在俄亥俄州代顿和得克萨斯州埃尔帕索的两起大规模枪击事件中，至少有29人死亡，53人受伤。俄亥俄州的枪击事件标志着今年美国第253次大规模枪击事件。两名枪手都是20出头的白人，埃尔帕索枪手留下了一份声明，声称“这次袭击是对西班牙人入侵德克萨斯州的回应”

　　代顿枪击案中使用的突击步枪是合法获得的，一分钟内有9人被打死。埃尔帕索枪击案中也使用了一支AK-47型突击步枪，造成20人死亡。枪击事件导致包括共和党在内的许多政治家要求参议院重新召开会议，通过枪支控制立法。

　　国会今年早些时候通过了一项广泛的枪支控制法案，即2019年两党背景调查法案，两党都支持该法案，但参议院多数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔基本上阻止了该法案的实施和投票。

　　众议院议长南希·佩洛西(Nancy Pelosi)周日在一份声明中表示，“共和党参议院必须停止他们令人发指的阻挠，加入众议院，结束枪支暴力每天在美国造成的恐怖和流血事件。够了。”

　　参议院少数党领袖查克·舒默在推特上写道，麦克肯内尔“必须召集参议院召开紧急会议，将众议院通过的普遍背景调查立法提交参议院进行辩论，并立即进行表决。”

　　马萨诸塞州参议员和2020年总统候选人伊丽莎白·沃伦也在推特上谴责她的共和党同事。“再次厌恶华盛顿的共和党领导层，”她写道。“美国人不应该生活在恐惧中，担心如果他们去沃尔玛，去节日，去学校，或者只是走在街上，就不会活着回家。这必须停止。”民主党参议员、2020年候选人艾米·克洛布查尔说，她准备明天从八月休会后回来通过背景调查法案。

　　共和党参议员蒂姆·斯科特继续说道面向国家周日，他将“愉快地回到华盛顿，就枪支暴力问题进行对话”...我今晚做，今晚离开，明天去。对我来说没关系，这是一个如此重要的问题。”

　　截至2018年2月，获得国家步枪协会A+评级的麦康奈尔也收到了该团体约126万美元的捐款。

　　2014年，全美步枪协会认可了麦康奈尔的参议院竞选，并在一份声明中写道，“真正衡量领导力和勇气的标准来自逆境，而在最艰难的时期，麦康奈尔一直坚定不移地与美国守法的枪支所有者站在一起。”全国步枪协会政治胜利基金前主席克里斯·考克斯继续说，“他反对全面的枪支弹药禁令，支持实质性的努力，这些努力将我们的司法系统的负担理所当然地放在暴力罪犯身上。”

　　全国步枪协会成员还会见了麦康奈尔讨论潜在的最高法院提名人。

　　麦康奈尔目前正在肯塔基州家中从肩膀骨折中康复，他对解决这个问题的计划保持沉默。参议员的团队没有立即回应来自新闻周刊。周日晚上，他在推特上发布了“不到24小时的两起骇人听闻的暴力事件”。我们支持执法部门继续努力保护美国人的安全，伸张正义。”

　　与此同时，其他共和党人将枪击事件归咎于电子游戏。“这个国家发生了什么变化？我们一直都有枪。我们总是有邪恶。但是在我们看到这一连串枪击事件的地方发生了什么变化？得克萨斯州副州长丹·帕特里克周日接受福克斯新闻采访时说:“我看到了一个教年轻人杀人的电子游戏产业。”。

　　众议院少数党领袖凯文·麦卡锡后来同意帕特里克的评估。麦卡锡在福克斯电视台上说:“这些视频游戏——非人化的个人，拍摄个人和其他人的游戏——我一直觉得这是后代和其他人的问题。”。“我们从之前显示的研究中观察到它对个人的影响。当你看这些照片时，你可以看到视频游戏和其他游戏中的动作。”

　　得克萨斯州参议员约翰·科宁周日在推特上写道，匆忙限制枪支所有权是错误的。“对于每一个复杂的问题，都有一个清晰、简单和错误的答案。可悲的是，有些问题，比如无家可归和枪击事件，我们根本没有所有的答案，”他写道。“关注守法公民行使其宪法权利并不能解决任何问题。我们需要将这些罪行视为需要解决的问题，而不是被党派政治利益利用的问题。”

　　其他人说，大规模枪击事件的问题和解决方案围绕着“精神健康”问题。参议员林赛·格雷厄姆在推特上写道:“在这里也许没什么大不了的，但是红旗法案已经证明在有红旗法案的州是有效的。”。
 

MITCH MCCONNELL REMAINS SILENT ON PUSHING GUN REGULATION THROUGH SENATE

At least 29 people were killed and 53 injured during two mass-shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas this weekend. The Ohio shooting marked the 253rd mass shooting in the United States this year. Both shooters were white men in their early 20s, and the El Paso gunman left behind a manifesto that claimed "this attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas."

The assault rifle used in the Dayton shooting, where nine people were killed in less than one minute, was obtained legally. An AK-47-style assault rifle was also used in the El Paso shooting where 20 were killed. The shootings have led many politicians, Republicans included to demand that Senate reconvene to pass gun control legislation.

Congress passed a wide gun control bill earlier this year, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, with support on both sides of the aisle, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell essentially blocked the bill from moving forward and coming to a vote.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said in a statement Sunday that "the Republican Senate must stop their outrageous obstruction and join the House to put an end to the horror and bloodshed that gun violence inflicts every day in America. Enough is enough."

In a tweet, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote that McConnnell "must call the Senate back for an emergency session to put the House-passed universal background checks legislation on the Senate floor for debate and a vote immediately."

Massachusetts Senator and 2020 presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren also took to Twitter to condemn her Republican colleagues. "Once again disgusted by the GOP leadership in Washington," she wrote. "Americans shouldn't have to live in fear that if they go to Walmart, or a festival, or school, or just walk down the street that they won't make it home alive. This has to stop." Fellow Democratic Senator and 2020 candidate Amy Klobuchar said that she was ready to return from August recess tomorrow to pass the background check bill.

Republican Senator Tim Scott said on Face the Nation Sunday that he would "happily come back to Washington to have a conversation about gun violence...I'd do it tonight, I'd leave tonight, I'll go tomorrow. It doesn't matter to me, this is such an important issue."

McConnell, who received an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association, also received about $1.26 million in donations from the group as of February 2018.

In 2014, the NRA endorsed McConnell's Senate run and wrote in a statement that "the true measure of leadership and courage comes during moments of adversity and Leader McConnell has stood steadfast with America's law-abiding gun owners during the most trying of times." Chris W. Cox, former chairman of the NRA Political Victory Fund went on to say that "he has fought against sweeping gun and ammo bans and supported substantive efforts that rightfully place the burden of our justice system on violent criminals."

Members of the NRA have also met with McConnell to discuss potential Supreme Court nominees.

McConnell, who is currently recovering from a fractured shoulder at his home in Kentucky, has remained mum on his plans to address the topic. The Senator's team did not immediately respond to requests from Newsweek. On Sunday evening he tweeted "two horrifying acts of violence in less than 24 hours. We stand with law enforcement as they continue working to keep Americans safe and bring justice."

Other Republicans, meanwhile, blamed video games for the shootings. "What's changed in this country? We've always had guns. We've always had evil. But what's changed where we see this rash of shootings? And I see a video game industry that teaches young people to kill," said Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick during a Sunday interview on Fox News.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy later agreed with Patrick's assessment. "The idea these video games — to dehumanize individuals, to have a game of shooting individuals and others — I've always felt that is a problem for future generations and others," McCarthy said on Fox. "We've watched from studies shown before of what it does to individuals. When you look at these photos of how it took place, you can see the actions within video games and others."

Texas Senator John Cornyn wrote on Twitter Sunday that rushing to restrict gun ownership was wrong. "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong. Sadly, there are some issues, like homelessness and these shootings, where we simply don't have all the answers," he wrote. "Focusing on law abiding citizens exercising their constitutional rights solves nothing. We need to treat these crimes as problems to be solved, rather than one to be exploited for partisan political gain."

Others said the problem of and solution to mass shootings revolved around "mental health" issues. "May not have mattered here, but Red Flag laws have proven to be effective in states that have them," wrote Senator Lindsey Graham on Twitter.