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After Shootings, Congress Again Weighs Gun Violence Response

Associated Press

   WASHINGTON - Newtown. Charleston. Orlando. Parkland.

   And now after mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio,
   Congress again is confronted with the question of what, if anything,
   lawmakers should do to combat the scourge of gun violence afflicting
   the country.

   While both parties are calling for action, the retreat to familiar
   political corners was swift. Democrats demanded quick approval of
   gun-control legislation -- some of it already passed by the House --
   while Republicans looked elsewhere for answers, focusing on mental
   health and violent video games.

   With Congress away from Washington for a five-week recess, and the
   parties intractably divided, the odds appear stacked in favor of
   gridlock. But Democrats and some Republicans said this time can and
   should be different.

   "While no law will end mass shootings entirely, it's time for Congress
   to act to help keep our communities safer," said Sen. Pat Toomey,
   R-Pa., as he vowed to again push bipartisan legislation to expand
   background checks to all commercial firearm sales.

   Toomey and his co-sponsor, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., each spoke with
   President Donald Trump about the background checks bill and a separate
   proposal making it easier to take guns away from people believed to be
   a danger to themselves or others.

   Trump "showed a willingness to work with us" on background checks and
   other measures, Toomey told reporters in a conference call. "He was
   very constructive."

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