An assault weapons ban could pass Congress right now, according to Democratic Congressman Ted Deutch, who represents Parkland, Fla.
Rep. Deutch plans to introduce legislation later this week and says both sides of the aisle seem to agree that “this is the moment we need to get these weapons of war off the streets.”
“I don’t know how many votes there are,” says Deutch. “But I do know that...there are lots of Republicans and Democrats that I know for whom this is now the single issue that matters to them.”
That includes some Republicans who have never supported an assault weapons ban before, he tells Cheddar.
This rare moment of bipartisanship appears to be a direct consequence of the national #NeverAgain movement, led by the teenage survivors of the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., who have been pushing for new gun control measures.
An assault weapons ban doesn’t necessarily contradict the Second Amendment, according to Deutch, which increases its likelihood of passing.
“We know that the Second Amendment has limitations: you can’t own a machine gun, you can’t own a bazooka, you can’t own a tank,” he says.
However, research from the Department of Justice doesn’t indicate that an assault weapons ban would make a difference to gun crime rates. If a ban like the one implemented from 1994 to 2004 was put back into place, the results on gun violence are likely to be “small at best,” says the report.
The teenage survivors of Parkland have organized marches for gun control across the country on March 24.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/rep-ted-deutch-d-fl-calls-proposal-to-arm-teachers-a-distraction).
Oil companies offered a combined $264 million for drilling rights in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday in a sale mandated by last year’s climate bill compromise.
Adidas is withdrawing its challenge to a Black Lives Matter trademark application featuring three parallel stripes, two days after it contested the image with the U.S. Trademark Office.
The state of Arkansas sued TikTok and Facebook parent Meta on Tuesday, claiming the social media companies were misleading consumers about the safety of children on their platforms and protections of users' private data.
Russia’s top security agency arrested an American reporter for the Wall Street Journal on espionage charges, the first time a U.S. correspondent was put behind bars on spying accusations since the Cold War. The newspaper denied the allegations against Evan Gershkovich.
North Carolina residents can now buy a handgun without getting a permit from a local sheriff. The Republican-controlled state House on Wednesday overrode the Democratic governor’s veto.
Longtime Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is facing sharp questioning before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee where he is defending the company’s actions during an ongoing unionizing campaign.
Credit Suisse violated a plea agreement with U.S. authorities by failing to report secret offshore accounts that wealthy Americans used to avoid paying taxes, U.S. lawmakers said Wednesday.
According to a Reuters report, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon is being deposed over the bank's relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Capitol hill is trying to get to the bottom of the bank collapses that shocked the financial system last month, and today lawmakers grilled banking regulators about why they weren't able to stop the crisis. Cheddar News correspondent Lisa Bennatan broke down the proceedings.
Juul will finally have its day in court for its role in the teen vaping epidemic. The Minnesota attorney general is preparing for opening arguments in the state's lawsuit against the vape maker. Here to break down the complicated backstory for this legal case is Senior Reporter Chloe Aiello.
