美国国家公共电台 NPR House Passes Bill Protecting Domestic Abuse Victims; GOP Split Over Gun Restrictions

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

All right. The House votes today to renew a 1994 law that is called the Violence Against Women Act. There is some opposition¹ to this bill, which protects victims of domestic and sexual violence. The NRA - National Rifle Association - is pressuring Republicans to vote no. That's because the bill includes new provisions to ban anyone convicted of domestic abuse from ever owning a gun. Here's NPR congressional correspondent Susan Davis.

SUSAN DAVIS, BYLINE²: House Republicans will cast a vote today in which they have to choose between siding against the NRA or against a bill to help abused women. For one Republican, Brian Fitzpatrick, it's a no-brainer.

BRIAN FITZPATRICK: I think we need to speak to everybody, including women, and talk about the issues they care about and take reasonable, pragmatic positions. And this is one of them.

DAVIS: The Pennsylvania congressman³ is the only Republican co-sponsor of legislation to renew the 1994 Violence Against Women Act. He's one of the few Republicans in a swing district who survived the woman-fueled Democratic wave in last year's midterms. And now he's trying to make the case that it's possible to support gun rights and gun restrictions⁵.

FITZPATRICK: I tell my colleagues all the time I think the biggest threat to the Second Amendment⁶ is when you allow all these gun crimes to occur unaddressed because that erodes⁷ people's confidence and trust in people that are legitimately⁸ trying to protect themselves and their families and their homes.

DAVIS: The NRA and congressional Republicans all support VAWA, as the law is known. Democrats⁹ want to update it to restrict abusers' gun rights. The new version would expand existing laws that ban firearms ownership to anyone convicted of misdemeanor charges of domestic abuse or stalking. Right now the law applies to felony convictions. It would also close the so-called boyfriend loophole to expand the gun ban to include convicted dating partners.

The NRA opposes both because they say it's too low of a threshold to permanently¹⁰ deny someone their Second Amendment rights. So they put Congress on notice that they will use how members vote today when weighing their support in future campaigns. And that annoys Republicans like Idaho's Mike Simpson.

MIKE SIMPSON: I don't know why they're key-voting it. They shouldn't.

DAVIS: Simpson doesn't support the gun provisions, but he will vote for the bill against the NRA's position. He's confident they can get rid of them in negotiations¹¹ with the Senate. NRA opposition usually gives Republicans political cover to vote against gun bills. But a "no" vote on something as popular as the Violence Against Women Act is just politically untenable for Republicans like New York's Tom Reed.

TOM REED: We're going to have to take these political votes, and I will be voting yes tomorrow. And I'll also be voting yes when it comes back from the Senate, when this gun issue is stripped out of it.

DAVIS: House Democrats have the votes to pass this bill, and they say they will block any effort to alter the gun provisions. Here's Michigan Democrat⁴ Debbie Dingell.

DEBBIE DINGELL: Sometimes things are as simple as this. If we are doing a Violence Against Women Act and we are trying to save lives, why would you not close a simple loophole that says if someone has been convicted - convicted - not accused, convicted - of domestic violence or stalking, that they not have access to a gun?

DAVIS: How many Republicans break with the NRA is an indicator¹² of how strong of a playing hand Democrats will have in talks with the Senate. Fitzpatrick is working his side of the aisle¹³ to increase that leverage¹⁴.

FITZPATRICK: I'm feeling optimistic that I've convinced several of them to vote yes, but I guess we'll find out Thursday.

DAVIS: And the NRA is keeping score. Susan Davis, NPR News, the Capitol.

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

4 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

5 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

6 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

7 erodes   

侵蚀，腐蚀( erode的第三人称单数 )； 逐渐毁坏，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• The sea erodes the rock. 海水侵蚀岩石。
• The sea erodes the land. 海洋侵蚀陆地。

8 legitimately   

ad.合法地；正当地，合理地

参考例句：

• The radio is legitimately owned by the company. 该电台为这家公司所合法拥有。
• She looked for nothing save what might come legitimately and without the appearance of special favour. 她要的并不是男人们的额外恩赐，而是合法正当地得到的工作。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

9 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

11 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

12 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。

13 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

14 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。