Federal gun reform is effectively impossible despite majority legislative support

Evidence

With the congressional ban on even interpreting gun-related data, the gun lobby has a complete stranglehold on Congress on any issue concerning guns. Lawmakers of all stripes shun gun-law proposals. Progun advocates oppose them. Those favoring gun regulations know that, even if the majority of legislators support tightening gun laws, they cannot muster the votes needed to override a filibuster. So they have become resigned to the reality that they cannot enact gun reforms at the federal level. In the past, when partisanship was less extreme, some gun laws were enacted, including a ban on semiautomatic military-style rifles. However, those laws were generally watered down, limiting their effectiveness. Gun makers found it easy to circumvent any prohibitions. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 1325

Categorization

• QUESTION: The filibuster-as-structural-cause claim — worth chasing the specific mechanics of how a minority blocks legislation even when a majority supports it.