Biden must seize moment on gun safety

ANewtown-based firearms association attributes a January spike in gun sales to the election of a president who pledged to aggressively pursue gun safety. It’s reasonable that the leader of Connecticut’s largest gun owners’ group would point to a reflection of the last similar trend, which occurred in 2016, when Democrats were last in the White House and promoting a similar agenda.

Of course, the observation ignores that the sight of mobs rioting at the U.S. Capitol might also have inspired many Americans to bear arms.

The FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System processed 4.3 million background checks last month, a 60 percent increase over the previous January.

Connecticut’s numbers are not always in sync with the rest of the nation, in part because it has burnished a reputation for having some of the toughest gun safety standards in the nation since the tragedy of Dec. 14, 2012, when 26 students and staff were killed by a gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The 25,600 firearm background checks in Connecticut last month, however, represent a 63 percent year-to-year increase, more than the national average.

Activists in Connecticut aren’t wrong to try to shake Biden out of his honeymoon period and deliver on promises made along the campaign trail.

He spoke of the establishment of universal background checks and an assault weapons ban. Despite support from a majority of American, Congress has remained paralyzed to endorse such common sense acts.

Biden needs to recognize the path is clear to finally turn these into law. The Democrats have a majority in the House and Vice President Kamala Harris can break ties in the divided Senate.

He doesn’t need to stop there, either. But while Connecticut acted swiftly in the wake of 12/14/12, lawmakers in Washington, D.C., remain bystanders as Americans collectively add to a stockpile of 393 million firearms, dwarfing the U.S. military’s 4.5 million.

“It goes to show that Americans — and Connecticut residents are no different — believe in their right to keep and bear arms,” Connecticut Citizens Defense League President Holly Sullivan said of the latest figures. “And they want to exercise that right.”

Ironically, many of those buying firearms and those lobbying for better restrictions share a common goal: Wanting to feel more safe.

The standoff has resulted in little progress. It wasn’t a member of Congress, or a president, who summed up the problem most effectively.

“The fact that (Sandy Hook) was eight years ago and still very little has changed is so unacceptable.”

Those words came from 15year-old Ashley of Newtown, who survived the shootings eight years ago.

It’s not just the passage of time, but the subsequent shootings at churches, colleges and high schools that have yet to end the inertia in Congress.

“If we continue to fight long enough and hard enough things will change,” Ashley said.

They have already fought long enough and hard enough. President Biden shouldn’t make them wait any longer.

The 25,600 firearm background checks in Connecticut last month, however, represent a 63 percent year-to-year increase, more than the national average.