When it comes to taking action on gun control legislation, Rep. Peter Welch says he believes this time is different.
"The students at Parkland are just really compelling and can't be dismissed by the NRA as partisans,” said Welch. “These are kids who are making a very powerful plea and it's simple 'why can't we be safe in our classrooms?' "
"The students at Parkland are just really compelling and can't be dismissed by the NRA as partisans." —Rep. Peter Welch
House Speaker Paul Ryan has a policy of bringing legislation to the floor if it can pass with only Republican votes.
Welch says that means a group of conservative members, known as the Freedom Caucus, has enormous influence on what issues get debated.
As a result, Welch says that a plan to expand the background check system might never reach the floor.
"I have a frustration that I really share with Vermonters and that is why don't we vote on this?” said Welch. “On the question of universal background checks if we put that on the floor then that would pass because we would get a significant number of Republicans."
Welch says he'd also like to see the House vote on a bill to ban on all assault weapons
"We should be doing more,” said Welch. “I mean we should be banning assault weapons, they belong in the battlefield, they do not belong in the classroom."
"The NRA is still a very rich very influential lobbying group, they spread millions of dollars around at elections, that's not going to change." — professor Ted Kohn
Norwich University political science professor Ted Kohn says it's unlikely that Congress will address the issue of gun control following the recent shooting in Florida.
"I am skeptical,” said Kohn. “The NRA is still a very rich very influential lobbying group, they spread millions of dollars around at elections, that's not going to change."
Kohn says many Parkland students seem committed to this issue but he notes that few of them are old enough to vote in November.
"So I'm not sure if you're a candidate from a purple state in the United States wondering which side of the divide to land on that the threat of this very young youth movement is really going to decide one way or another," said Kohn.
Kohn says he believes public interest in the gun control issue will begin to wane in several weeks and the end result will be little or no action taken by Congress.
