US Senate opens first gun control debate for 19 years

The US Senate has opened debate on a proposal to expand criminal background checks on gun buyers.

The bipartisan move marks the most serious consideration of gun control legislation in 19 years, though many hurdles remain before final passage.

This is significant in that it’s the furthest into the legislative process any gun control bill has moved since 1994, however, at that time the bill passed saw a ban on assault weapons, but nothing like that is going to happen.

All that’s on the table is extended (proper) background checks, which should be in place anyway, so this really isn’t historic or significant, if anything it’s pretty tame.   

The states of New York, Colorado and Connecticut have already passed much stronger gun control reforms, and have also, inadvertently, highlighted that on the issue of gun control there is much more power at state and local level than there is at national level.