Lawmakers may not vote for gun safety, but voters usually do

After yet another failed Congressional vote on gun safety measures Monday, it's important to remember who does approve tighter gun laws: Voters. When actual voters (not lawmakers) are given the chance to weigh in directly on measures that strengthen gun safety laws, they usually approve them.

That was true in Colorado following the Columbine shooting in 1999. Even though state lawmakers blocked a bill early in 2000 that would have required background checks at gun shows, Colorado voters overwhelmingly approved the measure at the ballot box later that year with 70 percent of the vote.

The same is true of Florida voters, despite the fact that lawmakers have essentially given gun owners carte blanche in the "Gunshine" state. Not only did Florida lawmakers pass the first “stand your ground” law in 2005, affirming a person’s right to defend themselves with deadly force, lawmakers also made Florida the original “shall issue” state in 1987, meaning local authorities are required to issue permits to carry a concealed weapon as long as the applicant doesn’t fall within a prohibited category (a convicted felon, for example).

Yet when Floridians have voted directly on gun issues, they have twice approved ballot measures restricting gun rights: In 1990, they approved a mandatory three-day waiting period for handgun purchases; and in 1998, they gave local jurisdictions the option of requiring background checks on private gun sales. Similar to what happened in Colorado, momentum for the ’98 measure came after a felon fatally shot three police officers and a 4-year-old boy.

Other examples exist, including Missouri voters in 1999 rejecting a measure that would have made the state a "shall issue" state (GOP lawmakers later overrode the will of the people in 2003); Oregon voters in 2000 voting to "close the gun show loophole;" and more recently, Washington voters approved universal background checks in 2014. 

This is not an exhaustive list and gun safety ballot measures don’t occur all that frequently, but these examples tell an important story: While lawmakers beholden to the National Rifle Association often reject gun safety measures, their constituents are much more likely to vote for them.