Florida Congressman Says the Time Is Right for an Assault Weapons Ban
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).
Following the surprising big beat on estimates for the January jobs report, William M. Rodgers III, vice president and director of the Institute for Economic Equity at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, joined Cheddar News to break down the data. “We ended 2021 with a strong crescendo to a recovery that had taken hold, and we started 2022 in good fashion." He also discussed the dueling pressures of wage growth and inflation.
Jessica Mason Pieklo, senior vice president and executive editor of the Rewired News Group and co-host of the podcast. "Boom! Lawyered," joins Cheddar Politics to discuss Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement, legacy and potential replacement on the Supreme Court.
The Biden administration delivered a temporary win for student loan borrowers this year by extending the moratorium on federal payments for a few more months. That moratorium is coming to an end on May 1st and borrowers will again have their monthly loan payment plopped in their lap.
Stephanie Vanderslice, a creative writing professor paying off debt through the Parent Plus program, and Mike Pierce, executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center, join Cheddar Politics to discuss.
2022 was already going to be a big year for the Supreme Court. We have decisions on major issues like abortion and gun rights on the way. Then, Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement and that set up a major confirmation fight for later this year. Amy Howe, co-founder of SCOTUSblog, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss.
The Labor Department released a better-than-expected report of 467,000 jobs added in January. Heather Boushey, Council of Economic Advisers Member for President Biden, joined Cheddar to tout the administration's handling of the economy amid the pandemic and the upward revisions for the previous month. "It also shows that, because of the revisions, the economy was stronger over the past couple of months," she said. "I don't think that this can be said enough, but economic forecasting during an historic pandemic is extremely difficult." Boushey also addressed issues involving wage growth versus the rapid rise of inflation.
The Labor Department's January jobs report showed 467,000 jobs were added, compared to the 150,000 that were projected, a sign that employment is continuign to return to pre-pandemic levels. Lindsey Piegza, chief economist at investment bank Stifel, joined Cheddar to break down the report, noting the big gains but adding a note of caution. "Remember, even with this morning's stellar report, we're still millions below that level that we had reached prior to the onset of COVID-19," she said." Yes, we are recapturing jobs. We still have further ground that needs to be made before we can talk about reaching that previous peak." Piegza also discussed the role of the Federal Reserve going forward as the employment figures turn more positive.
As President Biden's poll numbers fall with Black voters, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass. 7th District) joined Cheddar to discuss what she feels could help the embattled administration: deliver on policies. Pressley pointed to stalled legislation such as new voting rights laws and Build Back Betters and canceling student loan debt, which would go a long way to improving his standing with Black constituents. "President Biden has the authority and the power to alleviate this burden, which would also help in closing the racial wealth gap, and he can do it by executive action with the stroke of a pen," she said. "And it doesn't require one vote from Congress. So, the Biden administration just needs to deliver to Black America in a tangible and impactful way."
