In the movie “Groundhog Day,” Bill Murray spends years reliving Feb. 2, trapped in a time loop with the same day playing out exactly as it did before. It’s not until something big happens that he changes his perspective and ultimately breaks out of the loop.
Sound familiar? Whether it’s legalizing same-sex marriage or trying to enact immigration reform, some issues can be brought up again and again with no solution — until something big happens, like an assassination, a threat to national security or a dramatic shift in public opinion.
In honor of Groundhog Day, we’re taking a closer look at three legal issues we’ve seen over and over again in history and determining where they are now:
1. Gun rights
In the 1960s, the gun assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy, former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. prompted Congress to pass the Gun Control Act of 1968, restricting the sale of firearms to certain groups.
Then, in 1981, former President Ronald Reagan survived an assassination attempt, but his press secretary James S. Brady was paralyzed on the left side of his body. In 1993, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act was passed, creating a national background check system for firearms purchasers.
In 2011, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head when a gunman opened fire on a crowd in 2011, and 2012 brought the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. But, this time, change at the federal level has been minimal.
Polls show that 90 percent of Americans support background checks, yet when the Senate voted on the issue in April 2013, the amendment failed 54 to 46. Some states, such as Washington and New York, have succeeded in adding background checks and other safety measures, but there has been little progress at the federal level. Congress did pass one piece of gun-related legislation since Sandy Hook, voting in December 2013 to renew an expiring ban on plastic firearms.
Current status: A handful of Democratic lawmakers are planning to push once again for universal background checks, and Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City, plans to spend $50 million this year to support candidates and legislation aimed at curbing gun violence. But, with the National Rifle Association and a Republican-controlled Congress, it won’t be an easy battle.
2. Same-sex marriage
In June 2013, the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, allowing the federal government to recognize legal marriages between same-sex partners. This landmark decision coincided with a cultural shift over 40 years in the making.
The movement to obtain civil marriage rights and benefits for same-sex couples began in the 1970s but became more prominent following the 1993 Hawaii Supreme Court decision to declare the state’s prohibition of same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Then, in 2004, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage.
In 2011, national polls showed that a majority of Americans supported legalizing gay marriage. A year later, President Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to publicly declare his support. On Nov. 6, 2012, Maine, Maryland and Washington became the first states to legalize same-sex marriage through popular vote.
Current status: As of 2015, 36 states have legalized same-sex marriage. In January, the Supreme Court announced it would decide if same-sex couples have the right to marry everywhere in America. The case will be argued in April, and a decision is expected by late June.
3. Immigration
Immigration reform has historically been fueled by social change, like foreign wars or national security concerns. For example, following the influx of Vietnam War refugees, Congress enacted refugee and asylum provisions in 1980 that aligned the U.S. with international standards of refugee protection. In 1986, driven by increased unauthorized immigration, Congress legalized three million unauthorized immigrants in exchange for requiring all workers to establish their employment eligibility in the U.S.
After 9/11, former President George W. Bush passed the Homeland Security Act that led to an avalanche of federal funding to oversee U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and more immigration agencies.
In 2014, President Obama announced the most sweeping executive action on immigration reform in three decades, offering temporary legal status to millions of illegal immigrants and an indefinite reprieve from deportation.
Current status: Without congressional approval, President Obama cannot achieve comprehensive immigration reform. Regardless of Republican opposition, 2015 could be a tipping point for immigration. Since the U.S. last changed its immigration policy, the Hispanic population has grown from 3 million to 53 million, and experts believe America will be “majority minority” by 2044.
Photo: “Groundhog Day”
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