'It's our turn': gun-safety advocates are riding a 'seismic' wave to US legislatures

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Guardian

Fri 2 Jan 2026 08.00 EST
Last modified on Fri 2 Jan 2026 08.04 EST


A new generation of young political leaders is gaining power in the US by using their personal experience with gun violence to push for reforms they say the US is ready for.

Their ascent is part of a nearly decade-long shift, from gun violence prevention being a third-rail issue in politics that was rarely spoken about on campaign trails, to one that candidates, most of them Democrats, are now running – and winning – on.

This shift is due in part to a collective exhaustion with gun violence, whether mass shootings – like the recent ones at Brown University in Rhode Island and at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia – firearms suicides or community violence, that continues to tear apart the lives of too many Americans, said Justin Pearson, a Tennessee state representative who’s running for US congress.

“It’s been an issue that has impacted my life,” Pearson, 30, said. “There was something about being a state representative and in a position, witnessing the government inactions and remembering the effects it has in my community, that pushed me to say this is an issue we need to prioritize.”

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/02/gun-safety-law-us-legislation

[cstanleytech]

1. Gun control advocates need to use the same argument Texas used for porn which is to protect children.

Maybe if they do SCOTUS will allow t because they sure as hell were okay with legislation controlling free speech in violation of the first Amendment when it came to porn to protect children.

[J_William_Ryan]

2. "...reforms they say the US is ready for."

But the Supreme Court is not – any measures enacted will likely be struck down by the conservative majority.

And gun violence prevention is still a third-rail issue in politics, particularly for Democrats; it’s a losing issue better left alone.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. Roberts did finally equivocate on the wild wild west Hiller and Bruen cases with this in 2024 -

Supreme Court upholds bar on guns under domestic-violence restraining orders

So there is a little bit of wiggle room depending on what is argued.