With a 50-50 Senate and a majority of just four seats in the House, you’d think Joe Biden and the Democrats wouldn’t agree to action on the Hill against the Second Amendment. Democrats are going to come under fire in November. Joe Biden’s approval ratings are dismal. There are many domestic crises burning American working families. And the economy will be in recession. Democrats decided to engage in a fresh gun catchup program after the horrific shooting in Uvalde, Texas. At Robb Elementary School, Salvador Ramos shot and killed 19 children and two teachers before being shot dead by police. Ramos was killed in the attack. Pushing for gun control in an election cycle that isn’t favorable isn’t a good strategy, but then again, there’s nothing popular about this Democratic Party. They will go full speed ahead if it means trying to energize their base. Right now it’s about guns and abortion, and the latter will see a renewed surge in protests when the Supreme Court issues its final opinion in the Dobbs case. The leaked draft shows the Court is prepared to overturn Roe v. Wade, upsetting woke white women.
As Spencer noted, Sen. Chuck Schumer (R-N.Y.) is so committed to this gun control initiative that he has refrained from voting on it for now. I don’t want to work this weekend. Is there a chance for success in a split chamber? Under any other circumstances I would have said no. But the GOP is not a fully united party here. They are Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who should have stabbed us in the back a long time ago. Oh, and they have some fresh allies, which we’ll mention in a moment.
Seems like it makes sense. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), two Democratic wild cards, will not end the filibuster to pass some kind of gun control package. So this case may not exist, and Sinema shocked the press when she stated that DC solutions may not be a realistic path to follow when it comes to fighting these heinous crimes.
Jon Tester, who had doubts about the House’s universal background checks bill, told me he would vote YES to start the debate if Schumer called a vote. Manchin told me he still has doubts about the bill’s provisions extending background checks to private transfers. I’m not sure how he would vote
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 25, 2022
New: Sinema tells reporters he will reach out to his GOP colleagues to try to find a bipartisan response to mass shootings. He rarely makes such comments about the cuff
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) May 25, 2022
SINEMA just stopped reporters outside the Senate chamber and said she had something to say. This is a sporadic occurrence.
Here’s what she said. I asked her if she was ready to put the filibuster aside. She said she doesn’t believe “that DC solutions are realistic here.” pic.twitter.com/BCUQQzEX0l
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) May 25, 2022
Sen. Joe Manchin says he would do “everything in my power” to push “commonsense” gun legislation forward, but he still refused to eliminate the filibuster to advance gun legislation through the Senate, he claims @jessicadean pic.twitter.com/lrnfOA4egQ
— Ali Zaslav (@alizaslav) May 24, 2022
Put the gun reform bill on the floor now. Tonight. While the nation recovers from this horror. Let the Republicans filibuster it. Get Sinema and Manchin to vote down filibuster reform. Don’t let them hide from the agony that their obstruction is causing Americans to suffer.
— Kai Newkirk (@kai_newkirk) May 25, 2022
Still, Axia he mentioned several reasons why this Hail Mary pass could be more effective:
1. Most Americans support background checks.
Polls consistently show that a majority of Americans believe that current gun laws are not strict enough, and over 90% of voters support universal background checks.
Most recently, 59% of registered voters said it was essential for lawmakers to pass stricter gun laws, according to a Morning Consult/Politico poll conducted days before Tuesday’s shooting.
2. The National Rifle Association is weakened.
In the 10 years since the Sandy Hook shooting, the NRA has been plagued by internal scandals and even declared bankruptcy, helping to weaken its political influence.
Make no mistake, the gun lobby still has a firm grip on the Republican Party – for which Schumer sharply criticized GOP members this morning – but their power is not what it once was.
3. Children were murdered. Again.
Lawmakers and Capitol Hill residents were visibly emotional Wednesday as they discussed the shooting.
All shootings are terrible, senseless tragedies, but there’s something about the massacre of defenseless 9- and 10-year-old children that makes this issue feel even more personal – and urgent.
The tragedy at Robb Elementary School is the worst school shooting since the Sandy Hook massacre 10 years ago, which galvanized Congress into action. Although these efforts ultimately failed, the similarities were not lost on the members.
4. It happened in the Republicans’ backyard.
Some Democrats hope Sen. John Cornyn (Texas) will be a leader on the issue — and potentially even the point person in bipartisan talks — given that the shooting occurred in his home state.
Cornyn, an influential senior executive who will likely one day replace Mitch McConnell as GOP leader, has previously shown compassion and a willingness to work with Democrats on similar issues.
“He’s from Texas. AND [former state district] judge. He was involved in background checks to try to make the system work better,” Sen. Tim Kaine (R-Va.) told reporters.
“It would have a huge impact if it were to lead the way to a solution,” Kaine added.
Cornyn flew to Uvalde on Wednesday morning with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
5. Key bipartisan players are talking again.
Sen. Chris Murphy (R-Conn.) spoke with both Susan Collins (R-Maine), who is interested in red flag laws, and retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pennsylvania), who was at the center of the bipartisan effort an effort with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to expand background checks.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), who took the sporadic step of addressing reporters on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, said she plans to resume negotiations with her colleagues from both parties.
Republicans – that’s the point. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) – have signaled openness to potential background checks or federal warning bills.
Yes, we all forget that in the wake of the Parkland, Florida shooting, Rick Scott, then-governor, passed a fresh law banning the sale of long guns to anyone under 21 years of age. The first step is to expand background checks to include a gun registry. Then it’s time for confiscation. Red flag laws sound great on paper, but the temptation for authorities to overstep their bounds and trample on constitutional rights is also great. Theoretically, Democrats have close to 60 votes if the package isn’t too crazy. What if Cornyn joins that chorus? This could provide a lot of political cover for those on guard. This is not a good situation. The ball may reach the end zone, but can the Democrat wide receiver catch it and knock it out of bounds? We’ll see. I bet the progressive wing will make this package a little too extreme for other alleged maybes to support. Do they need to be reminded that this is an election year? You won’t lift a finger to assist Joe Biden and the Democrats – ever.
Universal background checks mean a national gun registry.
NO. NO. The trust required for this does not exist.
We have just seen governments of developed countries arrest and beat their citizens over Covid-19 edicts that were never adopted in the legislative process.
— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) May 25, 2022
