” Pratt
ons from people deemed NRA presence. Lawmakers officials and funnel money advocates has waned, said. With the exception of
a safety risk — doubled. raised the gun-purchasing through the group. noting that Florida elected Florida, the blue states got
At the federal level, for the age and imposed a three- The NRA has cast itself as a governor backed by the bluer and the red states
first time in modern history, day waiting period. being in financial distress NRA and a majority of the got redder and expanded
gun-control groups out- The Parkland attack came because of deep-pock- organization’s legislative gun rights, he said.
spent the powerful NRA on just a few months after eted liberal opposition candidates won last year. Polls show that gun con-
the 2018 midterm elections. two other gun tragedies: to guns and what it calls Despite the Democratic trol is not a top priority for
The new Democratic ma- the deadliest mass shoot- “toxic lies” in news reports. gains in Washington, pro- Americans, he said.
jority in the House this week ing in modern U.S. history Last summer, the organiza- posals for gun restrictions “I don’t think the needle
held its first hearing on gun that killed 59 people at an tion raised its annual dues still face long odds. Any ac- has moved at all,” Pratt
control in a decade. outdoor concert in Las Ve- for the second time in two tion taken by the House will said.q