At the moment, attention is focused on the United States Senate when it comes to the gun control debate. While the House continues to pass bills at a furious pace, the senate has yet to take up debate on any of them.

Much of the responsibility for that has been laid at the feet of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. He’s been cast as both hero and villain, all depending on your perspective.

However, it seems that McConnell doesn’t feel it’s up to him what the Senate should vote on or not.

All eyes are on the Senate following their August recess. Many Americans are wondering if more stringent gun control laws are going to pass the Republican-controlled chamber. According to Senate Majority Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the chamber won’t move forward with any proposals until President Donald Trump makes it clear he would sign whatever legislation is passed.

“My members know the very simple fact that to make a law you have to have a presidential signature. They are working on coming up with a proposal that the president will sign. Until that happens, all of this is theatrics,” McConnell told reporters, referencing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) Monday press conference with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) calling for the Senate to take up the House’s gun control legislation.

McConnell has made it very clear that he won’t bring any legislation to the floor for a vote if Trump has vowed to veto the bill.

Right now, it sounds like Trump is considering universal background checks and some kind of federal of red flag law.

To be fair, if you’re looking at this in a dispassionate way, McConnell’s position makes a certain degree of sense. Why waste people’s time passing laws that aren’t going to get signed? The only reason to do so is to send some form of signal, which is why the Republican-controlled Congress continually did so during President Obama’s tenure. They were trying to show the American people something in particular, which they did.

But what would they be showing now by sending legislation on that they know will be vetoed? That they’re willing to appease the Democrats regardless of where the president stands? That’s idiotic.

McConnell’s decision makes a certain degree of sense. He’s not saying he’ll back the proposals, only that they’ll get a vote.

My sincere hope is that Republican lawmakers look at these measures, recognize them for the stupidity they are, then kill the measures with extreme prejudice. My dream is to see gun control killed permanently, and while that’s not likely to happen in my lifetime, a guy has to have something.

I’m afraid, though, that this won’t be the time. The truth is, Trump is probably going to back some degree of gun control. While it likely won’t go as far as Democrats would prefer, it will go much further than most gun rights activists are comfortable with. The president will provide some political cover for Republicans at least some will cross the aisle.

Then Democrats will hail this as a great victory in their 2020 campaign efforts.

It might be a good idea to remind your senators where you stand on gun control.