Response from Washington, D.C.,

Democrats, GOP still disagree on best way to tackle issue.

WASHINGTON — The same day that U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, announced he would hold a hearing on gun violence, a man drove to three Atlanta-area spas and killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent. Then on Monday, as Durbin was finalizing his opening statement and the questions he would ask during that hearing, another mass shooting in Colorado resulted in the deaths of 10 more people.

Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, said Tuesday morning that there have been a total of 29 mass shootings in America this month. He said these incidents show that gun violence is a crisis, much like the coronavirus, and requires immediate action.

Durbin put his support behind several Democratic proposals, including one that would require background checks for nearly all gun sales. He also expressed support for increasing the waiting period to allow the FBI more time to complete background checks, red-flag laws that allow families or law enforcement agencies to petition courts to remove firearms from people who are considered at risk to themselves or others, plus a measure that would require retail stores to lock up firearms after hours.

Republican members of the committee said they agreed that Congress should do more to prevent gun crimes, but they have different ideas on how to do that. Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, the highest-ranking GOP member on the committee, said beefing up law enforcement to ensure that violent criminals are not able to possess guns is a start. He also advocated for improving training so that officers can better identify people who are a threat to the safety of others.

Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is also a member of the committee, asked panelists to recommend other ways to reduce mass shootings but also everyday violence experienced by residents in cities such as Atlanta.

“We’re still reeling in Georgia after the attacks on three Asian-owned small businesses took eight lives last week,” the Democrat said. “And there’s also a broader increase in violence across our society over the last year in particular.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has promised to bring the universal background check bill to the Senate floor for a vote even though it’s unclear whether it has support from at least 10 Republicans. Without that, the measure is likely to stall indefinitely because of the filibuster rule.

President Joe Biden ordered flags at federal buildings to fly at half-staff in honor of the Colorado victims, the same action he took last week after the Atlanta-area shootings.

“Less than a week after the horrific murders of eight people and the assault on the (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community in Georgia, while the flag was still flying half-staff for the tragedy, another American city has been scarred by gun violence and the resulting trauma,” the president told reporters Tuesday.

Biden put his support behind the gun measures that have already been approved in the House and said the Senate should not wait to act.

“The Senate should immediately pass — let me say it again: The United States Senate — I hope some are listening — should immediately pass the two House-passed bills that close loopholes in the background check system,” he said. Biden also said he would like to see bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

In Georgia, Republicans who control the General Assembly, have proposed legislation that would loosen firearms restrictions while Democrats have introduced a package of gun control measures.

With the legislative session nearing its conclusion March 31, a measure with a good chance of passing was amended by Republican members of the state Senate that would allow Georgia to recognize concealed carry permits from other states and relax other gun licensing rules during a national emergency. New language would also require law enforcement agencies to sell off any guns they obtain, such as through confiscation.

In Georgia, state Democratic legislators introduced a package of gun control measures that mirror some of the federal measures, though they stand no chance of passage without support from leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature.

One seeks a five-day waiting period for the purchase of firearms; another would add new penalties for those violating the new rules.

Another would require state-sanctioned law enforcement officers to be trained in “positive outreach methods” aimed at defusing violent situations. And a fourth would establish a language translation system within the state’s 911 communications hub.