Why background checks for guns

Donald Trump took aim Wednesday at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for helping to advance a bipartisan gun safety bill, even though the legislation includes measures the former president has backed in the past. McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, was one of 14 GOP senators who voted Tuesday night to open debate on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. In a post on his Truth Social page , Trump sounded alarm bells on the proposed legislation while citing McConnell and another Republican senator who helped lead the bipartisan talks behind the bill . "The deal on 'Gun Control' currently being structured and pushed in the Senate by Radical Left Democrats , with the help of Mitch McConnell, RINO Senator John Cornyn of Texas, and others, will go down in history as the first step in the movement to TAKE YOUR GUNS AWAY. Republicans , be careful what you wish for!!!" Trump wrote. The term "RINO" stands for Republican in Name Only. The Bipartisan Safer Communities … [Read more...] about Trump attacks McConnell for advancing gun measures he previously supported

Senate Republicans seem to think they are defusing a potential problem by playing along with anti-gun activists and agreeing to a legislative "compromise" on guns. They assume reaching a deal would dampen criticism of their support for gun rights and do them some good at the polls. They are mistaken. A new gun control bill would be just another instance of GOP moderates being enticed by their liberal opponents into doing something that will undermine support from the conservative base they need if they're going to take back control of Congress this fall. The impetus for the bill —which was passed by the Senate on Tuesday with the votes of 14 Republicans—was the news of mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas. The outrage and frustration over the frequency of these atrocities created an opening for Democrats to return to their demands for more gun control legislation. Restricting the right to own a gun wouldn't have prevented any or all of the mass shootings. In a … [Read more...] about GOP compromise on gun rights aren’t winning votes or solving problems | Opinion

Senate bargainers reached agreement Tuesday on a bipartisan gun violence bill , potentially teeing up final passage by week's end on an incremental but landmark package that would stand as Congress’ response to mass shootings in Texas and New York that shook the nation. Lawmakers released the 80-page bill nine days after agreeing to a framework for the plan and 29 years after Congress last enacted major firearms curbs. It cleared an initial procedural hurdle by 64-34, with 14 Republicans joining all 48 Democrats and two allied independents in voting yes. That strongly supported a prediction by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., of approval later this week. Passage by the Democratic-led House could follow quickly. ALSO READ: Gun laws in countries outside the U.S. Though Republicans blocked tougher restrictions sought by Democrats, the accord marks an election-year breakthrough on an issue that pits the GOP's staunch gun-owning and rural voters against … [Read more...] about U.S. Senators release gun violence bill after bipartisan compromise

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) referenced the Senate gun control bill Tuesday, noting that he, nine other Republicans, and the ten Democrats working on the legislation together found “space for compromise” on gun control. The Texas Tribune quoted Cornyn: We’ve talked, we’ve debated, we’ve disagreed and finally we’ve reached an agreement among the four of us, but obviously this is not something that is going to become law or fail to become law because of a small group of senators. The truth is we had a larger group of 20 senators, 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats, come together and sign on to an agreed set of principles, and I believe that as the senators see the text that supports those principles, they will see we’ve tried our best to be true to what those agreed principles should be. He stressed that he and the bipartisan group of Senators found “space for compromise” on gun control. There is no room for compromise with our God-given rights @JohnCornyn … [Read more...] about John Cornyn: We Found ‘Space for Compromise’ on Gun Control

Republicans are lashing out at GOP senators backing bipartisan gun legislation as "traitors" who are helping Democrats to "confiscate" firearms. A bipartisan gun bill cleared its first procedural hurdle with the support of 14 Republicans in the Senate on Tuesday, as members of the GOP took to social media to admonish their colleagues that voted for the legislation. Calls to strengthen gun laws have recently been growing louder in response to last month's deadly mass shootings at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and a grocery store in Buffalo, New York. Although the bill that the bipartisan senators agreed on is significantly watered down from Democratic proposals that have been consistently rejected by Republicans for decades, some GOP members of Congress and other conservatives quickly lashed out at the Senate Republicans who backed the bill. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene , a Georgia Republican, accused the GOP senators of "helping Democrats confiscate … [Read more...] about GOP senators who favor gun bill called traitors, confiscators by GOP peers

AUSTIN, Texas — The sister of a 9-year-old girl killed in the Uvalde school rampage tearfully pleaded on Thursday with Texas lawmakers to pass gun safety legislation and questioned why so many security measures failed. “I’m here begging for you guys to do something,” said Jazmin Cazares, whose young sister Jacklyn was one of 19 children killed in the 80 minutes the gunman spent inside Robb Elementary School on May 24 before police stormed the classroom and killed him. Two teachers also died in the massacre. “People who were supposed to keep her safe at school didn’t,” the 17-year-old Cazares said through sniffles. “They failed.” Officials offer first detailed timeline of Uvalde shooting police response: 'An abject failure' June 21, 2022 03:39 Her testimony came just as the U.S. Supreme Court announced a decision allowing a major expansion of gun rights , saying that Americans have a right to carry firearms in public. … [Read more...] about Sister of Uvalde victim pleads with lawmakers to pass gun safety measures

Breitbart News reported on June 6 that 250 Republican donors signed a letter in support of Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-TX) work with Democrats to secure bipartisan gun control. On June 22 the Dallas Morning News noted the number of signatories had grown to 600. The letter says, in part, “We vote for Republican Senators. We believe in the Second Amendment. Like many we are struggling for good answers to our current problem of gun violence in America.” The signatories voice support for red flag laws, expanded background checks, and raising the age for legal gun purchases to 21. “Most law enforcement experts believe these measures would make a difference,” the letter says. “And recent polls of fellow conservatives suggest that there is strong support for such gun-safety measures.” The language of Cornyn’s gun control deal was revealed on Tuesday, and Breitbart News pointed out that the bill expands background checks for some gun buyers, uses taxpayer money to incentivize … [Read more...] about 600 GOP Donors Supporting John Cornyn’s Gun Control Push

Teachers should be allowed to carry guns in school, provided they undergo training and volunteer, according to the state commission investigating the high school shooting last year in Parkland, Florida. The controversial recommendation is part of a preliminary 446-page report that the commission approved unanimously on Wednesday. The report comes as the United States grapples with how to prevent deadly shootings like the one at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018, that left 17 dead. Read more: Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg, mocked by Laura Ingraham over college rejections, will attend Harvard The report is now with outgoing Governor Rick Scott, Governor-elect Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature. It describes in detail what is believed to have happened before, during and after the attack and cites numerous failures on the part of school and law enforcement officials in addition to proposals for improvement. The suggestion to … [Read more...] about Parkland Commission recommends teachers should carry guns

The Senate overcame a decades-long legislative log jam by passing a bill intended to reduce gun violence, but left out a key provision from the last time Congress took up firearm safety. The Senate passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act on a 65-33 bipartisan vote Thursday evening. Spurred by the elementary school shooting Uvalde, Texas, and other recent massacres, the legislation seeks to keep firearms from dangerous individuals. However, gun control advocates pointed out that the bill doesn't reinstate the 1994 ban on semiautomatic military-style rifles that has been credited with reducing firearm-related violence. Fifteen Republicans senators joined Democrats in voting for the legislation, which allowed it to clear a legislative filibuster in the evenly divided chamber. "This is the sweet spot," said Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate's minority leader. McConnell, who has an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association, said the bill would make … [Read more...] about Senate passes first gun bill in 28 years, but it does less than 1994 law

US senators advanced a bipartisan bill late Thursday addressing the epidemic of gun violence convulsing the country, approving a narrow package of new firearms restrictions and billions of dollars in mental health and school security funding. The reforms — which are almost certain to be rubber-stamped by the House of Representatives on Friday — fall short of the demands of gun safety advocates and President Joe Biden, but have been hailed as a life-saving breakthrough after almost 30 years of inaction by Congress. “This bipartisan legislation will help protect Americans,” Biden said in a statement shortly after the Senate vote. “Kids in schools and communities will be safer because of it.” The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was backed by all 50 Democratic senators and 15 Republicans, includes enhanced background checks for buyers under the age of 21, $11 billion in funding for mental health and $2 billion for school safety programs. It also provides funding to … [Read more...] about ‘Historic Day’: For The First Time In Decades, US Senate Approves Bipartisan Gun Safety Bill