Ten victims were killed as soon as the’gun ban’ was lifted
Reporter Yoon Yeo-jin [email protected]
Input: 2021-03-25 18:46:48Revision: 2021-03-25 18:47:31Posted: 2021-03-25 18:48:04 (p. 12)
On the outside fence of King Supers, a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, USA, where 10 people were killed in indiscriminate firearms, a sign calling for a gun ban on the 24th (local time) is hung along with souvenirs and flowers. AFP Yonhap News
With shootings scattered around the United States, US President Joe Biden has urged Congress to immediately pass a law to strengthen gun control, but the prospects are not so bright. This is because there is a high concern that the issue of gun control will turn into a factional issue.
According to the results of a survey released by USA Today and polling agency Ipsos on the 24th (local time), 65% of all respondents answered that “the gun control should be further strengthened.” This poll was conducted online on the 23rd to 24th with 1005 adults.
Courthouse in Boulder County, Colorado
Decree to abolish the ban ordinance 10 days ago
Biden-led legislation to strengthen regulations
Predicting difficulties due to differences in understanding depending on the faction
However, the rate of approval for strengthening firearms regulations fell 7 percentage points (P) compared to the USA Today-Ipsos survey conducted in August 2019. In particular, the approval rate of Republican supporters has plummeted. In the 2019 survey, more than half of the Republican supporters, more than half 54%, supported the tightening of gun control, but in this survey, the percentage fell by nearly 20% to 35%.
On the other hand, the Democratic Party’s support for strengthening gun control remained at a similar level, reaching 90% in the survey.
57% also agreed that the deregulation of firearms would lead to the occurrence of firearms, but this is also 10 percentage points lower than the 2019 survey. In particular, among Republican supporters, the percentage has dropped from 51% to 27%. In the case of Democratic supporters, the percentage remained unchanged at 85%.
Regarding these results, Chairman Cliff Young Ipsos said, “This means a change within the Republican support and leadership rather than the issue itself.” In fact, former President Donald Trump has shown a lukewarm attitude toward strengthening gun control by enacting the second Amendment to the Constitution, which contains the freedom to possess guns. The National Firearms Association (NRA) is also Trump’s flagship support base.
USA Today analyzed that the sharp decline in support for strengthening gun control in the Republican Party was to ease the political pressure on Republican officials over the approval of the new gun law.
This is a point that makes the prospect of the Senate disposition of the recent reinforcement of the gun control laws handled in the House of Representatives led by the Democratic Party. This law extends the subject of mandatory background checks to individual sellers and undocumented sellers during the purchase process and extends the period of investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). However, in order to vote in the Senate, a 50-50 equal-numbered seat of Democratic and Republican, 10 votes from within the Republican Party must occur.
In this regard, it was found that 10 people were killed locally after only 10 days after the Boulder Court in Colorado, USA removed the gun ban.
In 2018, Boulder City Council enacted an ordinance banning the sale, possession, and transfer of most shotguns, semi-automatic rifles, and pistols to prevent mass-to-person shootings. However, firearms advocacy groups filed a lawsuit against the over-regulation, and Boulder County court ruled on the 12th to abolish the firearms ban in Boulder City. Colorado state law permits the use of legally acquired firearms.
Reporter Yoon Yeo-jin [email protected]·Some Yonhap News