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For two weeks the US has been captivated by teenagers taking on adults who have failed to act over decades of a uniquely American tragedy — the mass shooting.
Even amid the youthful revolutionary vigour, ideas like banning assault rifles have got little play. But significant reforms like lifting ages for gun purchases have.
When discussing new laws today though, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan turned back to the old arguments where rap and metal music, video games — anything other than actual guns — are blamed.
"Enough! I think this speaks to bigger questions of our culture. What are we teaching our kids? Look at the violence in our culture," Mr Ryan said.
"Look at what they're getting as far as a culture that's providing them. There's bigger questions here than a narrow law."
Is it a case of the gun barrel cold realities of American politics kicking in where Republicans are graded by the NRA, which spent more than $US30 million to help Donald Trump get elected in 2016?
Mr Ryan and Republicans are promising measures like universal background checks and restrictions for the mentally ill but not the heavier restrictions favoured by some students and Democrats.
"We shouldn't be banning guns for law-abiding citizens," Mr Ryan said.
"We should be focusing on making sure that citizens who should not get guns in the first place, don't get those guns.
"And that is why we see a big breakdown in the system here."
In some states there is still the [at least to Australian eyes] perverse situation where young people can buy an assault rifle but not a beer.
After reports suggesting the President was backing away from changing that, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said it was back on today.
"The President still supports raising the age limit to 21 for the purchase of certain firearms," she said.
"We're meeting with bipartisan members of Congress tomorrow. We expect that to be a topic of discussion."
Still, shifting the status quo will be tough.
Congressman Steve Scalise, who was shot by a left-wing activist and knows the dangers first hand, thinks enforcing existing laws is enough.
"As people are contemplating new laws, I think the most important thing we can look at is what about all the laws that are already on the books, that were not enforced, that were not properly implemented," Mr Scalise said.
"I think what angers me the most is when I see breakdowns with law enforcement, the FBI had this guy's name on a silver platter."
Good guys with guns beat bad guys with guns argument
Like many others he continued to blame the deputies accused of watching on — the classic American tale/myth/story that a good guy with a gun beats a bad guy with a gun.
"I think what angered me the most is that there was a sheriff's deputy trained and armed at the school, assigned to protect the school, and he hid out instead of protecting those students and confronting the shooter," Mr Scalise said.
"I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for law enforcement confronting the shooter in my case."
The deputy is defending his actions but pressure is mounting on the local sheriff to resign.
Forcing the sacking of a local law enforcement official would be a poor outcome for the young students who are vowing to maintain the rage up to, and beyond, a day of action on March 24.
Topics: government-and-politics, laws, law-crime-and-justice, united-states
First posted