美国国家公共电台 NPR--The Senate passes a gun control bill and sends it to the House

The Senate passes a gun control bill and sends it to the House

Transcript¹

The Senate passed the first major gun legislation in nearly three decades. It would incentivize states to pass red flag laws and expand background checks for 18 to 21-year-olds, among other measures.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

It took mass killings² in Uvalde and in Buffalo³, along with countless⁴ other victims of mass shootings, for a long-sought breakthrough on gun safety measures in the Senate.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: The yeas are 65. The nays⁵ are 33. The motion to concur⁶ with an amendment⁷ is agreed to.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Sixty-five votes there, so it's bipartisan - a lot of Democrats⁹, some Republicans. And now the modest gun safety bill goes to the House for a vote that is expected later today.

FADEL: NPR congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell is following it all. Hi, Kelsey.

KELSEY SNELL, BYLINE¹⁰: Hi there. Good morning.

FADEL: Good morning. So Congress has been unable to pass gun legislation for decades. What was different about this bill?

SNELL: Well, lawmakers I talked to said the biggest difference this time was that there was huge public pressure to get something done on guns. You know, they talked about the enormous grief and anger people felt after the shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo. The Uvalde shooting in particular, where 19 children and two teachers were killed in an elementary school, really drove negotiators to the table. You know, another difference was that the negotiators were very narrowly focused from the outset, and then they fine-tuned the policy to reach a deal.

Now, the bill includes expanded background checks for gun-buyers under 21 with potentially longer waiting periods for those buyers. There are new penalties for illegal straw purchases, grants for crisis intervention¹¹, including red flag laws that allow guns to be removed from people who are deemed to be a threat to themselves and others. And there's also money for school safety and mental health programs and gun ownership restrictions¹² for people who have been convicted of domestic abuse.

FADEL: Now, gun rights groups like the NRA are opposing this bill. How are Republicans who usually support the NRA responding?

SNELL: You know, there were 15 Republicans who voted for the bill, and they basically all talked about this as legislation that does not infringe¹³ on Second Amendment rights. This is how Texas Republican John Cornyn explained it yesterday.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JOHN CORNYN: Law-abiding citizens exercising their Second Amendment rights are not a threat to public safety. But there are problems when people who are - have mental challenges or who are criminals get access to them.

SNELL: You know, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also voted for the bill, and he made a very similar argument in his statement when he was supporting the bill.

FADEL: Now, President Biden gave a national address earlier this month calling for Congress to go much further than this bill does - a ban on assault weapons, universal background checks. None of that's in the bill, but Democrats are supporting it. Tell us more about that.

SNELL: Yeah. Every Senate Democrat⁸ voted for it, and President Biden encouraged Congress to move swiftly on this package of policies. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised to bring it to a vote on the floor later today. And most people I have spoken with really do expect it to pass with strong support from Democrats. Chris Murphy was a lead Democrat in the negotiations¹⁴, and he has repeatedly said that he wanted to get something done that could pass and that could make an impact.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CHRIS MURPHY: This bill is a compromise. It doesn't do everything I want. But what we are doing will save thousands of lives without violating anyone's Second Amendment rights.

SNELL: Now, prominent gun safety groups also backed the legislation, and they're calling it an important step, so it looks like it is on a path to passage.

FADEL: NPR congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, thanks so much.

SNELL: Thanks for having me.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

3 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

4 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

5 nays   

n.反对票，投反对票者( nay的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The tally was two ayes and three nays. 投票结果是两票赞成，三票反对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The tally was three yeas and two nays, so the yeas have it. 投票结果是三票赞成两票反对，投赞成票者胜利。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 concur   

v.同意，意见一致，互助，同时发生

参考例句：

• Wealth and happiness do not always concur.财富与幸福并非总是并存的。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done.我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。

7 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

8 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

9 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

11 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

12 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

13 infringe   

v.违反，触犯，侵害

参考例句：

• The jury ruled that he had infringed no rules.陪审团裁决他没有违反任何规定。
• He occasionally infringe the law by parking near a junction.他因偶尔将车停放在交叉口附近而违反规定。

14 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。