When the large field of Democrats sought the 2020 presidential nomination, there was no mincing of words when they pledged they would fight hard to change gun laws in the United States.
No one was talking about compromise. The dynamic at play was a competition over which candidate could be most trusted to act, and which one had the boldest plan.
Back before the pandemic kept crowds from gathering mass shootings were a regular thing in America. Poll after poll found huge majorities no longer wanted talk from their politicians, but action.
Throughout the campaign, Joe Biden, in particular, had one of the more memorable lines as he vowed to get gun violence measures passed. He reminded one debate crowd that “I’m the only one on this stage who has taken on the NRA and beat them, and beat them twice.”
To his credit, in the first days of his administration, Biden appeared to be quietly working to keep his promise by developing a rollout of “common sense” ideas to address gun violence.
But today there is a reason for faster action. Monday’s shooting at a Colorado grocery store was the seventh mass shooting in seven days in America, and the second during the same time period that left multiple people dead.
In response, Biden urged Congress to pass gun control measures that would, among other things, ban assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. He also ordered flags at the White House set to half-mast.
But this moment also revealed a very uncomfortable truth for Democrats: For all of their promises to voters that they would finally enact gun control measures if put in power, it is abundantly clear that they are, in fact, going to pass nothing into law.
Any legislation aimed at curbing gun violence needs at least 60 votes in the Senate. Democrats only have 50 votes and it is not even clear that all 50 would vote for whatever measure comes before them.
So mark it down: This is the moment, not even 100 days into the Biden administration and a Democratically-controlled Congress, where Democrats may fail to live up to a major campaign promise.
Sure, there are other items that the progressive base wishes Biden would join them on including canceling all student debt, supporting Medicare for All, and backing the Green New Deal.
However, it is also true that Biden has plenty of company among those not embracing these policies. Polling on each item is uneven and some are unpopular enough they split the Democratic Party. But smaller measures to do something to address gun violence are very popular among Democrats and the general American public.
A Gallup poll last fall found that 57 percent of Americans want stricter gun laws, 9 percent want less strict laws, and 34 percent don’t want gun laws to change. This 57 percent number, by the way, was down from a recent high of 67 percent in 2018.
But there are two things that gun control advocates can have some hope about. First, this recent round of shootings came at a time when the National Rifle Association, which opposes gun laws, has never been weaker. In fact, the NRA just filed for bankruptcy amid an investigation from the New York State Attorney General’s office. The group was also outspent by opposing groups during the 2018 election for the first time ever.
Whether the NRA can still muster opposition to any gun control legislation that might get momentum on Capitol Hill is an open question.
Second, as long as Senate Democrats can get every member of their caucus to both support a particular bill and create a sense of urgency, then they control their own destiny on this issue ― as well as others. But first, they need to agree to scrap the Senate filibuster, which would allow them to pass bills with only a simple majority, and not 60 votes.
And unlike in the past, there has never been more discussion among Democrats to do just that.
James Pindell can be reached at james.pindell@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jamespindell.
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Democrats campaigned hard on gun control. Will they follow through? - The Boston Globe
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