Jeh Johnson: ‘This time it might be different’ for gun reform

Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson expressed hope Sunday that “this time it might be different” for gun reform after a month that began with back-to-back incidents and capped with another Saturday.

“It feels like this time it might be different,” Johnson said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “My sense is that public opinion and congressional opinion are moving in the direction of doing some things consistent with the Second Amendment. This is a uniquely American problem and it requires a national solution.”

WATCH: Following Odessa shooting, Jeh Johnson says “this time it might be different” for gun reform, but Danielle Pletka thinks people are “growing numb.” #MTP #IfItsSunday@DPletka: “My sense is that this is a triumph of hope over experience.” pic.twitter.com/YeZVd0JVBA

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) September 1, 2019

{mosads}Johnson further suggested that as the 2020 election cycle approaches, Republicans in Congress may be inclined “to be in a position to say they have done something on this” and that Saturday’s mass shooting in Texas may create momentum around the issue just as Congress reconvenes.

Danielle Pletka of the conservative American Enterprise Institute expressed skepticism, responding “My sense is that this is a triumph of hope over experience.”

“I think that the more we see this… the more numb people are, and the less response we’re going to get. To me it’s like terrorism, in a way,” she added.

President Trump, in the wake of the early August mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, initially expressed support for stronger background checks but has not touted them in recent weeks, reportedly after a call from National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre in which LaPierre said the organization opposed the measure.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), meanwhile, did not ask the Senate to reconvene to vote on a universal background checks measure despite several congressional Democrats endorsing such a move.