Schumer wants to pass gun reform bills after Texas school shooting
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Charles Schumer, D.N.Y., Senate Majority leader, leads a news conference, after the senate luncheons, at Capitol in Washington, Tuesday May 24, 2022.
Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
Senate Majority leader Chuck SchumerWhile pledging Wednesday his support for stricter U.S. gun control laws, he also acknowledged that Republicans would likely stop new firearm regulations after an individual has fired a gunman. killed 19 children and two teachers at a Texas elementary school.
Schumer was the top Democrat in the chamber and urged his Republican counterparts to resist the National Rifle Association’s influence, a pro-gun lobbying organization, and to join Democrats for discussion about what steps Congress might take to decrease mass shootings.
A day after 21 teens were killed in Uvalde in Texas by a teenage gunman, he said: “Please, please…please, damn it!
“Maybe that thought – putting yourself in the shoes of these parents instead of the arms of the NRA – might let you wriggle free from the vise-like grip of the NRA,” Schumer added, “might free you to act on even a simple measure.”
The U.S. is horrified at the killings of children and the Senate seems unlikely to pass gun safety legislation before the lawmakers go on their Memorial Day recess. Schumer noted that many Democrats want him to quickly take up a House-passed background check bill, but conceded that Republicans would likely block the legislation — as they have with similar measures in the past.
Democrats long have blamed the NRA’s millions of members and large funding for helping Republicans vote against changes in gun policy.
Echoing Sen. Chris Murphy’s Tuesday remarks, the majority leader disparaged Republicans for arguing that it is better to concentrate on mental health rather than guns to prevent mass shootings.
Schumer stated that “rates of mental illness in the developing world are almost identical.” The U.S. does not stand out in mental illness.
He added that “We are an outlier when it comes to the sheer quantity of guns this country has.” “That’s why we have so much shooting and other west countries don’t.”
CNBC did not reach out to the NRA for comment.
Democrats have been reengaged to adopt stricter gun safety rules after the Texas shooting and other massacres. Vice President Joe Biden in an emotional speech TuesdayWe also asked Republicans to refuse to allow the firearms industry to influence our lives in order to reduce gun violence.
When asked by CNN if Biden had plans to visit Uvalde in the future, the White House declined to provide details. CNN reported that President Obama is in “early stages” planning to visit Texas.
Schumer announced that on Thursday, the Senate will be considering a bill passed by the House earlier this month. It was adopted days after his remarks. separate mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., left 10 people dead. A gunman opened fire on shoppers in a neighborhood dominated by Blacks at a grocery shop.
Schumer called on Sen. Mitch McConnellTo join Democrats, and to allow for discussion on the legislation and amends.
Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act (or the bill) would establish three new offices at the F.B.I and Justice Department to investigate and monitor domestic terrorist activity. It will require biannual assessments on the threats posed by white supremacists in the U.S. and neo Nazi ideologies in the U.S. which led to the Buffalo shooting of May 14.
McConnell, who is the minor leader of the party, has not yet indicated whether he will accept Schumer’s appeals. He spoke out Wednesday about the “sickening” killings at Uvalde in Texas.
McConnell declared that the nation was grieving for victims and their families. “Words fail simply.”
McConnell’s remarks did not include any policy references.
McConnell may allow the discussion about domestic terrorist legislation, but Senate Republicans are likely to block it. Schumer admitted that Republicans would block several other bills that Democrats support to lower gun violence.
For years, the GOP has argued that greater access to mental healthcare services is key to ending gun violence. The GOP claims that tougher gun regulations will infringe on private citizens’ rights to keep and bear arms.
Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, stated Tuesday that editing gun laws won’t stop “another evil act and mass murder.” He pointed to the Second Amendment.
Cruz explained that “inevitably whenever there’s an act of murder of such kind, politicians attempt to politicize it.” You see Democrats, and many people in the media who think that restricting the constitutional rights for law-abiding citizens is the best solution. This doesn’t work. It isn’t effective.
Many people gather at Robb Elementary school, which was the site of a mass shooting that took place in Uvalde (Texas), May 25, 2022.
Nuri Vallbona | Reuters
Congress may also consider adopting bipartisan legislation written by Democratic Senator Joe Manchin (West Virginia) and GOP Sen. Pat Toomey (Pennsylvania) in the wake of Sandy Hook Elementary’s 2012 massacre.
Numerous Democratic senators and at least one Republican signaled an increased interest in new gun regulations discussions on Wednesday.
Arizona Democrat Senator Mark Kelly said on Twitter, “There are commonsense measures we can adopt to reduce gun violence, which align with our right and are supported by all levels of the political spectrum.”
Senator Susan Collins (Republican from Maine) said she had spoken to Murphy and is open to talking about a red flag law. These laws permit police and family members to ask a court for the removal of guns temporarily from someone they suspect is posing danger to the public or themselves.
The Senate has remained silent on the bipartisan Machin–Toomey bill for the last ten years. It would have introduced universal background checks for gun buyers and closed loopholes to allow firearms bought at gun shows or over the Internet.
It Senate voted 54-46 in favor of the Manchin-Toomey billIt hasn’t yet been able to meet the 60 votes required to remove the chamber from its filibuster rule in 2013.
Schumer spoke out Wednesday morning to acknowledge that fact and suggested that he wouldn’t vote on any bill lacking enough support for the Senate.
He said, “This isn’t about the American people not understanding where their senators stand.” “They know.”
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