美国国家公共电台 NPR Congress Stalled On Bills To Tighten Gun Background Check System

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

The debate in Washington over what to do about mass shootings is following a familiar pattern. Democrats¹ and Republicans both say they want to end gun violence, but they disagree on how to do that. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers are hoping to vote on a series of narrow fixes to the background check system that's already in place for most gun purchases.

NPR congressional reporter Kelsey Snell joins us to talk about where that debate stands now. Hi, Kelsey.

KELSEY SNELL, BYLINE²: Hi, Ari.

SHAPIRO: Senate leaders had said they wanted a vote this week on changes to the national background check system. Are they still on track to do that?

SNELL: It really doesn't look like it right now. Senator John Cornyn - he's a No. 2 Republican in the Senate from Texas - he wrote this new changes to the background check system and says he's really hoping to get there. And he made a long, impassioned speech on the Senate floor today asking people to come up for a vote for this. Here's what he said.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JOHN CORNYN: If our attitude is I want everything on my list or nothing, we're going to end up with nothing.

SNELL: And that's a pretty stark³ warning. The problem isn't just a divide between Democrats and Republicans. This issue of guns really splits the parties in a lot of different ways. And it's fairly clear that the bill could pass if the Senate, you know, allowed it to come up. But there are a lot of concerns that Democrats might push for votes on broader controls like an assault weapons ban or universal background checks. And Republicans want to enforce existing laws. They want to focus on that. And, you know, this is something we've seen a lot in the past few months. It's the same dynamic as in DACA where Democrats and Republicans agree on a goal but they can't agree on the legislation to reach that goal, so it makes it really hard for them to get to a vote.

SHAPIRO: DACA, the protections for young immigrants.

SNELL: Right.

SHAPIRO: One difference with previous gun violence debates is that now you have these students from the high school where the shooting took place.

SNELL: Yeah.

SHAPIRO: Have their voices had an impact on lawmakers?

SNELL: Absolutely. We're hearing from Republicans in particular saying, you know, that they were moved by this in a way that we didn't hear them saying that before. And survivors⁴ were in the Capitol today. They visited with House Speaker Paul Ryan and they met with other legislators. But Ryan was among those who said he was deeply affected⁵ by hearing the stories on TV. But he also said what I'm hearing from other Republicans, which is they don't want to pass laws that would restrict guns from most people. Here's what Ryan said at a press conference.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)

PAUL RYAN: Of course we want to listen to these kids. But we also want to make sure that we protect people's due process rights and legal constitutional rights while making sure that people who should not get guns don't get them.

SNELL: And that brings us back to the same debate that's been plaguing Congress for years. There's virtually no agreement on a single bill that can really address the complicated issue that is mass shootings.

SHAPIRO: So where does it go from here in that case?

SNELL: Yeah. Ryan says the ball's in the Senate's court. The Senate Republicans say it's up to Democrats to agree with them. Democrats say they can support this narrow background check bill, and they're blaming conservatives who are blocking the bill over what they're calling due process issues. So basically it's kind of a circular firing squad⁶ of people saying it's somebody else's responsibility to get moving on this. One option would be for all 100 senators to agree to pass the bill without ever actually voting on it. They would just voice vote it and say, we have passed changes to the background checks, and send it to the House for another vote. Another option would be for Democrats and Republicans to agree on a limited number of amendments⁷.

All of this is a big ask. It's a short period of time, and Congress lives slowly even on issues where there's broad agreement. And guns really aren't one of those areas. Congress has not prepared for a gun debate either. They planned to spend this time approving nominations⁸ and moving on to banking⁹, but the shooting forced their hand to start talking about guns again.

SHAPIRO: NPR congressional reporter Kelsey Snell, thank you.

SNELL: Thank you.

1 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》

2 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。

3 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

4 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

7 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

8 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

9 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。