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The Gun Lobby Has Been Winning With the Same Playbook Since 1968
Tim Jones-
After four political assassinations, lawmakers balked in 1968
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Gun registry and owner licensing attempts stopped by Congress
When a couple armed with assault rifles slaughtered 14 people at a holiday gathering in San Bernardino, California, this month, U.S. gun control advocates saw an opportunity. President Barack Obama lamented that "in America it’s way too easy for dangerous people to get their hands on a gun" and said making it harder was the only right response.
Within a day, the Republican-controlled Senate rejected an expansion of background checks for gun buyers and defeated a law barring individuals on the terror watch list from purchasing firearms. Before the Christmas break, an effort to lift a 17-year-old ban on nearly all government research into gun violence was also defeated.
