The House of Representatives by Tom Reynolds
There are 435 seats in the House, so 218 is a majority. As of Tuesday at 5PM, per Politico, Republicans had won 201 seats and were leading in 11 more. (212 total). There are 5 of the 11 that are very close. 212 is not enough for a majority but a potential pickup of 15 from their starting point of 197. Democrats have won 215 and are leading in 8. (223 total). Of those undecided, 2 are almost tied and 5 are very close. Of course, counting still continues so nothing is firm on the 19 still outstanding.
Many of the undecided races are in New York, where there are five races undecided; Republicans have substantial leads in four of them and a small lead in the fifth.
Without doubt, Democrat House members will see their ranks thinned, it’s just a question of how much. As a result, several House Democrats have been outspoken in their criticism of Nancy Pelosi’s leadership. Their criticism focuses on the party’s far leftward tilt toward Socialism and the prominent place that radicals have taken in the party’s public image and that group’s influence being greater than their numbers. Depending on the final figures, there may be sufficient anger to replace.
The Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee Chairwoman has already announced she is stepping down after only one term, another sign that the election did not go well for Democrats.
Many House members are more likely than Senators to reflect rural values, such as the 2nd Amendment. Senators represent the entire state - which may be dominated a few large cities (as in New York) - while Representatives have small districts within the state and rural voters have more of a say.
NICS checks and gun sales set records in the months before the election. Congresspersons from rural areas, where gun rights are a big issue, will have to think twice before supporting gun control. Could there be some defections from the Democrat Party line on gun grabbing? If the House split remains close, it will only take a few defections to kill gun control bills in the House instead of depending on the Senate to do it.
Biden’s proposals concerning guns may cause problems for a closely split House. He has proposed applying an existing federal law, with a $200 tax on machine guns, to assault weapons — which he may define to include semi-automatic firearms. He also proposed requiring universal background checks on all firearms transfers, limiting firearm purchases to one per month, and giving owners of modern sporting rifles the option of either selling their guns “back” to the government or registering them under the National Firearms Act (compensated confiscation).
Biden’s plan includes providing incentives (bribes with taxpayer dollars) to the states to set up gun licensing programs. He would give grants to state and local governments for them to require individuals to obtain a license prior to purchasing a gun.
A Biden administration might try to administratively (bypassing Congress) achieve his goals.
The U.S. Supreme Court will probably have something to say about this and its impact on exercising a fundamental right protected by the Constitution.
Speaking of the need for guns, Democrats were silent on the riots until their polling started dropping. Was it too little, too late? Will riots restart? The rioters saw success and almost no consequences as Democrat Mayors and Governors took a pass on law and order. Will they see riots as a way to gain power? If so, will Democrats stand up to them?
Of course, pro-2A President Trump is contesting the election and if he were successful, we would have a very different situation!
