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).

Share:
More In Politics
Skydio CEO On Russia-US Drone Collision
Adam Bry, co-founder and CEO of drone manufacturer Skydio, joined Cheddar News to discuss the company's latest funding round and the Russia-US drone collision.
Fed Set to Launch Digital Payments System Over the Summer
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday evening said its long-awaited digital payment system, the FedNow Service, will start operating in July. The service is designed to provide a national platform for financial institutions to settle payments in real-time and at lower cost. That could include large banks, payment processors, and the U.S. Treasury.
Long-Used US Abortion Pill Under Threat in Texas Lawsuit
A federal judge in Texas raised questions Wednesday about a Christian group's effort to overturn the decades-old U.S. approval of a leading abortion drug, in a case that could threaten the country's most common method for ending pregnancies.
Load More