Editor’s Note: Julian Zelizer, a CNN political analyst, is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author and editor of 25 books, including the New York Times best-seller, “Myth America: Historians Take on the Biggest Lies and Legends About Our Past” (Basic Books). Follow him on Twitter @julianzelizer. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion on CNN.
CNN
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Given the widespread availability of guns in this country and the hundreds of mass shootings that take place each year, many Americans are either haunted by the trauma of gun violence or fearful of the possibility that they or their loved ones could be the next victims.
But the issue of gun control seems impossible to tackle due to the stark reality of partisanship in Washington.
After the federal assault weapons ban expired in 2004, the gun industry seized on massive commercial opportunities to expand the sales of AR-15-style assault weapons. The number of deaths attributed to mass shootings has also significantly increased since the ban expired.
Despite this, many Republican lawmakers have refused to adopt common sense measures that would curb the ability of citizens to purchase some of these weapons, bending instead to the gun lobby and segments of the electorate who consider these weapons sacrosanct.
In fact, some Republicans are trying to make it easier to purchase guns. Just days after six people, including three children, were killed in an elementary school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, state legislators in North Carolina overrode the governor’s veto and made it legal to purchase a pistol without a permit.
Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a likely 2024 Republican presidential candidate, visited a popular gun store in Cobb County, Georgia, on Thursday as part of his book tour.
Despite these tone-deaf and counterproductive moves, Americans can’t afford to be consumed by total despair and hopelessness when it comes to this issue.
We must reject the notion that passing legislation is impossible. It is not.
History shows that lawmakers have been capable of taking significant steps to strengthen the regulation of guns and pass gun control legislation at the federal and state…
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