gov 8

Congress Assignment

It seems Congress can't agree on anything these days, right?

In July, Congress passed, and President Biden signed in to law, S. 2938, the Bipartisan

Safer Communities Act. To move the issue more quickly, Congress basically hijacked a bill

that did nothing but name a post office and a courthouse in Florida, and turned it into

what is - for all the shortcomings cited by critics - the most comprehensive step forward

on gun safety taken by Congress in many years.

This bill was largely engineered by Texas Senator John Cornyn, who in the short term, at

least, is paying a heavy political price as his poll numbers have dropped

Links to an external site.

with increasingly conservative Republican voters.

In a 2 - 5 page essay, talk about this bill's journey through the process. What were some of

the significant votes in the House and Senate?

Who seems to have been for and against it?

What do you think about it? If you were a Congressman or Senator, how would you have

voted and why?

Additional Resources

Here's the bill: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/2938

CNN explains what's in the bill:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/21/politics/whats-in-senate-gun-reform-bill/index.html

NPR covered President Biden signing it into law in July:

https://www.npr.org/2022/06/25/1107626030/biden-signs-gun-safety-law