After Orlando attack, gun-control bills remain in limbo

WASHINGTON – Even before the shooting in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., there were more than a dozen gun-control-related bills working their way through the Senate – none with much chance of being enacted into law before Congress adjourns.

The bills cover a a broad range of proposals aimed at cracking down on gun violence, such as strengthening background checks, protecting victims of stalking and domestic violence, and authorizing government agencies to study gun deaths.

Democrats are expected to get a vote on gun control next week, but if they pass the Senate, they are unlikely to pass the House.

Senate Republicans this past week announced they would allow votes on both Democratic- and Republican-sponsored amendments to an annual appropriations bill that would limit access to firearms. The proposals, expected to be considered Monday, include measures to create a universal background check system for all gun purchases and to ban the sale of firearms to suspected terrorists.

These are some other bills languishing in the Senate:

On increasing screening and closing background check loopholes:

Name: S. 2934: Fix Gun Checks Act of 2016

Introduced: 5/16/16

Sponsor: Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.

Intent: to ensure that people who are prohibited from purchasing guns are listed on the criminal background check system and to require a background check for all people who wish to purchase a firearm

Status: held in the Judiciary Committee

Name: S. 2213: Background Check Completion Act of 2015

Introduced: 10/28/15

Sponsor: Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

Intent: to prevent a licensed gun dealer from selling a firearm to a person who has not completed a background check

Status: held in the Judiciary Committee

On preventing criminals and other possible attackers from obtaining weapons:

Name: S. 1977: Gun Violence Intervention Act of 2015

Introduced: 8/5/15

Sponsor: Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.

Intent: to provide family members and friends of a person who they believe may pose a significant risk to himself, herself or others tools to prevent gun violence, namely by allowing law enforcement to temporarily seize the person’s firearms if a warrant is present

Status: held in the Judiciary Committee

Name: S. 2377: Defeat ISIS and Protect and Secure the United States of America Act of 2015

Introduced: 12/9/15

Sponsor: Harry Reid, D-Calif.

Intent: to grant the president greater power to degrade and ultimately destroy the Islamic State and to better protect the homeland by prohibiting known or suspected terrorists from purchasing a firearm, improving TSA technology and training law enforcement for terror and active shooter incidents

Status: held in the Judiciary Committee

Name: S. 1520: Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act of 2015

Introduced: 6/4/15

Sponsor: Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

Intent: to amend the Brady Bill to expand the definitions of “domestic partner” and “misdemeanor crime of domestic violence” and prevent the sale or shipment of firearms to individuals who have been convicted of the misdemeanor crime of stalking

Status: held in the Judiciary Committee

On beginning to study gun violence patterns:

Name: S. 1473: A bill to authorize the appropriation of funds to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for conducting and supporting research on firearms safety or gun violence prevention

Introduced: 6/2/15

Sponsor: Edward Markey, D-Mass.

Intent: to allocate money from the Federal budget to the CDC to conduct and support research on firearms safety and gun violence prevention

Status: held in the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee

On establishing stricter gun purchasing, ownership, and transfer laws:

Name: S. 2198: Domestic Violence Gun Homicide Prevention Act of 2015

Introduced: 10/22/15

Sponsor: Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

Intent: to establish a grant program to encourage states to adopt stricter procedures on transferring and possessing firearms

Status: held in the Judiciary Committee

Name: S. 1760: Hadiya Pendleton and Nyasia Pryear-Yard Gun Trafficking and Crime Prevention Act of 2015

Introduced: 7/14/15

Sponsor: Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.

Intent: to crack down on gun trafficking by making it illegal to sell or receive firearms if the seller or receiver knows or has cause to believe that the sale is in violation of Federal, State or local law or will result in a violation of Federal, State or local law

Status: held in the Judiciary Committee

Name: S. 1751: Handgun Purchaser Licensing Act

Introduced: 7/13/15

Sponsor: Christopher Murphy, D-Conn.

Intent: to authorize the attorney general to provide grants for states, local governments and Indian tribes for developing and implementing requirements for prospective handgun buyers to obtain licenses before their purchases

Status: held in the Judiciary Committee

On addressing mental health:

Name: S. 1738: Safer Communities Act of 2015

Introduced: 7/9/15

Sponsor: Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

Intent: to assess mental health treatment across the country, increase research on gun violence and prevent those who have been involuntarily committed to mental institutions from owning firearms

Status: held in the Judiciary Committee