The Editorial Board: Jacobs stands tall as party colleagues sneer at testimony of Everhart, Gramaglia

Zeneta Everhart and Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia did their part, and they did it well. That it wasn’t enough to change some minds is hardly surprising, even if was disheartening.

The hard fact is that some Americans, disproportionately Republican, seem to believe nothing can ever justify any response, no matter how sensible, to horrific gun violence – no matter how many people are killed, no matter how often it happens, no matter how young the victims are. In particular, they won’t even consider restricting access to high-capacity weapons that make it easy to kill by the dozen.

The good news is that the House, with its slender Democratic majority, did approve thoughtful news restrictions on guns Wednesday. It drew only five Republican supporters but, true to his word – a word that will cost him his seat in Congress – Rep. Chris Jacobs of Orchard Park was among them. The bill is unlikely to find sufficient support in the evenly divided Senate, subject as it is to the filibuster.

Everhart is the mother of a man severely wounded in the May 14 shooting at the Tops supermarket on Jefferson Avenue. Zaire Goodman was shot in the neck but miraculously survived the assault by an avowed racist. She wondered – with good reason – if the gunman grew into a racist because his schools didn’t teach him enough about the history of race in America.

The apparent response of one Republican member was telling. News Washington Bureau Chief Jerry Zremski reported that Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., appeared to say, under his breath, “Oh my God.” It wouldn’t be a surprising response from some Republicans whose opposition to teaching children about the country’s racial history stems from a desire to, as Everhart put it, “whitewash education.” But the undeniable fact is that racism is deeply ingrained in our history – recent history included.

Gramaglia’s testimony, meanwhile, offered support for red flag laws, meant to take gun from people who show themselves to be a danger to others or themselves. Such laws have limits, require evidence and allow for appeals.

Nevertheless, Gramaglia’s testimony prompted Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., to theatrically toss his pen over his shoulder and criticize Gramaglia as a police commissioner willing, in Higgins’ view, to violate the constitution by seizing weapons under that eminently sensible standard. “I see that as a problem,” he said.

A lesser problem to him, evidently – if it’s one, at all – is allowing 18-year-olds to easily buy and then keep dangerous weapons and commit unspeakable crimes with them: Ten shot dead in Buffalo. Nineteen children and two teachers murdered in Texas. And red flag laws are the problem?

Among those voting against the House measures Wednesday was Rep. Claudia Tenney whose district, if she wins in November, will include part of Niagara County. She offered the usual Republican boilerplate about “knee-jerk” reactions. They aren’t. These ideas have been discussed and considered for years, but blocked by Republicans.

She had some worthy suggestions – on better background checks, for example – but the knee-jerk response was hers. A lot needs doing. Reducing access to military-style weapons is one of them.

• • •

What’s your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing.