Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, told CNN Thursday. “I’ve been here enough time to find out that this is probably the most politically complex and emotional piece of work that Congress is dealing with.”
Murphy, who is part of a group of bipartisan senators working behind the scenes to respond to deadly gun-related attacks across the country, said in an interview how to break at least 10 Republican votes. He acknowledged that the agreement must also be “progressive.” Despite optimistic views that an agreement could be reached by next week, he filibusted the 50-50 Senate.
“I’ve heard that Republicans have stated that they are open as long as we’re talking about more gradual but significant changes, rather than talking about doing everything at once.” Said Murphy. Explained the status of the meeting to President Joe Biden.
Indeed, Senate Democrats are using the AR-15, a powerful rifle used in the Texas Elementary School slaughter, and a series of firearms, as House Democrats are planning to push forward with a bill banning so-called assault weapons. Not even discussing the ban on mass shootings. They also need to narrow bipartisan proposals to expand the background of commercial firearm sales, even if House passed a bill last year that required universal background checks for all commercial sales and private transfers. I admit that.
Sources from both parties also told CNN that the move to raise the age to 21 to buy semi-automatic rifles has not yet gained significant traction at Senate talks. 60 votes required to break the filibuster.
One GOP source said federal law would ban the purchase of pistols between the ages of 18 and 20 but would raise their age to 21 to buy weapons.
Republican chief negotiator John Cornyn tweeted about imposing new restrictions on guns, but his office didn’t specify what he meant.
North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican who was involved in bipartisan talks, was skeptical last week when asked about raising his age to 21 to buy a powerful gun.
“When you think about it, do you think we’ll look at the age at which you can join the army?” Tyris asked. “So that question has a lot of complexity.”
Indeed, even after democratic concessions on gun control, Senators say the outlook that bipartisan talks could collapse in the next few days is very realistic.
“There are still important tasks to do and hurdles to overcome,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat who is deeply involved in the bipartisan talks.
Murphy and Blumental have been here for a long time since Sandy Hook Elementary School shot in their hometown of Connecticut in 2012. And even shortly after the murder of 20 toddlers and six adults there, Democrats were forced by West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin and Pennsylvania Republican Senator Pat Toomey to check the background of firearms. It was less than the required 60 votes. Sold at gun shows and on the internet.
In the wake of many mass shootings that followed, Murphy closed a loophole in the so-called firearms trade fair to revive last year’s Manchin Toomy bill, completely excluding internet sales background checks, and many other legislative measures. Efforts have also been created. However, despite Murphy’s talks with South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham last year, new pushes to narrow the Manchin Toomy bill never merged.
“It’s too wide,” Graham told CNN when asked if Manchin Toomy’s plans could be postponed in the aftermath of the massacre in Uvalde, Texas last week.
Still, Senators are re-engaged in discussions in a different way than other shootings, given the scale of the Yubaldi massacre, killing 19 children and two adults at 18-year-old Robb Elementary School. With an AR-15 style weapon. Senator says the deal must be closed by sometime next week. Otherwise, nothing can be achieved.
“I think next week is important,” Murphy said, given that Senator will be at home during this week’s vacation and will return to Washington next week. “I want to get a product that both Republicans and Democrats can see when they come back, and it gives us a sense of whether we can go through this. But I don’t think you really know until everyone returns to town. ”
How the Senate talks are shaped
The discussion, along with some other ideas, focuses on a narrower version of the Manchin-Toomey proposal. Blumenthal and Graham are working on new talks over incentives to strengthen state law that empowers authorities to limit gun access to individuals who are considered threats. This is called the red flag method. Discussions are underway to impose new rules on trafficking of guns between states, including between Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins and New Mexico Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich.
Republicans, including Cornin and Tyris, are discussing school safety regulations and how to strengthen the US mental health system. Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat in Arizona, also participates in these talks.
Still, it’s not clear how much money Senators will offer to strengthen their mental health programs. It is also uncertain whether Republicans will demand full payment for the program with reduced or unused Covid-19 bailouts. This could cause the Democratic Party to revolt.
Murphy said he still doesn’t know how the group will structure the mental health regulations and how much it will cost.
“It’s all about getting more than 60 votes in the Senate. We’re working on that, and it’s about spending and regulation,” Murphy said.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell wants a bipartisan agreement to “target” the issue of “school safety and mental illness” in his hometown of Kentucky on Thursday. It needs to be in line with the article. ” “-A different view from the view of many Democrats who consider loose gun law to be the main culprit.
But with McConnell’s support, which is important in determining whether a deal can reach 60 votes in the Senate, Murphy looked forward to Republican leaders’ comments.
“I carefully read everything that Senator McConnell said in the last 48 hours,” Murphy said. “And so far, I haven’t read anything he said to seize a deal that was very focused on keeping weapons out of the hands of potentially dangerous people.”
Yet other problems can remain on the floor of the cutting room. Discussions continue on the safe storage of firearms in homes, including between Blumental and Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. However, according to some sources, there is still philosophical disagreement as to how to mandate a particular approach when storing weapons.
Despite skepticism among Republicans, Murphy was 18 to 20 years old buying a semi-automatic rifle like the AR-15, given that it was a recurring feature of mass slaughterers, including Yuvalde. Did not rule out the ban arrangement.
However, it is highly uncertain whether the Senate will agree to the new age limit.
“We are certainly discussing the fact that mass shooters tend to have the same profile: young men and men in their late teens and early twenties,” Murphy said of the Senate talks. “I don’t know what will happen in the end, but I think you all acknowledge that many of these mass shooters tend to have the same profile.”
Any transaction that Murphy approves will be “far from perfect.” But he said at this point, GOP’s interest in finding deals hasn’t diminished.
“They are too interested in talking for the first few days, and then it’s hard for my phone to come back,” Murphy said of the Republicans. “That’s not what’s happening this time. This time there’s an enthusiastic involvement from the ever-increasing Republican cross section.”
CNN’s Ted Barrett and Morgan Rimmer contributed to this report.
Source: www.cnn.com
