Let me start by saying that there has never been any sufficient evidence that gun control works. The other more liberal-minded writers here will point to correlations between gun ownership and gun violence, but to quote the infamous Wayne LaPierre, “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” More gun violence causes more gun ownership (and probably vice-versa). Correlation doesn’t imply causation, and suggesting otherwise is intellectually dishonest.
Nonetheless, while I have little hope the Manchin-Toomey amendment will significantly reduce gun violence, why not pass it? Background checks inherently target the “bad guy,” and law-abiding citizens need not worry about their Second Amendment rights. This is truly a no-risk situation; the Manchin-Toomey amendment simply closes background check loopholes and doesn’t create any new restrictions.
We have a long way to go towards reducing gun violence. Cultural issues underlie many of our issues, not gun laws. Gun control only fixes a symptom of a much larger problem. Nonetheless, it’s a symptom worth fixing. While I’m not familiar with the details of Manchin-Toomey, the principle makes sense. Background checks could save lives, and until someone presents a compelling reason not to try, why don’t we?