Following an announced bipartisan agreement on gun control in the Senate, the National Rifle Association (NRA) issued a statement Sunday in which the organization said it is “committed to real solutions” to gun violence, but made clear it will, as it always has, oppose “any effort” to “deprive law-abiding citizens” of their Second Amendment right to defend themselves.
“The NRA is committed to real solutions to help stop violence in our communities,” the NRA stated in a three-part Twitter thread. “We encourage our elected officials to provide more resources to secure our schools, fix to our severely broken mental health system and support law enforcement.”
The organization declined to comment directly on the substance of the proposed legislation until it can review the entire bill.
“As is our policy, the NRA does not take positions on ‘frameworks,'” the advocacy group stated. “We will make our position known when the full text of the bill is available for review.”
(2/3) As is our policy, the NRA does not take positions on "frameworks". We will make our position known when the full text of the bill is available for review.
— NRA (@NRA) June 12, 2022
But make no mistake, the NRA will not be endorsing infringements on the Second Amendment, no matter who proposes them.
“NRA will continue to oppose any effort to insert gun control policies, initiatives that override constitutional due protections & efforts to deprive law-abiding citizens of their fundamental right to protect themselves/loved ones into this or any other legislation,” the organization vowed.
(3/3) NRA will continue to oppose any effort to insert gun control policies, initiatives that override constitutional due process protections & efforts to deprive law-abiding citizens of their fundamental right to protect themselves/loved ones into this or any other legislation.
— NRA (@NRA) June 12, 2022
As BizPac Review reported, 10 Republican senators joined with 10 Democrats in the Senate to come up with restrictive gun control measures on which both parties in D.C. can agree.
Early on Sunday morning, the senators announced they’d had a “breakthrough.”
In a lengthy Twitter thread, coalition head Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) explained the bill will, among other things, provide “major funding” to states so they can pass so-called “Red Flag” laws; allocate “billions” for mental health and school safety; require an “enhanced” background check and “a short pause” for gun buyers under the age of 21; and close the “boyfriend loophole,” preventing those convicted of domestic abuse from purchasing a weapon.
https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1536013602846560256?s=20&t=Wd0j7zOr7FF3a0_u3lg0Vw
Additionally, the new legislation would enact the “first ever federal law against gun trafficking and straw purchasing,” referring to the practice of buying a gun for anyone who would otherwise not be allowed to purchase one themselves.
“Will this bill do everything we need to end our nation’s gun violence epidemic?” Murphy asked. “No. But it’s real, meaningful progress.”
8/ Will this bill do everything we need to end our nation’s gun violence epidemic? No. But it’s real, meaningful progress. And it breaks a 30 year log jam, demonstrating that Democrats and Republicans can work together in a way that truly saves lives.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 12, 2022
Following the announcement, President Joe Biden stated in a tweet that, while the bill “does not do everything that I think is needed,” it “reflects important steps in the right direction, and would be the most significant gun safety legislation to pass Congress in decades.”
I want to thank Senator Chris Murphy and the bipartisan group for their gun safety proposal. It does not do everything that I think is needed, but it reflects important steps in the right direction.
With bipartisan support, there are no excuses for delay. Let’s get this done.
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 12, 2022
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Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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