Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle face enormous pressure to take action following the horrific shooting, but members of both sides acknowledge the tough battle to find common ground given the highly polarized political climate around arms legislation and the GOP’s widespread opposition to stricter opposition. weapons control.
It is significant, however, that McConnell has decided to intervene and give the green light to a bipartisan effort on a possible legislative response to the shooting. But it remains to be seen what, if any, the talks will be about as the countless mass shootings in recent years have failed to break the partisan stalemate on the issue of arms policy in Congress.
McConnell would not specifically say what the outlines of this legislation should be, but would indicate that he wants Cornyn to be the one to negotiate.
“I met with Senator Cornyn this morning. As you know, he went home yesterday to see family members and begin the search for the facts of this horrific massacre, and I encouraged him to speak with Senator Murphy and “I hope that we can find a bipartisan solution,” McConnell told CNN.
Legislation to respond to mass shootings and against armed violence has long been one of the most divisive and insoluble political problems facing lawmakers.
Cornyn said Thursday that she will meet today with Murphy, one of the most prominent Democrats on the subject of gun policy, to see what work can be done. He and Murphy have been meeting for the past year on this topic and will try to resume some of their conversations.
He said he did not know if they could get there with background checks or other bills, but said that “this is expected to provide a new sense of urgency.”
Cornyn has also said he does not want to see the shooting used as a way to infringe on gun rights.
“There’s a whole list of things we can keep in mind, but I think especially mental health, access to mental health treatment is one of the top places on this list,” he said, adding, “I think We should say that this is not an excuse to violate the rights of the Second Amendment of law-abiding citizens who do nothing to fix tragedies like this. “.
Conversations just started
Later Thursday, Cornyn said he had “touched his gloves” with Murphy and that his conversations “have just begun.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has indicated that Democrats are willing to give time and space to efforts to reach some sort of bipartisan compromise on gun legislation, though he noted that the odds are long. He also made it clear that these efforts will not have unlimited time to play.
“We have to try everything. We don’t have to leave a stone unturned,” Schumer said Thursday before.
He added, however, “this is not an invitation to negotiate indefinitely. Make no mistake, if these negotiations do not bear fruit in a short period of time, the Senate will vote on arms security legislation.”
Senate Democrats took steps Tuesday night to put two background check bills passed by the House on the legislative calendar so they can be voted on. It is unclear, however, when the Senate could vote on the measures and not expect them to overcome a GOP obstruction.
Murphy described the effort he is committed to, saying, “We will have a series of meetings today to prepare the table for next week and then work very hard to try to find a bipartisan product.”
However, a similar precautionary note sounded similar to Schumer’s, adding: “I will not negotiate forever.”
“I’ve been through this before,” he said. “I know Republicans are sometimes more interested in talking than doing, so if we can’t make any progress by the end of next week, I’ll tell Senator Schumer it’s time to vote. And Senator Schumer is committed. that we will have votes one way or another in the Senate chamber on issues such as background checks. “
Some Democrats are optimistic about the outlook, despite the extremely long odds of any agreement.
Sen. Joe Manchin, a moderate Democrat from West Virginia, called the bipartisan meeting on gun reform “very encouraging.”
He said members involved were looking at “a little bit of everything”, such as expanding background checks and red-flag laws, to see what bipartisan support could get.
When asked if he believed Democrats could get 10 Republicans on board, he said he “always” believes they will. “Stop thinking about politics and you can be elected with those votes. It’s basically about protecting children. If they can’t get to that, they should dig deep and find out why the hell we’re here.”
Most legislation requires at least 10 Republican votes to overcome an obstruction in the Senate given the current partisan 50-50 division.
Democrat Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who has been involved in gun reform talks for years with colleagues on both sides of the aisle, said Thursday when asked about red flag laws and other measures. related to weapons that “for the first time,” he said. and Cornyn and other Republican colleagues are “seriously talking” after the Texas shooting.
“That’s an important motivator for me,” he said. “I hope we can now reach this critical mass that will bring us to 60 votes. I am hopeful for the first time in a long time.”