Following what was the second deadliest shooting at a school in American history, liberals did what they always do: blame it on the guns. Little kids were involved, however, so some Republicans, like Mitch McConnell and others, are stirred up as well and may be willing to act against firearms.
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he is “comfortable” with what some Republicans and Democrats have come up with regarding gun control measures. He is willing to sign onto it when it comes to a vote in the Senate.
“For myself, I’m comfortable with the framework,” McConnell said during a press conference. “And if the legislation ends up reflecting what the framework indicates, I’ll be supportive,” reports The Hill.
The group Gun Owners of America tweeted this in response to McConnell’s statement: “The Republican Leader of the U.S. Senate will likely support the unconstitutional gun-grabbing package recently agreed to, compromising on your fundamental rights. Call his office at 202-224-2541 and tell him to OPPOSE all gun control.”
Lou Dobbs had this to say: “RINO GOP leaders are stupid enough to push gun control legislation that will infuriate Americans and may keep millions from the polls: McConnell says he will likely vote for gun safety bill – working for the CCP? #TheGreatAmericaShow“
A group of 20 Senators, half of whom are Republicans, have been working on the gun control bill and announced the framework McConnell was referring to on Sunday. Ten is the number of Republicans the Democrats need to get past a filibuster attempt. McConnell would be the eleventh Republican Senator who has signaled support for the framework so far.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas is the lead Republican negotiator on the bill. He has said that the NRA “has pledged to stay neutral until the legislative text of the bill is unveiled,” The Hill reports. The gun rights group has not taken a position on what’s in the framework.
A component of the bill would be for mental health treatment, and could be in the billions of dollars, said Senator Chris Murphy who is the lead Democrat on the bill. “Given the opportunity to spend billions of dollars fixing our mental health system, we would be foolish not to take up that opportunity. We certainly haven’t announced any numbers — we’re still working on that.”
Republican Representative Tony Gonzalez of Texas spoke with Guy Benson recently, and said the measure is really a mental health measure, not a gun control measure. His district includes the city of Uvalde. Gonzalez said, “[y]eah, first off, it’s not a gun control package. It is a mental health package. You’re going to see that this this (sic) bill is going to have is going to invest more in mental health than at any other point in our nation’s history.” He also said, “t]here are no hardware bands. That’s key. There’s no age restriction. That’s key. There’s no universal background checks. That’s key. I mean, they really there’s no magazine bans. I mean, this isn’t a gun bill.”
This will be a highly contested bill. Pure Second Amendment supporters will oppose anything at all that restricts guns in any way. But most people understand that there is an urgent need for more access to mental health treatment in this country. What do you think? Is Mitch McConnell a sellout?
