Faith-based gun control advocates on the Senate's failure to act

After the Senate refused to take up several gun-control proposals Wednesday, I checked in with faith-based activists on the legislative process. (See my earlier Century article.) Many expressed frustration but also tentative hope for future prospects. "I'm deeply disappointed and very angry at the vise grip the NRA has on this issue," says Katherine Willis Pershey of the #ItIsEnough campaign.

Many activists weren't thrilled with the legislation to begin with. Bryan Miller of Heeding God's Call called it "an unimpressive horse-traded bill" that would have expanded background checks but also "would have likely given the gun industry new markets and the pro-gun community new privileges."

J. Herbert Nelson, Director of the Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of Public Witness, agreed. In a statement released yesterday, he said that "the Manchin-Toomey amendment [to expand background checks]...fails to go far enough toward achieving legislation that will effectively reduce gun violence."