Congress Assignment
It seems Congress can’t agree on anything these days, right?
In July, Congress passed, and President Biden signed in to law, S. 2938, the Bipartisan
Safer Communities Act. To move the issue more quickly, Congress basically hijacked a bill
that did nothing but name a post office and a courthouse in Florida, and turned it into
what is – for all the shortcomings cited by critics – the most comprehensive step forward
on gun safety taken by Congress in many years.
This bill was largely engineered by Texas Senator John Cornyn, who in the short term, at
least, is paying a heavy political price as his poll numbers have dropped
Links to an external site.
with increasingly conservative Republican voters.
In a 2 – 5 page essay, talk about this bill’s journey through the process. What were some of
the significant votes in the House and Senate?
Who seems to have been for and against it?
What do you think about it?If you were a Congressman or Senator, how would you have
voted and why?
Additional Resources
Here’s the bill: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/2938
CNN explains what’s in the bill:
https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/21/politics/whats-in-senate-gun-reform-bill/index.html
NPR covered President Biden signing it into law in July:
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/25/1107626030/biden-signs-gun-safety-law