WASHINGTON, DC – According to reports [1], the Senate voted on June 21st to advance new gun control legislation in what Fox News described as a “procedural move” that was made possible via the support of 14 Republicans.
Earlier in June, we at Red Voice Media [2] reported on the growing number of Republicans who’ve agreed to work with Democrats on crafting new restrictions on firearms.
Even House Republicans [3] had in part advanced a bill dubbed the “Protecting Our Kids Act” on June 8th, with five Republicans defying the party and voting in favor of the bill that seeks to restrict “large-capacity” magazines and impose serializing of “ghost guns.”
Thus, the news of 14 Republicans in the Senate recently working to advance gun control legislation hardly comes as a shock.
Per Fox News’ description of the 80-page bill that was released on June 21st, the legislation would include “expanded background checks for gun buyers under 21, provides grants for states that implement their own red flag laws and offers additional funding for both school safety measures and mental health services.”
Additionally, the bill would impose new penalties for those who engage in “straw purchases” of firearms, compel more individuals engaged in firearm sales to register as a Federally Licensed Firearm Dealer, and close up the gap known as the “boyfriend loophole [4]” so that individuals convicted of domestic abuse against an intimate partner can no longer purchase a firearm.
The procedural formality of advancing the bill, which garnered a 64-34 vote in favor to advance, signals that these measures could be able to make their way past the 60-vote threshold of the filibuster. In the event the Senate breaks the filibuster, this bill could be put up for a final passage vote – and relatively quickly, at that.
Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer remarked on the Senate floor that they’d “move to final passage as soon as possible,” adding that said effort could come to fruition within a week’s time.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell championed Republican Sen. John Cornyn for collaborating with the Democrats on the bill, stating, “I support the bill text that Sen. Cornyn and our colleagues have produced.”
Outside of Republican Senators McConnell and Cornyn, the remaining 12 Republicans who voted to advance the legislation are as follows:
- Shelley Moore Capito
- Joni Ernst
- Lisa Murkowski
- Todd Young
- Thom Tillis
- Richard Burr
- Susan Collins
- Mitt Romney
- Bill Cassidy
- Rob Portman
- Rob Portman
- Roy Blunt
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has also issued a statement on the Senate making traction on the gun control front, stating, “After the Senate passes this bill, the House will swiftly bring it to the Floor so that we can send it to President Biden’s desk.”
Obviously, if any gun control-related legislation reaches Biden’s desk, then it can essentially be considered good as signed – meaning that some of the most sweeping gun restrictions can become a reality as early as sometime in July.
This piece was written by Gregory Hoyt on June 22, 2022. It originally appeared in RedVoiceMedia.com [5] and is used by permission.