Tuesday is January 8, the eighth anniversary of the shooting that nearly killed then-Rep. Gabby Giffords and did kill six people. And on Tuesday, House Democrats are introducing H.R. 8, a bill to require universal background checks for gun sales.
Giffords will join Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Mike Thompson,, the head of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, in introducing the bill. “Finally, with our new majority that ran on helping to prevent gun violence, we will introduce a bipartisan, universal background checks bill. We will hold hearings, we will have a vote, and this legislation will finally pass the House,” Thompson said in a statement citing efforts that have been ongoing since Sandy Hook.
“In communities across America, courageous survivors, families and young advocates are showing outstanding courage and persistence in demanding an end to the horrific scourge of gun violence in our nation,” said Pelosi, pointing to the massive public support for universal background checks. Despite that support, don’t expect many Republicans to join Democrats in voting for this measure—just 14 signed onto a similar bill in 2017—and definitely don’t expect Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to allow a vote on it. Because Republicans care what the NRA thinks, not what the American people think.