比赛规则：

1. 将发布的英文原文译为中文，扫描文末二维码提交译文。

2. 每位参赛者只能提交一次作业。【在截稿前请不要将译文发至留言评论处，发至该处的译文不能参与评比。】

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4. 2022年5月31日0点截止参赛，周末公布编辑部筛选出的优秀译文接受读者投票。

5. 点评专家将结合读者投票选出本期擂台的优胜译文，在微信公众号公布结果及点评文。

6. 优胜者将获得《英语世界》数字刊14天体验会员码。

7. 比赛未尽事宜概以本刊最终解释为准。

比赛原文：

In response to the killings in Texas, calls for stronger gun control laws are already being made, including by President Joe Biden in his speech the night of the shooting. But as evidenced by the lack of meaningful political action after the Sandy Hook massacre, in which 20 children and six school staff members were killed, the chances of getting anything through Congress appear slim.

This is despite polling that shows that a majority of Americans actually support stronger gun laws such as a ban on assault weapons.

So why doesn’t the government do what the people want? Harry Wilson, a professor of public affairs at Roanoke College, has a three-part answer.

First, the United States is not a direct democracy and, as such, citizens do not make decisions themselves, Wilson writes. Instead, the power to make laws lies in the hands of their elected representatives in Congress. But “the composition and rules of Congress are also crucial, especially in the Senate,” he writes, “where each state has two votes. This allocation of senators disproportionately represents the interests of less populous states.”

Secondly, “polling and public opinion are not as straightforward as they seem. Focusing on only one or two poll questions can distort the public’s views regarding gun control,” says Wilson.

And finally, the influence of voters and interest groups acts as a counterbalance to popular opinion.