politics
Six months later a deadly mass shooting By an Army reservist, Maine lawmakers passed a sweeping package of recent gun restrictions this week.
Three months after a fatal school shootingIn Iowa, lawmakers this week passed a law allowing trained teachers and staff to hold guns on school grounds.
Two states. Two tragedies. Two different approaches to improving public safety.
“We essentially live in two different Americas,” said Daniel Webster, a professor of health policy on the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.
“We are experiencing terrible gun violence; Of course no one wants them,” Webster said. “But we see it through different lenses.”
Lawmakers in about 20 states have already passed measures to expand gun rights or restrict access to firearms this 12 months. Dozens of other proposals are still pending. The gap continues a trend seen last 12 months, when greater than half of states passed a gun lawwith Democrats generally favoring more limits and Republicans more freedoms for gun owners.
Gun Restrictions in Maine
Maine has a convention of hunting and gun ownership. But after a military reservist 18 people killed and wounded 13 others in Lewiston, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills called for a series of recent laws The aim is to forestall dangerous people from owning weapons and to strengthen psychiatric care.
Before the 2024 session adjourns early Thursday, The legislature has selected measures Imposing a 72-hour waiting period for gun purchases, expanding background checks on private gun sales, and criminalizing sales to certain prohibited individuals. They also passed a ban on devices that convert semi-automatic firearms into rapid-fire weapons like machine guns and improved an existing law that enables judges to temporarily take away guns from people during a mental health crisis.
A gun safety coalition hailed it as a major step forward in response to voter concerns following the Lewiston shooting. But Republican Sen. Lisa Keim criticized her colleagues for “using the tragedy to advance legislation” that previously didn’t pass.
Guns in Iowa schools
In Perry, Iowa, a headmaster and a sixth grade student died and a number of other others were injured A 17-year-old student opened fire in January.
A 2021 state law already allowed schools to permit individuals to hold firearms, although some districts haven’t done so attributable to concerns about insurance coverage.
The bill, which received final approval Monday from the Republican-led Legislature, builds on previous laws and allows teachers and staff who complete gun safety training to acquire skilled licenses to hold guns in schools. If they accomplish that, they might be protected against criminal or civil liability for the usage of reasonable force.
The laws also requires large school districts to station a police officer or private security guard at every highschool unless the college board votes against it. Most of those school districts have already got security guards in place.
Different state laws
Republican-led legislatures in Kentucky, Nebraska, South Dakota, Tennessee and Utah also passed measures this 12 months that will make it harder for some people to bring guns into schools. A Bill passed in Wyoming Provides $480,000 to reimburse schools for the associated fee of coaching their employees to hold weapons on school grounds.
Louisiana And South CarolinaLed by Republican lawmakers and governors, each passed laws allowing people to hold concealed weapons without permits. The National Rifle Association, which supported the measures, said similar laws now exist in 29 states.
In contrast, the Democratic-led Delaware Legislature passed laws People who need to buy a handgun must first be fingerprinted, complete training and acquire government approval.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, signed two latest laws impose restrictions. It imposes a seven-day waiting period for firearm purchases – greater than double the three-day period the federal government requires for a background check.
Another latest law in New Mexico bans carrying firearms inside 100 feet (30 meters) of polling places, with an exception for concealed carry permit holders. According to the Giffords Gun Violence Prevention Group, a few third of states and Washington, D.C. now have polling place restrictions on guns.
Despite party trends
Not all latest gun guidelines divide along party lines.
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin this 12 months vetoed 30 bills related to guns The resolution passed by the Democratic-led General Assembly would have trampled on constitutional rights, he said. But Youngkin also signed some gun restrictions: One of them bans devices that convert semi-automatic handguns into automatic weapons. In one other case, parents could also be charged with crimes for allowing a baby access to a firearm after being told that the kid posed a risk of violence.
While he signed several gun rights measures, Republican Gov. Mark Gordon of Wyoming also signed Veto laws This would have allowed people to hold concealed weapons in public schools and government meetings. Gordon cited concerns the bill could have gone beyond the separation of powers provision within the state structure.
And in some cases, high-profile shootings have led lawmakers to not take motion on proposals they may otherwise have considered.
The Republican-led Missouri House of Representatives was poised to debate bills that will exempt guns and ammunition from sales taxes and permit individuals with concealed-carry permits to hold guns on public transportation. But after the fatal Shooting on the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl celebrationHouse Majority Leader Jon Patterson said those bills wouldn’t be brought up this 12 months.
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