Despite the mounting casualties of gun violence and a brutal massacre that left 20 children dead in Newtown, Conn., the U.S. Senate on Wednesday failed to pass a bipartisan compromise to widen background checks for potential purchasers of guns as well as several other relatively modest gun-related measures.
As is so often the case, the votes neither reflected the will of most Americans — who, in poll after poll, favor measures to control the proliferation of guns — nor even most members of the Senate.
It's a bitter disappointment for those who thought that the nation's collective outrage might at last bring sense to Congress. Still, even as federal legislation runs into the brick wall of the gun lobby, some states and local jurisdictions are forging ahead. For tactical as well as strategic reasons, that's a promising development.
The best solution would be strong, federal control of guns, but if the federal government is to be paralyzed in this area — as it appears to be, at least for now — it is incumbent on states to act.
