Posted on 06/13/2022 3:20:40 AM PDT by RandFan
A bipartisan group of senators announced a deal Sunday on framework legislation to address a recent surge in gun violence in the U.S.
The proposed legislation includes funding for school safety resources, strengthened background checks for buyers under the age of 21, incentives for states to implement their own “red flag’ laws, penalties for straw purchases of firearms, and increased protections for domestic violence victims.
The bipartisan group was made up of 20 senators, including 10 GOP lawmakers, many of which are strong supporters of gun rights and political allies of the powerful National Rifle Association.
With support from those 10 GOP lawmakers, the legislation likely has the votes to overcome the 60-vote threshold to avoid a filibuster in the Senate.
Here are the Senate Republicans who are backing the bipartisan gun reform legislation.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas)
Cornyn was among the initial group of nine lawmakers who began discussing gun legislation after the mass shooting at a Uvalde, Texas Elementary school last month that left 19 students and two teacher dead.
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appointed Cornyn as the GOP’s lead negotiator in the talks.
“The tragedies in Uvalde and elsewhere cried out for action,” Cornyn said in a tweet Sunday amid news of the bipartisan deal.
“I worked closely with my colleagues to find an agreement to protect our communities from violence while also protecting law-abiding Texans’ right to bear arms.”
Cornyn, who has an A+ rating from the NRA, had previously offered assurances that he would not support any legislation that restricted gun rights.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.)
Tillis also played an early role in the gun violence negotiations. He said he was not willing to support raising the age limit of purchasing an AR-15 to 21 years of age, which is high on the Democratic wish-list.
Shortly after the Uvalde shooting, Tillis warned against blaming mass shootings on the proliferation of guns in America.
“It’s horrible. And you know what we need to avoid is the reflexive reaction we have to say this could all be solved by not having guns in anyone’s hands,” he said, according to CNN.
“We can always talk about reasonable measures, but we also have to talk about better situational awareness. I’m almost certain that in the coming days or weeks, we’re going to find out that there were signs that this person was at risk.”
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)
Blunt, who is retiring from his Senate seat at the end of this year, worked with Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) on mental health provisions in the framework package, such as national funding for mental health clinics, which will provide 24/7 mental health crisis responses among other services.
“We want to be sure that mental health care is not only available, but that we are encouraging people to seek care without the fear of stigmatization. This bipartisan proposal builds on the progress we have made and ensures community-based access points to care will be available over the long term,” Blunt said in a statement on Sunday.
“It will help keep people safe while protecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans, and I urge our colleagues to give it their full consideration.”
Rob Portman (R-Ohio)
Portman recently told NBC affiliate WFMJ-TV that keeping firearms away from dangerous individuals and implementing safety measures at schools were his focuses in the talks.
“We have the opportunity to do something [addressing mental and behavioral health] that we should be doing anyway,” he said.
Portman also noted he doesn’t want to infringe on citizens who abide by gun laws. He also expressed interest in making juvenile records more accessible in systems used to prevent dangerous individuals from obtaining firearms.
Richard Burr (R-N.C.)
Burr, who is also retiring this year, has received nearly $7 million in donations from the National Rifle Association (NRA), according to data from Brady United, placing him second among GOP senators onto to Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah).
Asked about Democratic gun control proposals following the Uvalde shooting, Burr didn’t say specifically what he opposed or supported.
“If somebody’s got a solution to this, by all means, let’s talk about it,” Burr said. “But nobody’s proposed that they’ve got one.”
Mitt Romney (R-Utah)
Romney, who received over $13 in donations from the NRA, said in a tweet after the Uvalde shooting that “we must find answers” to the issue.
In a statement on Sunday, he said “Families deserve to feel safe and secure in their communities.”
“Proud to join my colleagues on this commonsense, bipartisan proposal that will save lives while also protecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans. It deserves broad support.”
Romney has regularly opposed Democrat-proposed gun control measures, though he said in 2018 that he was open to considering “more effective background checks.”
Bill Cassidy (R-La.)
Cassidy said he was open to discussion on gun reform legislation in the aftermath of the Uvalde school massacre.
Among the initial group of nine lawmakers, Cassidy suggested that “red-flag” laws and expanded background checks were not the right solution to the problem.
“Senator Cassidy will always be an advocate for law-abiding citizens’ Second Amendment rights,” Cassidy’s spokesperson Ty Bofferding said in a statement to the Daily Advertiser last month.
“Cassidy is open to conversations about solutions that will actually work to prevent these kinds of mass shootings. Unfortunately, expanded background checks or red flag laws, as Democrats are proposing as a solution, would not have prevented the tragedy in Texas.”
Susan Collins (R-Maine)
Collins previously said she would like to see red-flag laws, which have already been enacted in her state of Maine, be part of the bipartisan proposal.
“I believe that we should look at enacting a red flag law based on the one we have in Maine, which has due process rights and involves a medical professional in the decision,” she said last month. “I don’t know the details of the shooter, but it’s hard to believe he wasn’t mentally ill.”
Collins also expressed her support for creating a process for keeping firearms away from those who suffer from mental health issues.
“I really think our focus should be on looking at what the states have done, what some states have done on red flag or yellow flag laws,” she added.
Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
Graham has suggested that retired and former military members should provide armed security at schools, joining a chorus of GOP voices calling to “harden” schools against threats.
“I will be working to create a certification process that allows former military members to go through school security training and become available to school districts throughout the country,” Graham said in a Twitter thread last month.
“It is time to mobilize our retired and former service members who are willing to help secure our schools. Our schools are soft targets,” Graham added. “They contain our most valuable possession – our children, the future of our country – and must be protected.”
Pat Toomey (R-Pa.)
Democrats: Biden must drop the word ‘rational’ when talking about Republicans
“I certainly remain committed to the idea of the principle of the policy of expanding background checks to cover all commercial sales,” Toomey said last month. “I would also point out that even though we fell short, I think it’s the only measure that had bipartisan support — probably the only one, or one of the few, that would have it now.”
Toomey first introduced an expanded background check legislation alongside Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) in 2013 in response to the Sandy Hook massacre, but the bill failed to reach the 60-vote filibuster threshold.
Rob Portman is leaving the Senate. He has nothing to lose by passing this.
The letter after the name means jack anymore.
The only reason political parties still exist is to give voters the illusion of choice.
A pol is either loyal to our former republic or to Deep State.
The above pols are Deep State.
Pat Toomey is a lame duck who is pimping for a CNN job after he leaves DC.
How many times to we need to be duped by these republicans in democrat shoes. Im sick of them! This only tells us that if and when they take back the majority in both houses and the presidency its business as usual
George Washington warned us about political parties in his Farewell Address.
He was right.
The 2A does not need to be added to nor subtracted from, the founders got it perfect the first time.
Something to repeal along with commie care.
Or will they “repeal and replace”, if even.
We really need a big legislative “undo” congress.
The list: ALL RINOS.
Governing by news cycle.
Each of them need to be brought up on charges of Treason for making war on the Constitution and the citizens of the US.
Can’t happen until 2025, but it should happen then.
Those loyal to MAGA should start putting an (M) after their name to avoid being mistake for the RINO (R).
This is just the beginning. Dems will feel emboldened now for a full scale attack on the 2nd amendment.
Political parties - The evil spawn of Satan.
Politics - A deadly disease that has ended many/most (so-called) civilizations.
IMHO
The list: ALL RINOS.
Its the usual squishes.
To be honest the only measure that actually bothers me is the encouragement of “red flag” laws on the state level. We already have laws to involuntarily commit someone who is a danger to himself or others. All such red flag laws do is allow the government to seize your guns without due process whenever anybody claims you might be “dangerous”.
This is of course wide open to abuse. There is no medical diagnosis and you do not even get a chance to defend yourself in court before they seize your guns and its often time consuming and expensive to get them back.
Also, after they seize your guns, they provide no mental help at all. No counseling, not hospitalization, no treatment. They leave your car keys and lots of other things you could use to cause harm. They just show up and take your guns.
That should be ruled unconstitutional. The 14th amendment is supposed to guarantee due process.
So has anybody seen the text yet to see if the actual content matches up to what the media is reporting.
It's hard to believe, but at one time, toomey was a conservative, and then he got elected.
The corruption in the swamp overwhelms so many weak willed pussies, that unless they have a backbone of steel {very rare} they quickly jump into the swamp ferry and beginning scooping out the booty.
The first time they take a bribe for a favor {no matter what they call it} they are gone over to the dark side and there is no return.
That’s a thing I don’t think the average person knows. An involuntary hospital stay shows up a NICS ban same as a felony conviction or a dishonorable discharge.
IMO if someone is too dangerous to own a gun, they need to be either in prison or hospitalized.
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