--- title: 97% of Americans Want Gun Control. Why Congress Hasn’t Acted description: Rep. John Delaney explains why, despite support for universal background checks, no legislation was passed after the Parkland shooting canonical: https://time.com/5233748/gun-control-background-checks-gerrymandering-policy/ author: John Delaney article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-04-13T14:19:26.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:29.656Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 97% of Americans Want One Kind of Gun Control. Congress Hasn’t Acted og:description: Rep. John Delaney explains the failure to make change after Parkland og:url: https://time.com/5233748/gun-control-background-checks-gerrymandering-policy/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf78ac9c7da828e01/69892d2986f68eec406e8d3e/gerrymandering-congress.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5568 og:image:height: 3132 og:image:alt: Supreme Court Gerrymandering Case og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 97% of Americans Want One Kind of Gun Control. Congress Hasn’t Acted twitter:description: Rep. John Delaney explains the failure to make change after Parkland twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf78ac9c7da828e01/69892d2986f68eec406e8d3e/gerrymandering-congress.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Congressman: 97% of Americans Want One Kind of Gun Control. Here’s Why Congress Hasn’t Acted > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ## Video: Time 100 | The Parkland Students [Watch (HLS stream): Time 100 | The Parkland Students](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/JC1DqSyX.m3u8) (2:34)  _Published 2018-03-25. Five Parkland school shooting survivors who are leading the #NeverAgain movement to end gun violence in schools speak to TIME's Charlotte Alter about their historic march on Washington, and what comes next._ by [John Delaney](https://time.com/author/john-delaney/) ## John Delaney Apr 13, 2018 2:19 PM UTC  Gerrymandering activists gather on the steps of the Supreme Court as the court prepares to hear the the Benisek v. Lamone case on Wednesday, March 28, 2018\. The case challenges Maryland's 2012 Congressional redistricting. Gerrymandering activists gather on the steps of the Supreme Court as the court prepares to hear the the Benisek v. Lamone case on Wednesday, March 28, 2018\. The case challenges Maryland's 2012 Congressional redistricting. Bill Clark—CQ-Roll Call,Inc. by [John Delaney](https://time.com/author/john-delaney/) ## John Delaney Apr 13, 2018 2:19 PM UTC As the nation has mourned the 14 students and three staff members killed at [Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida](http://time.com/5158804/marjory-stoneman-douglas-high-school-shooting/) and marched on their behalf, a remarkable national consensus formed around the need for gun safety legislation. In a recent poll conducted by Quinnipiac University, an astonishing 97% of those surveyed said that they support requiring [background checks for all gun buyers](https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2521). More broadly, a Politico/Morning Consult poll found that 68% support [stricter gun laws](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/28/gun-control-polling-parkland-430099). Despite such broad support and public mobilization, it looks like Congress and the President will do nothing to address the issue. There is no indication Republican leadership in the House of Representatives will even bring legislation that creates universal background checks forward for a vote, let alone consider other commonsense measures that are also widely supported. Across the country, people are rightly asking how this is possible. In addition to being the right thing to do, wouldn’t it make good political sense to implement policies that nearly everyone wants? While considerable attention has been given to the power of special interest groups like the National Rifle Association, [political spending](http://time.com/5181212/nra-republicans-gun-control/) only tells a part of the story. There’s something deeper that’s taken place, a more fundamental warping of our legislative branch that has put Congress entirely out of step with the American people on a variety of issues, including immigration, health care and gun safety. One of the defining characteristics of American democracy in the last decade has been the loss of the House of Representatives as a responsible legislative body that reflects the will of the people. This has happened because of [gerrymandering](http://time.com/4960635/can-computers-fix-gerrymandering/). And that’s a big part of why my colleagues and I can’t get anything done. Every ten years, new Congressional lines must be drawn to reflect changes in the population — which effectively means that every ten years, the political party in control of each state has a new opportunity to draw lines to their advantage. We’ve long had gerrymandering — the term itself dates to 1812 — but in the age of big data and sophisticated voter-tracking, it’s easier than ever to do effectively. The latest round of gerrymandering, implemented in 2012, has filled the House with safe one-party seats, where primary voters — typically the most ideological — are the only voters that really matter. According to the ratings done by Larry Sabato at the University of Virginia, [only 90 House seats out of 435 are considered competitive](http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/2018-house/), with the incumbent party having even a risk of losing the seat. The other 80% of the body are in safe Democratic or Republican seats — and in many of the Republican ones especially, you have to take extreme hardline positions to survive a primary, stances with which even most Republicans don’t always agree. The same phenomenon exists in Democratic seats as well, but you can really see how strong of an impact it has on gun safety especially. The House wasn’t designed to work like this. With more frequent elections and smaller jurisdictions than in the Senate, it was meant to be close to the people and subject to frequent change. But that isn’t what’s happening anymore. Republicans had a historically good year in 2010, gaining 63 seats in the House and 6 seats in the Senate. This success was mirrored at the state level, as they flipped six governor’s offices and 20 state legislative bodies nationwide, which gave them control of significant majority of statehouses across the country and an outsized influence on what congressional maps looked like starting in 2012\. The result was a significant GOP tilt overall. During the last House election, [Republican House candidates narrowly received more votes than Democratic candidates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United%5FStates%5FHouse%5Fof%5FRepresentatives%5Felections,%5F2016), winning the national total of the vote share 49.1% to 48%. Nevertheless, that vote share translated into a crushing majority in the House, with Republicans holding a 241–194 advantage. In 2012, it was even worse. [That year](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United%5FStates%5FHouse%5Fof%5FRepresentatives%5Felections,%5F2012), Democratic House candidates actually received more votes (48.8% to 47.6%), but still ended up with only 46% of the seats, a 234–201 deficit in the chamber. To be sure, the political map of the country creates certain inefficiencies, especially because of sorting that has taken place in recent decades with more left-leaning voters concentrating in urban areas. However, the Constitution is quite clear that the House of Representatives is supposed to represent people, not land. Gerrymandering thus gives a small fraction of one party massive sway in Congress, and we’re once again seeing the results. As they have done on immigration, the [House Freedom Caucus](http://time.com/4718360/freedom-caucus-donald-trump-what-to-know/) — the most right-wing portion of the GOP — has come out hard against any gun safety measures. As long as outgoing Speaker Paul Ryan hides behind the so-called Hastert Rule — not an actual rule but a philosophy that dictates that only bills that a majority of Republicans support should get a vote — it is unlikely that the wishes of the 90% will be heard. With real reforms unable to go anywhere in the House, it isn’t surprising to see the White House back off of any real changes to our nation’s gun laws. The truth is, both sides gerrymander, and until we do something about it, both sides will keep gerrymandering. In fact, in my own state of Maryland, Democrats drew a map that benefited them, and the district I hold flipped from red to blue when new lines were drawn. I wasn’t in office during that process, but since coming to Congress, I’ve made redistricting reform a priority. My [Open Our Democracy Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2981?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22open+our+democracy+act%22%7D&r=1) kills the gerrymandering virus by requiring that states use independent commissions to draw congressional lines. A number of states already draw lines this way, so we know that it can work. The Supreme Court is also examining the lines in a number of states and there is the potential that they could end partisan gerrymandering forever. And as we head into the midterms, the races at the state level will be especially important, because a good cycle for Democrats could enable us to draw fairer maps. There are also redistricting reform efforts underway in Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Colorado and other states worthy of your support. Here’s a simple premise: If 97% of the American people want a straightforward policy, it shouldn’t be unthinkable that Congress could implement it. Until that’s the case, the House of Representatives doesn’t deserve the title “representative.” ## Transcript 911, What's your emergency? Please help us, please help us, somebody. A shooter a shooter. Is anybody injured? Yes, yes. A lot of bodies. Just please help. Please [ sobbing ] Right after February 14 A whole community of people were hurting, a whole community of people didn't know what to say, didn't know what to do, nor should hey have, this is an unfathomable thing. [ MUSIC ] We don't want your thoughts and prayers, okay, stop sending those, that's enough, we are the people who instantly said this can be prevented, this should have been prevented and this has been prevented in other countries My name is Jaclyn Corin, I'm 17. I'm Alex Wind, I'm 17. I'm Emma Gonzalez. I'm 18 years old. I can vote. I'm David Hogg. I'm 17 years old. My name is Cameron Kasky. I'm 17 and I'm a junior member of the Never Again MSD Movement, which started in my living Sitting room. Today we take to the streets in over 800 marches around the globe and demand common sense gun laws. [ UNKNOWN ] Today is the beginning of a bright new future for this country. And if you think today is good Just wait for tomorrow. [ APPLAUSE ] President Trump is not going to be able to walk away from The March For Our Lives. Nobody is going to be able to walk away. Who are we? MSE! Who are we? Teenagers know this situation because we experience this first- hand. The people in the whitehouse don't know what it feels like to be trapped in a closet, fearing For your life, because you don't know whether the knocks you hear outside are police or a shooter. People are inspired by us because we're their age. We're just like them, we could be friends with them if we went to their schools, and they're seeing us on TV and speaking up on social media. Vote them out. Vote them out. We are here to remind American citizens that, Their lawmakers work for them, and that they can demand change. And when it comes to gun violence and gun laws, these politicians are going to have to understand that it's not about their personal views anymore. We voted you into office because you were going to keep our best interests at heart, and you did not. So this is the time to change that [ APPLAUSE ] Imagine a country that allows its children to be slaughtered and does nothing about it. That doesn't sound like America. [ MUSIC ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5233748/gun-control-background-checks-gerrymandering-policy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5233748/gun-control-background-checks-gerrymandering-policy/"},"headline":"Congressman: 97% of Americans Want One Kind of Gun Control. Here’s Why Congress Hasn’t Acted","datePublished":"2018-04-13T14:19:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:53:29.656Z","description":"Rep. 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