U.S. House Democrats urging gun-safety hearings have swerved sharply from their actions last Congress, when they held no hearings on the subject despite their control of the chamber and pressure from some of their members, reports The Hill. Judiciary Committee Democrats are arguing that it’s “imperative” for the panel’s Republican leaders to examine the nation’s gun-safety laws after the Arizona shooting rampage that left a 9-year-old dead and a congresswoman seriously injured.
The inaction hasn’t been for an absence of pressure. Last year, Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL), a member of the Judiciary panel, asked Democratic leaders for a hearing on the “gun-show loophole” that allows unlicensed gun vendors to sell firearms without performing background checks on prospective buyers — a step required of licensed gun dealers. He didn’t get it.
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/142085-dems-suddenly-dial-up-the-pressure-on-gun-safety