The splits in Washington politics are growing by the day

What has happened to Chris Jacobs shows the extent of the problem of partisanship in US politics, writes Chris Stevenson

Chris Jacobs: ‘If you stray from a party position, you are annihilated’ (AP)

You may not know the name Chris Jacobs, but his political fate illustrates the current state of US politics.

Jacobs – who represents the New York 27th congressional district in the House of Representatives – has announced that he will not seek re-election, having considered doing so in the newly drawn 23rd district. His decision comes after he faced a backlash from some Republicans about his comments that he would back a ban on AR-15 assault rifles as well as a move to raise the minimum age for gun ownership to 21.

“I do not believe that individuals need magazines of 50 or 60 rounds or more,” Jacobs has said. “Capacity limits should be limited, at a minimum, if we cannot achieve an assault-weapon ban.” As for raising the age limit for purchasing firearms, Jacobs said this was “perfectly reasonable”.