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Stephen Colbert Called Out An ‘Idiot’ Republican Senator For Not Recognizing America Has A Gun Problem

Tuesday’s episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert opened on a solemn note. “Yesterday was another grim day for America when a gunman walked into a Boulder, Colorado, supermarket and killed 10 people, including a police officer,” host Stephen Colbert began. “This story is unspeakably tragic and I cannot imagine for a moment the grief of these families and this community can be approached with words alone.”

The only suitable way of honoring the victims is with “action,” like stricter gun reform. Instead, we have people like John Kennedy (R-LA), who, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence, said, “We have a lot of drunk drivers in America that kill a lot of people. We ought to try to combat that, too.” Colbert’s response: “OK, I’ll take that deal!” He continued, “Let’s regulate guns the way we regulate alcohol and cars: You gotta be 21, you gotta pass a test to get a license, you gotta have registration and insurance for your gun, if you move to a new state you gotta do the whole damn thing all over again, and you can’t go out loaded.” Kennedy wasn’t done spouting “folksy BS.” He claimed America doesn’t have a gun control problem, it has an “idiot control problem.”

“Oh, we definitely have an idiot control problem,” Colbert said. “It’s people who don’t recognize that this country has long had a gun problem, John Kennedy. So when idiots like John Kennedy refuse to do anything about getting rid of idiots’ guns, it’s clearly time to get rid of idiots like John Kennedy. And that means voting them out.”

You can watch the entire monologue above.

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Ed Sheeran Tearfully Performed A New Song At A Memorial For Australian Music Icon Michael Gudinski

The Australian music industry suffered a significant loss earlier this month with the death of Michael Gudinski, who was best known as the founder of Mushroom Records and Mushroom Group. An obituary in The Sydney Morning Herald described him as “one of the most significant and powerful players in the local music scene” and “a label boss, live music promoter, promoter of electronic dance music, music publisher, film and television producer, racehorse owner […] and passionate supporter of the St Kilda Football Club.”

Gudinski’s passing had a profound effect on many, including Ed Sheeran, who quarantined in Australia so he could perform at his memorial service today. At the event, Sheeran performed a new song that he finished writing while quarantining, called “Visiting Hours.”

Introducing the emotional track, Sheeran said, “In lockdown, I was able to have a guitar for quarantine. I always find the best way to process stuff is to write songs — be it good news, bad news, or whatever, and, yeah — here’s a song I finished last week.” Armed with an acoustic guitar, Sheeran began the tune, “I wish that heaven / Had visiting hours / So I just could show up / And bring good news / That she’s getting older / And I wish that you’d met her / The things that she’ll learn from me / I got them all from you.”

Immediately after strumming the last chord of the song, Sheeran wiped tears from his eyes and cried as he left the stage.

Following Gudinski’s passing, Sheeran took to Instagram to share a lengthy statement about Gudinski, along with photos of the two together. He wrote in part:

“It’s so hard to put into words how much Michael meant to me, and to all of us who knew him. I felt like I needed to try just so I could process it in my own head. […] We were, first and foremost, friends. He was a father figure and mentor to me. […] We holidayed many times with our families and together. We had late night, early morning talks, all over the world, from my house to his, from his hotel room to mine, in back of cars, planes, long walks. Every memory I have of him is so clear and precise, because every moment was electric. […]

The night he passed, I was very grateful to be able to share his favourite wine with him and say goodbye. […] Nothing will fill the void he left in our lives, but the memories we all have of him will live on. He’s everyone’s favourite story, and I will make sure I keep sharing all of my amazing stories I have of him. I’ve loved hearing everyone else’s this week. In between the tears there has been laughter and joy, remembering this Titan of a man.”

Watch Sheeran perform “Visiting Hours” above and find his post about Gudinski below.

Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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These Mezcals Feature A Perfect Smoky-To-Sweet Ratio

We talk a lot about whiskey, specifically bourbon and Scotch, around here. In fact, we zero in on whiskey so much that sometimes it feels like other spirits get lost in the shuffle for a few months. Mezcal, we apologize. We haven’t given you the attention you deserve of late.

That changes today. And since spring has officially sprung, the timing couldn’t be better.

For those needing a primer, mezcal is actually the term for any distilled alcoholic beverage made from the agave plant in Mexico. This means that tequila is also a form of mezcal. But while a spirit must be 51% Blue Weber Agave to be called a tequila (there are other rules), it can be made from any agave varietal and still be called a mezcal.

Flavor-wise, mezcal is often noted for its vegetal-sweet flavor notes featuring a robust, smoky backbone. Of course, some mezcals are smokier than others, making them a little tougher to get into. Balance is what you’re after, if you’re just starting your mezcal journey.

That’s why we’ve decided to share ten mezcals that manage a perfect smoky-to-sweet ratio. Check them all out below.

El Silencio Espadin

El Silencio

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $40

The Story:

Master mezcalero Pedro Hernandez makes this small-batch mezcal using Espadin agave as its base. It comes in a bottle that draws its inspiration from the traditional “barro negro” of Oaxaca. This organic mezcal is produced using the authentic process used for centuries. Agave is roasted, crushed to release its juices, and double distilled.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find vegetal sweetness and a subtle kick of woodsmoke. The palate is filled with buttery caramel, pineapple, a dose of green herbs, and an underlying smoky presence. The finish is long, filled with heat, and ends with a nice mix of orange peels and vanilla.

Bottom Line:

This mezcal bridges the gap between sweet and smoke nicely, but it’s more of a mixer than a sipper. Perfect for a smoky margarita or bloody Maria.

Mezcal de Leyendas Maguey Ancho Guerrero

Mezcal de Leyendas

ABV: 46.9%

Average Price: $79

The Story:

Made using 100% Agave cupreata, Mezcal de Leyendas Maguey Ancho is one of a few artisanal mezcals in the Mezcal de Leyendas portfolio. This offering comes from Mazatlán, Guerrero, in the Sierra Madre mountains of southwest Mexico using roasted agave pits, a mechanical grinder, oak wood vats, and traditional copper pot alembic stills.

Tasting Notes:

Take a moment to breathe in the scents of tropical fruits, roasted agave, vanilla beans, and a kiss of smoke. Take a sip and you’ll find grilled pineapple, orange peel, and buttery caramel — all shuttling across a smoky backbone. The dram ends with a nice mix of sweet agave and smoke.

Bottom Line:

If you’re looking for a smoky, subtly spicy, semi-sweet sipper, look no further than Mezcal de Leyendas Maguey Ancho. Pair it with a crackling fire and you have the makings of a great evening.

El Buho Espadin Mezcal

El Buho

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $40

The Story:

Made using 100% Espadin agave, El Buho Espadin is the brand’s flagship expression. On top of the high-quality of this mezcal, it should be noted that the brand is all about sustainability. They plant more Espadin agave plants than they use every year.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find aromas of caramel apples, freshly brewed coffee, and roasted agave. The palate transports you to a world of crisp pears, charred oak, fresh vegetable sweetness (green peppers), buttery caramel, and a nice mix of salt and smoke. The finish leans into that caramel and briny smoke.

Bottom Line:

This is a bold, well-balanced, yet reasonably priced mezcal. It’s the kind of mixing-sipping-shooting all-around mezcal you will want to continuously stock in your home bar.

Mezcal Marcanegra Dobadán

Mezcal Marcanegra

ABV: 48%

Average Price: $100

The Story:

This Joven (young) mezcal is distilled from 100% Dobadán agave that was allowed to grow from 8 to 12 years for maximum flavor. It’s distilled twice in copper pot stills. The result is a smoky, sweet, subtly spicy mezcal renowned for how it holds up in cocktails and as a sipper.

Tasting Notes:

Take a moment to give this a proper nosing and you’ll find aromas of roasted agave, ancho chilies, citrus peels, cracked black pepper, and just a wisp of smoke. The palate drives forward with notes of candied orange peels, buttery caramel, pineapple, and a nice kick of herbal smoke. The finish is smoky with a hint of vegetal sweetness.

Bottom Line:

Pair this subtly spicy, smoky mezcal with spicy or smoky Mexican dishes — think Chili Colorado or chicken mole.

Montelobos Mezcal Espadin

Montelobos

ABV: 43.2%

Average Price: $40

The Story:

This unaged Joven mezcal is made in small-batches using Espadin agave that’s roasted in underground pits before being distilled in copper pot stills. It’s known for its well-defined, mellow, balance of sweet and smoke.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is filled with the scents of fresh-cut grass, orange peel, clover honey, and a nice kick of smoky agave. On the palate, you get sweet agave, subtle pepper, a nutty sweetness, and a hint of peppery smoke. It all ends with buttery caramel, sweet agave, and herbal smoke.

Bottom Line:

Another reasonably priced offering, Montelobos Mezcal Espadin is the perfect joven for mixing. It really adds a new dimension to a smoky Paloma or margarita.

Siete Misterios Pechuga

Siete Misterios

ABV: 48.5%

Average Price: $190

The Story:

Similar to Mezcal de Leyendas, this brand’s portfolio is made up of various mezcals that were produced in different areas by different mezcaleros. Their Pechuga is made from Espadin agave in Santiago Matatlan, Oaxaca. It’s hand-milled, distilled three times with the addition of fruits and spices, and, like many Pechuga mezcals, is vapor infused with a raw chicken breast.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find herbal notes mixed in with caramel, sweet agave, and just a hint of smoke. The palate centers on caramelized pineapple, crisp apples, floral notes, and a backbone of roasted agave. The last flavors you’ll find are those of butterscotch and smoky agave.

Bottom Line:

Pechuga is Spanish for “breast” — denoting that this type of mezcal involves hanging a raw piece of chicken (whole chicken or breast) inside the still while the spirit is being distilled. This is a great example of the style for newbies and aficionados alike.

Doña Vega Espadín

Doña Vega

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $45

The Story:

This artisanal, small-batch mezcal is made using hand-picked 100% Espadin agave. Distilled to proof, it’s a trifecta of pepper, juicy fruits, and briny, roasted agave. It’s unaged, yet surprisingly mellow and easy to drink.

It’s also a tremendous mixing mezcal.

Tasting Notes:

Take a moment to breathe in the aromas of raw earth, grass, roasted agave, and a nice hint of sweet barbecue smoke. Take a sip and you’ll find flavors of ripe pineapple, grassy agave, guava, and almond cookies — all anchored by an undercurrent of smoke.

The finish is sweet, smoky, and subtly peppery — a classic mezcal closing.

Bottom Line:

If you’re looking for an herbal, earthy, complex, smoky expression, this mezcal checks all the boxes. As a bonus, it’s surprisingly cheap.

Mezcal Vago Espadin

Mezcal Vago

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $42

The Story:

Founded 2013, Mezcal Vago is focused on building relationships with sustainable small farm operators. Their mezcals, including Vago Espadin, are produced by small, family-run mezcal producers. This particular mezcal was distilled by maestro mezcalero Aquilino Garcia Lopez in Candelaria Yegole, Oaxaca.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll notice aromas of fresh-cut grass, roasted agave, vanilla, and flowers smelled from a distance, along with subtle smoke. On the palate, flavors of sweet agave, banana, honey, buttery caramel, and herbal smoke are prevalent. The finish is long, warming, and ends with a nice mixture of pepper and smoke.

Bottom Line:

If you want to try an authentic, family-made mezcal, this is a great option. Especially for the price.

Del Maguey Pechuga

Del Maguey

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $189

The Story:

The most interesting thing about this mezcal is that most of the action happens after the initial distillation. Del Maguey takes its Minero Mezcal and adds it back into a pot-still along with apples, plums, pineapples, almost, plantains, and rice. Then, like all Pechugas, they hang a raw chicken breast over the still for the distillate vapor to travel through.

Tasting Notes:

Before sipping, take a moment to breathe in the aromas of licorice, figs, cinnamon, and vanilla, all balanced out by a solid note of agave smoke. Take a sip and you’ll find anise, cracked black pepper, buttery caramel, and vegetal agave. The finish is long, warming, sweet, and ends with a nice kick of spicy smoke.

Bottom Line:

Historically, Pechuga mezcal is made in extremely small batches to share with friends and family on special occasions. Buy a bottle of Del Maguey Pechuga and share it with your family to toast the (still forthcoming) end of the pandemic.

Ilegal Mezcal Joven

Ilegal Mezcal

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $38

The Story:

This small-batch mezcal is distilled by fourth-generation mezcaleros. The brand’s Joven Mezcal, from Santiago Matatlan, Oaxaca, is made with 100% Espadin agave before being distilled two times. It’s unaged and well-known for its subtly spicy, smoky, and sweet flavor notes.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find notable scents of fresh-cut grass, herbal hints, crisp apple, and spicy green pepper. On the palate, you’ll find orange peels, buttery caramel, light vanilla, ancho chilies, and a nice smoky backbone. The finish is filled with sweet butterscotch and smoky agave.

Bottom Line:

When it comes to smoky, sweet mezcals perfectly suited for mixing, there’s no better option (for the price) than Ilegal Mezcal Joven.

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Taylor Swift Gave $50,000 To A Mother Of Five Children Who Lost Her Husband To COVID-19

As coronavirus vaccines become available to more people around the country, the hope is that this pandemic will finally come to an end soon. But returning to normalcy will be difficult for who’ve seen irreversible damage come to their lives. That’s the case for Memphis native Vickie Quarles, a mother of five daughters whose husband, Theodis Ray Quarles, passed away from COVID-19. Vickie had a GoFundMe set up by her “dear friend” DeQuanda Smith and it caught the attention of Taylor Swift and her mother, who made a generous donation of $50,000.

The GoFundMe’s description revealed Vickie’s husband passed away exactly one week before Christmas. It also shared a sad note about Vickie and Theodis’ last interaction. “When the paramedics arrived to the Quarles’ home to transport Theodis to the hospital for breathing difficulties, Vicki wasn’t allowed to accompany her husband due to quarantine restrictions,” it read. “Little did she know that this would be her final engagement with her best friend.”

Taylor and her mom’s donation helped push the GoFundMe nearly $12,000 past its goal of $50,000. This is not the first time in recent months that the singer has helped out a family in need. Back in December, she gave $13,000 each to a pair of mothers, Nikki Cornwell of Nashville and Shelbie Selewski from Michigan, who were struggling to pay their bills.

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Report: The Sixers Are Linked To Kyle Lowry, Lonzo Ball, And More Ahead Of Thursday’s Trade Deadline

The Philadelphia 76ers sit atop the Eastern Conference standings as the 2021 NBA trade deadline looms. While Joel Embiid is currently on the shelf with a knee issue, the initial prognosis is relatively encouraging and, even without him, the 76ers have fared reasonable well behind Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, and company. To that end, the 76ers are a legitimate contender to reach the 2021 NBA Finals but, despite their lofty 30-13 record, many believe Philadelphia must add perimeter help to cement their status. As such, it isn’t terribly surprising to see the 76ers mentioned as conceptual suitors on the trade market but, on Tuesday, Philadelphia was linked to a bevy of potentially available guards.

First, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that Philadelphia has interest in Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, even with a limit on how far they’d like to go with regard to a trade package.

Lowry is a Philadelphia native and, in the present, he would substantially help the 76ers as a two-way player with the ability to space the floor, handle the ball, and defend. Lowry turns 35 years old this week, however, and is reported to be looking for a contract extension wherever he may land via trade.

Beyond Lowry, the 76ers are now tied to potential pursuits of fellow Raptor Norman Powell, as well as Lonzo Ball and George Hill.

Ball is a big name on the market, not only because he is a former No. 2 overall pick, but also because he is playing at the highest level of his career. The Clippers are rumored to have interest in his services, and Ball has popped up in rumblings with many teams, which makes sense for a player set to hit restricted free agency this summer.

As for Powell and Hill, they are less “sexy” options in the conventional sense, and they would fill different roles in Philadelphia. Powell is a shotmaker, shooting well above 40 percent from three-point range, but he is more of a wing and less of a play-maker than the other guards discussed. Hill is a pure role player at this stage, but he doesn’t seem to have any kind of long-term future in Oklahoma City, and he is a proven three-point shooter that can function as a secondary ball-handler and hold up at an adequate level on the defensive end.

With Daryl Morey at the helm, no one should be surprised that that 76ers are working the phones in the hours before the deadline. Whether they land a big fish remains to be seen, but Philadelphia likely suspects they are one piece short on the perimeter and there are myriad options available before the final buzzer sounds on Thursday afternoon.

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Chance The Rapper Once Received $5,000 From The Man Who Found Shrimp In His Cinnamon Toast Crunch

If you’ve spent a decent amount of your Tuesday on Twitter, you more than likely caught some portion of the growing story between Jensen Karp and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It began when Karp posted an image of what he said were dried shrimp tails that he discovered in his box of cereal. He reached out to the brand’s Twitter account and was able to get a response, but it wasn’t the one he hoped for. As a result, he took his cereal box findings to a lab to confirm it. The entire thing was written about in The Washington Post and while we wait to see how this plays out, there are more details coming out about Karp that continue to shock people.

After hearing who was the owner of the shrimpy Cinnamon Toast Crunch box, Chance The Rapper hopped on Twitter to share an encounter he had with Karp early in his career. “Fun fact,” he said. “The Cinnamon Toast Crunch shrimpy guy gave me 5 racks to shoot a video back when I still had a nose ring.” Just in case you didn’t believe him, Chance posted the tweet with a video that shows him receiving the $5,000 check from Karp and celebrating afterward. The track that got the visual treatment was Chance’s “Na Na” collaboration with Action Bronson from his 2013 tape Acid Rap.

That’s not the only celebrity connection Karp has. People also learned on Tuesday that his wife is Danielle Fishel Karp — yes, the woman who played Topanga, the love interest of Ben Savage’s Cory Matthews, on the beloved teen sitcom Boy Meets World.

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Deante Hitchcock Pushes Through Hard Times In His Freestyle Over Outkast’s ‘Roses’

There’s no doubt Deante Hitchcock has something big planned in the future. The Atlanta rapper has spent the last month releasing very impressive freestyles over hip-hop tracks from today and yesterday, and for his latest offering he took on Outkast’s 2004 classic “Roses,” with an accompanying video. It finds Deante posing as a homeless man who aims to make ends meet. Despite his character’s hardships, he proclaims that one day he’ll reach the heights of some of today’s favorites in music, like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce, and Young Thug.

The new video serves as the fourth consecutive entry in Deante’s New Atlanta Tuesdays freestyle series. He started things off with some bars over Lil Wayne’s “Let The Build Beat,” which arrived with a video that saw him carrying a goat. He returned a week later with a wild freestyle over SpotemGottem’s “Beat Box” and his own submission to the song’s TikTok-bred challenge. Most recently, Deante engaged in an all-out Nerf gun war while rapping over Drake’s No. 1 single and Scary Hours 2 favorite “What’s Next.”

Prior to the New Atlanta Tuesdays series, Deante shared a live version of his debut album, Better, and released videos of the performances with it.

You can watch the video for the new freestyle above.

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Evan Peters Is Going To Play Jeffrey Dahmer For His Longtime ‘American Horror Story’ Boss Ryan Murphy

Evan Peters has two big gigs going. He’s played Quicksilver in the Fox wing of the X-Men-verse, and now that Disney owns Fox, he can play it in Marvel fare, such as on WandaVision. (Although technically he was playing an imposter.) And he’s got Ryan Murphy. The producer has cast him on all but one season of his long-going series American Horror Story, including the forthcoming Double Feature. But that’s not all Murphy is having him do.

As per Deadline, one of the prolific TV maven’s next projects is Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, a limited series that will tell the story of the notorious serial killer, but largely from the perspective of his victims. According to Deadline, the show’s m.o. is to dive “deeply into the police incompetence and apathy that allowed the Wisconsin native to go on a multiyear killing spree.”

But who’s to play the monster at the center of Monster? It’s Evan Peters, whose innate aw-shucks suburban fun nice guy mien should make for an interesting clash with someone who murdered and dismembered 17 men and boys before being caught, and whose final kills involved necrophilia and cannibalism. Anyway, it sounds like it will fit in with the darker sides of Murphy’s CV, among them the Emmy-winning The Assassination of Gianni Versace. And Jones brought some low lurking menace to his role as the guy pretending to be Pietro Maximof on WandaVision, so this is even better outside-the-box casting than when Zac Efron was cast as Ted Bundy.

(Via Deadline)

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The Guy Who Found Shrimp In His Cinnamon Toast Crunch Is Married To Topanga From ‘Boy Meets World,’ And People’s Minds Are Blown

Who doesn’t love Mad Libs news? That is to say, the kind of news so random it seems to have conceived through a round of the fill-in-the-blank game, played with someone trying to make the sentences sound extra surreal. A couple weeks ago we had “Elizabeth Banks is directing a movie called Cocaine Bear.” More recently we had “Seth Rogen is playing Steven Spielberg’s uncle.” But this may beat them all: The guy who found shrimp in a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch is married to the actress who played Topanga on Boy Meets World.

Let’s unpack a bit: Earlier on Tuesday, March 23, a man named Jensen Karp — a writer, comedian, and podcaster whose Twitter bio bears the words “Kanye Owes Me $300” — posted a most curious image, claiming that he’d found dried shrimp tails in his box of the popular breakfast cereal.

That wasn’t all: He also found some weird black items baked into certain squares, on top of shrimp tails. Thus began a real journey. Karp successfully got in contact with the cereal’s Twitter account, who claimed there was a perfectly sane explanation for all this. Unconvinced, he took it to a lab. It became a whole thing, and the whole ordeal was soon written about in The Washington Post.

Thing is, they buried if not the lede then a potential lede for another story, such as this one: The story mentions his wife, Danielle Fishel Karp. And soon people realized that’s the married name of one Danielle Fishel, aka Topanga, the main squeeze of Ben Savage’s Cory Matthews on the ‘90s squeaky clean teen favorite Boy Meets World.

People were shocked — perhaps as shocked to find weird dry shrimp tail things in a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

There were Boy Meets World jokes.

And plenty of people pointing out that this story makes for one seriously bizarre sentence.

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80 percent of Americans support common-sense gun control. Stop making excuses and get it done.

After a year where public mass shootings hit a historic low due to COVID-19, America has been rocked by two in the past month, leaving many — once again — with a feeling of helplessness. On March 16, a gunman in Atlanta, Georgia murdered eight people in massage spas, six of the victims were Asian.

On Monday, a gunman in Boulder, Colorado murdered ten people in a supermarket.

After a year out of the headlines, the topic of gun control has made it to the forefront once again. The maddening thing is even though the vast majority of Americans support common-sense gun control laws, nothing ever gets past Republican lawmakers in Washington, D.C.

There are two significant gun-control policies that enjoy bipartisan support, the assault weapons ban and universal background checks.


A 2019 poll reported by Politico found that 70% of Americans support an assault weapons ban, including 86% of Democrats and 54% of Republicans. The same year, a National Public Radio (NPR), PBS Newshour, and Maris College poll found that 83% of Americans believe Congress should pass legislation that requires background checks for gun purchases at gun shows or other private sales.

Pew Research found that Americans on both sides of the political divide overwhelmingly support universal background checks. Ninety-three percent of Democrats and 82% of Republicans said they favored, “making private gun sales and sales at gun shows subject to background checks.”

via Maryland GovPics

One of the biggest reasons why Republicans refuse to pass any gun-control legislation is a paralyzing fear of the National Rifle Association (NRA). Many Republican legislators are afraid that a negative grade from the organization will immediately end their careers.

The NRA is one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington and spends money with laser-like precision, elevating those who support gun rights and taking down those who favor gun control.

That means it’s nearly impossible to get a Republican to support gun safety laws, even though only 1.5% of Americans are members of the NRA and 70% don’t even own a gun.

In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012 that killed 26 people, including 20 children and school employees, President Barack Obama got little support from Senate Republicans to pass a gun control bill supported by 90% of Americans. “It came down to politics—the worry that that vocal minority of gun owners would come after them in future elections. [Congress members] worried that the gun lobby would spend a lot of money and paint them as anti-Second Amendment,” Obama said in a speech afterward.

Last Friday, after the Atlanta shooting, president Joe Biden spoke out about the need for Congress to take action this time.

“I don’t need to wait another minute, let alone an hour, to take common-sense steps that will save the lives in the future, and to urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to act,” Biden said.

On Tuesday, Biden called for the Senate to “immediately pass” two bills the House recently approved that change background check laws.

Biden has a long record of supporting gun-control measures. In 1993, he helped pass the Brady Bill which first established the background check and waiting period requirements. In 1994, he wrote a controversial crime bill that included a 10-year ban on assault weapons.

The problem Biden faces is that passing common-sense gun legislation would need 60 votes to make it through the Senate, so 10 Republicans would have to flip. However, some lawmakers believe that the current moment gives Democrats one of the best chances they have at getting something done because the NRA has been weakened over the past few years.

The NRA declared bankruptcy earlier this year and in 2018 it was outspent by gun-control groups for the first time ever.

“I think the implosion of the NRA, the growing support among the American people and the inevitability of increased support gives us an opportunity we haven’t had before,” Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said earlier this month. He added: “What’s changed is we now have a president who can put pressure on our colleagues.”