With all of the mass shootings this year, many U.S. citizens are passionate about changing gun laws, reports the Wall Street Journal. After the midterm elections on Tuesday, November 6, it appears that the country adapting new regulations related to gun control might actually become a possibility. A total of 15 Democratic candidates who were given an F-rating by the National Rifle Association (NRA) replaced politicians who had an A-rating from the NRA.
This year also saw the first time gun control groups outspent the NRA, who have a history of funding certain politicians. Organizations advocating for gun control such as Everytown and Giffords spent a combined total of $37 million. In addition, the company Bloomberg donated $100 million to support the cause. In comparison, the NRA spent only $20 million, and some of those donations went to advertisements for politicians Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch. Mike Thompson, who also happens to be a chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, was elected to the House of Representatives Tuesday night and plans to make fighting for gun control a priority.
“This new majority is not going to be afraid of our shadow,” said Thompson. “We know that we’ve been elected to do a job, and we’re going to do it.”
15 House Republicans with A NRA ratings lost on Tuesday. All 15 were replaced by Democrats with F NRA ratings. https://t.co/cFScXLmEdM
— Reid J. Epstein (@reidepstein) November 9, 2018
Thompson is one of the many politicians advocating for legislation mandating universal background checks. A lot of people are in agreement with Thompson, and the recent mass shooting in Thousand Oaks that killed 12 people added to the conversation even more. A passionate plea from a grieving mother has people buzzing. Susan Orfanos is the mother of Telemachus Orfanos, who survived the devastating mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017, only to be killed in the Thousand Oaks shooting in 2018.
“I don’t want thoughts,” Susan told reporters. “I want gun control, and I hope to God nobody sends me anymore prayers.”
Some politicians, however, still don’t feel the need for gun control. Marsha Blackburn was also elected on Tuesday, and the NRA donated $2.5 million to her campaign. When asked about her feelings on the Thousand Oaks shooting, Blackburn seemed to imply that it was important to keep gun rights the way they are.
“What we do is say, how do we make certain that we protect the Second Amendment and protect our citizens?” she said.
According to a recent study conducted by AP VoteCast, 61 percent of around 90,000 U.S. citizens feel that gun laws should be stricter. Thirteen percent of Democrats and 8 percent of all voters even said that gun control was the main issue that helped them determine who to vote for. People on all sides of the issue are now anxious to see if the politicians elected on Tuesday will effect the current laws in place regarding gun control.
