The House of Representatives, which is currently controlled by Democrats, last week passed a bill that 90 percent of Americans agree with, a bill that will die an ignoble death in the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans.

How is it that the Republicans feel so comfortable ignoring 90 percent of the population?

Easy.

We let them.

At least when it comes to guns. The Republicans in control of the Senate are much more fearful of losing the endorsements and campaign contributions of big-time gun lobby groups, like the National Rifle Association, than they are fearful of losing your vote.

The poll numbers are overwhelming

So they ignore you.

Still, it was a victory for those who have been pushing for common sense firearms legislation when the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 passed the House.

Those who voted for the bill – including a handful of Republicans – were responding to a belief Americans have held for a long time. That is, there should be a background check on every gun sale.

According to a recent Quinnipiac poll, 92 percent of those queried supported background checks for all buyers. That included 95 percent of Democrats, 94 percent of independents and 89 percent of Republicans.

But in all likelihood the bill that passed in the House will be ignored or voted down in the Senate. And, if by some miracle it would to get through the Senate and make it to the desk of President Donald Trump, officials at the White House say he will veto it.

Trump will ignore you as well

Trump isn’t worried about ignoring the wishes of 90 percent of the American people, either.

Not on guns, anyway.

When the bill passed the House former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who almost lost her life in a Jan. 8, 2011, mass shooting that killed six and wounded 12 others, issued a statement.

Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, who is running for the U.S. Senate in Arizona, have worked tirelessly to reduce gun violence, not always with a lot of legislative success.

Giffords' statement after the background checks bill passed the House reads in part:

“Today’s historic gun safety victory in Congress is a testament to courage. When the days were darkest, when it looked like the gun lobby’s money and influence would forever silence any debate in Washington about stronger gun laws, courage shone through…

“Today’s victory in the House is a critical first step toward stronger gun laws that will save lives. The responsibility to take the next step now shifts to the Senate. Over 90 percent of the American electorate is demanding that they move this legislation forward. Make no mistake: those voters are watching carefully.”

Watching but not acting

Giffords is correct.

Voters are watching.

But that is all they’re doing.

Watching.

When they go to cast ballots, voters don’t seem to mind that they are being ignored. Not Republican voters, anyway. Republican members of Congress have chosen the gun lobby over their constituents for a long time and continue to be reelected.

Eighty-nine percent of Republicans may be in favor of universal background checks, but not so much that they’ll vote against a politician who ignores their wishes.

Nearly 40,000 Americans died from guns last year.

Politicians ignore all of those gun violence victims as well. Perhaps because there are so many of them. New names are added to the list every day. They’re just numbers.

The names behind the numbers

Except… they’re not.

Those who died on the day Giffords was shot include Christina-Taylor Green, 9; Dorothy “Dot” Morris, 76; U.S. District Judge John M. Roll, 63; Phyllis Schneck, 79; Dorwan Stoddard, 76; and Gabriel “Gabe” Zimmerman, 30.

Each of the 40,000 gun victims from last year had a name, a story, a family and a future, as did the tens of thousands from the year before that, and year before that, and so on.

It’s easy to understand why politicians ignore the dead. The dead don’t vote. The dead can’t make campaign contributions.

How voters forgive and reelect such politicians… that’s not so easy to understand.

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