PBS高端访谈:众议院探讨枪支暴力问题（在线收听）

JUDY WOODRUFF: With the August recess now over, members of Congress scrambled today to prioritize their agenda items. As Capitol Hill correspondent Lisa Desjardins reports, there's a lot to choose from.

LISA DESJARDINS: Their first full day back from summer break, House Democrats wanted to talk guns and gun violence, holding a forum on the issue.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): We will fight on every front, in the courts, and in the Congress, and in the court of public opinion, to make sure this issue is too hot to handle for the GOP to block. We're not taking no for an answer.

LISA DESJARDINS: Speaker Pelosi is particularly touting a bill the House already passed to expand background checks to include most private sales. That idea has gained new attention after last month's mass shooting in Odessa, Texas. Officials say seven people were killed by a man who failed a background check, but got a gun later through a private sale, where no background check was required. That violence, along with attacks in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, led to 40 deaths last month. And all of that is leading Democrats to pressure the Senate to vote on more background checks.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer: SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): A debate on gun safety should be our first order of business, and the place to start a debate is a vote on the House-passed bipartisan background checks bill.

LISA DESJARDINS: But in the Senate, one vote matters most, that of Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who has said, for a gun bill to get a vote, the president must back it first.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): We do, in fact, await word from the White House about what the president is willing to sign.

LISA DESJARDINS: This, despite polls showing, nationwide, overwhelming support for increased background checks. An NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist survey out today shows that 83 percent of Americans support laws requiring background checks for gun show purchases and private sales. This puts enormous pressure on vulnerable Republican senators up for reelection next year, like Susan Collins of Maine.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): Over the August recess, I had extensive conversations with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and with the White House, and I'm optimistic that we could reach agreement on a package that would pass the Senate.

LISA DESJARDINS: As senators struggle to vote on anything, House Democrats are voting on more and stepped-up ideas, today moving bills through committee to limit high-capacity magazines and support more red flag laws, allowing law enforcement to take weapons from anyone thought to be dangerous. Some House Democrats also want to return to an all-out ban on assault-style weapons. But with Congress divided, the deciding voice looks like President Trump's. He met with Republican leaders about gun violence today. But he has indicated both an openness and opposition to gun legislation in recent days. Therein lies the challenge, says Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware.

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): I'm sure he will take a position. The question is, will he hold it? If he does, he will be able to lead us forward to making progress on guns. If he doesn't, I think we will all be once again disappointed at the lack of progress.

LISA DESJARDINS: Democrats are hoping for more gun votes in the House in coming weeks.

朱迪·伍德拉夫：美国国会8月的休假结束了。今天，国会议员们要将议程事项排优先级来。下面请听我台驻国会大厦记者丽莎·德雅尔丹发回的报道。有很多内容，我们可以着重了解一下。

丽莎·德雅尔丹：今天是夏季休假后的第一个完整工作日，众议院的一些民主党议员想聊聊与枪支和枪支暴力有关的问题，他们就这个问题召开了一场会议。

众议员，南希·佩洛西：我们会在各个渠道抗争，包括各法院、国会、公共舆论，以确保共和党无法阻止这个烫手山芋。我们要的是肯定的答案。

丽莎·德雅尔丹：众议院议长佩洛西正在为一项众议院已经通过的法案造势，她想要扩大背景调查，让大多数私人销售枪支参与进来。这一想法获得了外界的最新关注，因为上个月在德克萨斯州的敖德萨发生了大规模枪击案。工作人员表示，有7人遭到一名没有接受过背景调查的男子所枪杀，但该男子随后通过私人销售购置了一把枪，而通过私人销售来购买枪支是不需要做背景调查的。这场暴力事件加上俄亥俄州厄尔巴索和代顿的枪击案，总共于上个月造成40人死亡。这些事件让民主党议员向参议院施压，希望投票支持对枪支购买做更多的背景调查。

参议院民主党领袖查克·舒默：参议员查克·舒默：关于枪支安全的讨论应该成为首要议题。讨论枪支问题就应该对众议院由两党通过的背景调查进行投票。

丽莎·德雅尔丹：不过，在参议院，有一项投票至关重要——共和党领袖明奇·麦康奈尔的那票。因为明奇·麦康奈尔说，枪支法案要进行投票之前，先要获得特朗普总统的背书。

参议员明奇·麦康奈尔：实际上，我们确实在等白宫的回复，从而知道特朗普总统是否愿意签署该法案。

丽莎·德雅尔丹：虽然民意调查显示的结果有出入，但该法案在全国范围内获得了越来越多的支持——支持做背景调查。今天，NPR、PBS《新闻一小时》、马里斯特民调中心的调查显示：83%的美国人支持通过立法对枪支购买和私人出售枪支做背景调查。这对明年共和党参议员是否能再次当选造成了极大的压力，比如缅因州的参议员苏珊·科林斯。

参议员苏珊·科林斯：8月放假期间，我与我在两党的同事们以及白宫的同事们聊了很多。我相信该法案在参议院也能获得通过。

丽莎·德雅尔丹：在参议员们考虑投票事情的时候，众议院的民主党议员正在就其他事情进行投票，也在加紧头脑风暴的步伐。今天，他们通过委员会通过了了多项法案——限制高容量杂志，加大力度支持红旗法，通过执法将危险人物手中的武器拿走。一些众议院民主党议员也希望全面禁止攻击性武器的使用。不过，由于国会持分化态度，所以最终可能还是要取决于特朗普的态度。今天，特朗普与多位共和党领袖就枪支暴力问题了进行了会晤。不过，最近，关于枪支立法的问题，他既持开放态度，也表达了反对的态度。民主党特拉华州参议员克里斯·库恩斯表示，这其中存在着挑战。

参议员克里斯·库恩斯：我相信他会站边的。问题是：他站得住边吗？如果他站得住边，他就能带领我们在枪支管控方面取得进步。如果他站不住边，那么我想我们会因为进步寥寥而感到失望。

丽莎·德雅尔丹：民主党希望未来几周里能就枪支背调投票的问题获得更多的投票支持。