NYT editorial board: Trump, Congress must tackle gun control

The New York Times editorial board on Thursday called on President Trump and Congress, now with a Democratic-controlled House, to tackle the issue of gun control following a mass shooting at a California bar.

At least 12 people were killed inside a California bar on Wednesday night, one day after the midterm elections.

Citing reports that some survivors of a mass shooting in Las Vegas last year were also in the California bar, the Times said some Americans are “experiencing” this “horror over and over.”

“This is what it’s come to — there are now Americans who have lived through two gun massacres,” the editorial board wrote.

{mosads}“Americans are watching — and now some are even experiencing — versions of this same horror over and over, hoping that someone will eventually figure out how to break the cycle. Could that hero be President Trump and the House Democrats?” the editorial board asked. “Perhaps.”

The newspaper noted that House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who is favored to become Speaker, has previously called for background checks on firearm purchases to be narrowed, a measure that could be revisited now that Democrats will have control of the House again.

The vast majority of Americans — 97 percent — supported universal background checks following the deadly shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., in February.

Most National Rifle Association (NRA) members also support comprehensive background checks although the organization has pushed against the measures, The Times editorial board wrote. 

“But Mr. Trump is the ideal president to tackle the issue. He enjoys the adoration of his party’s culturally conservative base to a degree few politicians even approach,” the editorial board wrote. “If inclined, he could burn just a small fraction of that capital on promoting some of the common-sense gun measures desired by a majority of the electorate.”

The shooting at the  California country-music bar came just 11 days after 11 worshipers were killed inside of a Pittsburgh synagogue.

The bar was a popular spot for college students in the Los Angeles area.