Gun control risks losing momentum as impeachment fever rises

After back-to-back mass shootings in Ohio and Texas this summer, gun control burst back on scene as a major political issue for Democrats. w it risks taking a back seat as impeachment fever overtakes Washington. Gun control vocates are determined to prevent that from happening. Ten White House hopefuls will be in Las Vegas for a forum on gun policy on Wednesday, almost two years to day after a gunman killed 58 people at a country music festival on Las Vegas Strip in deliest mass shooting in modern American history. event is being hosted by MSNBC, March for Our Lives and Giffords, vocacy organization set up by former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was shot and gravely wounded during a constituent meeting in 2011.

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Forum an effort to keep gun violence in Presidential debates

forum is an effort to keep gun violence front and centre of debate and gives 2020 presidential candidates a chance to showcase ir plans to combat epidemic. Polls show that a majority of Americans favour stricter gun laws, while even more support specific proposals like universal background checks. But negotiations between President Donald Trump's ministration and lawmakers have halted over background checks legislation, an effort that faced long odds even before impeachment inquiry began.

"Impeachment sucks everything out of room. Certainly, it's focus of Trump's attention," said Jack Citrin, a professor emeritus of political science at University of California-Berkeley. "If you need to reach some kind of bipartisan agreement and one party is determined to throw president out of office, rightly or wrongly, it's a little hard to see how that builds kind of goodwill that's necessary on this or any or issue."

Ariel Hobbs, a 21-year-old student organizer with March for Our Lives in Houston, said her group wants "to hear from candidates that y are taking this seriously and y understand y can longer igre America's gun violence epidemic." She doesn't think impeachment inquiry is a reason for lawmakers to stop ir push for a bipartisan solution.

10 candidates slated to participate in forum are former Vice President Joe Biden; New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker; South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; former Obama Housing Secretary Julián Castro; California Sen. Kamala Harris; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar; former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke; Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders; Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren; and businessman Andrew Yang.

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Beto O'Rourke brings gun violence again to nda

O'Rourke recast his campaign around gun control after August shooting in his hometown of El Paso, Texas, where a gunman targeting Hispanics killed 22 people. O'Rourke even vowed to ban assault weapons, saying at a debate in Houston in September, "Hell, yes, we're gonna take your AR-15, your AK-47, and we're t going to allow it to be used against your fellow Americans anymore." One expert said he doesn't see a downside for O'Rourke or any of his fellow presidential candidates to talk about impeachment alongside or issues like gun control.

"If (O'Rourke) is pointing out that because of impeachment, president has decided t to work at all on an issue that involves people's lives, he could make argument if he wanted that this is itself an impeachable offence," said Michael Green, a history professor at University of Las Vegas-Neva focused on state and national politics. "If you are trying to get your base, your base probably does t mind idea of impeachment."

Ar challenge for candidates is to distinguish mselves on issue of guns. O'Rourke stands out with this call for a mandatory federal buyback program for military-style weapons used in many mass shootings. That goes beyond most or Democratic candidates who have focused ir proposals around expanded background checks and banning future manufacture and sales of certain high-powered weapons — but t making it illegal to possess those alrey in market.

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Biden releases Detailed Gun Policy as Democrats focus on Impeachment

Ahe of debate, Biden released a detailed gun policy plan emphasizing his role as a leing senator in opting a background law in 1993 and a ban on certain semi-automatic weapons as part of a sweeping 1994 crime law. That ban expired after 10 years. Besides renewing that ban and including high-capacity magazines, Biden's proposals include an outright ban on online sales of guns and ammunition, along with a voluntary buyback program for military-style guns. Biden doesn't offer a price tag for his voluntary buyback proposal but proposes a $900 million, an eight-year grant program for evidence-based intervention programs in 40 cities with high homicide rates. idea reflects a point Biden and some or candidates make often when campaigning: Mass shootings making helines account for only a small fraction of U.S. gun deaths.

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut has been leing negotiations with White House on a background checks deal and will attend forum. conversations have gone silent in past two weeks, but he's told White House that he's still willing to talk. Trump himself has accused Democrats of igring or issues to focus on impeachment.

" Democrats are so focused on hurting Republican Party and President that y are unable to get anything done because of it, including legislation on gun safety, lowering of prescription drug prices, infrastructure, etc. So b for our Country!" he tweeted Sept. 24. Murphy says reaching consensus may still be possible. "I think that president is going to have some pressure to show that impeachment isn't consuming him, and a breakthrough on a background checks deal that body thought was possible would probably be a pretty good tonic for ministration right w," he said.

While his fellow Democrats may t be keen on idea of giving Trump a win, Murphy said he'll keep pushing because gun control remains top of mind for voters. "Our party needs to find mechanisms to keep our focus on issues that matter to voters, and guns are right at top of that list," he said. " forum is an effort to try to keep primary dialogue focused on an issue that is absolutely going to be top of mind for swing voters."

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