Topline
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters Tuesday he supports the gun control deal struck by members of both parties last weekend, a key endorsement as senators race to turn the agreement—which emerged after weeks of negotiations spurred by a spate of deadly shootings—into concrete legislation.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks to reporters after a closed-door lunch meeting with … [+]
Key Facts
McConnell said he’s “comfortable” with the framework released by Democratic and Republican negotiators Sunday, which would expand background checks, encourage states to pass red flag laws and boost mental health and school safety funding.
If the legislation that’s ultimately drafted by Senate negotiators reflects the deal’s current framework, the majority leader said he expects to be “supportive” of the bill.
McConnell wasn’t one of the 10 Republicans who endorsed the deal Sunday, but backing from the Senate’s top Republican could give the agreement an additional boost.
Any gun control legislation will probably need support from at least 10 Republicans plus all 50 Democrats to overcome the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster rule.
Key Background
Efforts to tighten the nation’s gun laws have repeatedly stalled in recent years amid hefty Republican opposition, but negotiations were reinvigorated last month, after 19 children and two teachers were killed in a shooting at a Texas elementary school. The framework that 20 senators agreed to Sunday would allow the federal firearm background check system to scan juvenile records for prospective gun-buyers under the age of 21, and would block gun sales to a broader swath of people with domestic violence convictions or restraining orders. It also invests in school security measures and offers funding for states with red flag laws, which allow judges to temporarily take away guns from people deemed a risk to themselves or to others. The deal stops short of many Democratic lawmakers’ ambitions: It doesn’t ban AR-15-style assault rifles or high-capacity magazines, make background checks mandatory for private gun sales or raise the age limit for buying a semiautomatic rifle from 18 to 21. Still, President Joe Biden said Sunday the deal “reflects important steps in the right direction,” and indicated he will sign the agreement into law if the House and Senate pass it.
What To Watch For
The deal still faces several hurdles before it can reach Biden’s desk. Senate negotiators are reportedly aiming to draft and pass a bill before the body heads to a recess in less than two weeks, but disagreements could emerge as staffers turn a broad-strokes deal into formal legislative text. The bill will also need to clear the Democrat-controlled House, which passed a far broader set of gun control measures last week. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) indicated support for the deal Sunday, pledging to bring the deal to the House floor “as soon as possible” after senators finish writing it into legislation.
Further Reading
Senators Unveil Bipartisan Gun Deal—Here’s What’s In It (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2022/06/14/mcconnell-supports-bipartisan-gun-control-deal/