Will Congress Ever Make a Move? After Sandy Hook, After Vegas, After Parkland...

Source: NPR

The economic principle I’m exploring is : Institutions are the “rules of the games” that influence choices.

My research question to help me study the economic principle is : In the US Government, how does the institutional design of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches shape and influence policymaking surrounding the hot topic of guns, as related to the recent school shootings?

The article published in CNN titled Congress wonders if this time will be different for gun control
demonstrates this economic principle because it argues that due to the institution build of our American Government, the Republican dominated Congress has been doing more talk than action in terms of gun control.

First, due to Congress’s lack of action after a repeated pattern of shootings, as such in the Parkland Florida shooting, Vegas club shooting, or the Texas church shooting, it is unclear whether legislative measures will be taken to tighten gun control.

Second, the lack of action from Congress cannot solely be due to party affiliation. Republican representative Carlos Curbelo advocates for discussion of guns on the floor, and would like to see reasonable, stronger gun laws that would help make America safer.

Third, there have been minimum efforts such as new policies toward increasing background checks. Democrats argue that these efforts only scratch the surface at reforming gun control. There must be something about the structure of Congress that is inhibiting action. The pace of change in Congress is deliberately made to be slow, given the many different opposing perspectives, bicameral structure. In 2013 the Senate voted on increased background checks and increased ban of more semiautomatic guns-- but these efforts failed even with those saddened by Sandy Hook lobbying a democratic-controlled Congress

In my next blog post I will research: THE FOUR REASONS CONGRESS WON’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT GUN CONTROL