From USnews.com…
House Democrats are seeking to pass a wide-ranging slate of gun reforms this week as a swift response to the growing number of mass shootings since the ones in Texas and New York. But a vast majority of those proposals to curb gun violence aren’t on the table in bipartisan Senate talks with Republican negotiators saying any potential deal will need to be narrower.
The “Protecting Our Kids Act,” a major package of proposals, is expected to clear the House on Wednesday without much – or any – support from Republicans. Democrats’ bill includes banning high-capacity magazines, raising the age limit from 18 to 21 for certain semi-automatic firearms and codifying executive orders that restrict bump stocks devices that allow semi-automatic rifles to fire more rounds of ammunition faster and “ghost guns” that don’t have unique serial numbers.
The other piece of legislation also made it through a procedural step and could receive a final vote as early as Thursday. The bill seeks to institute a “red flag” law that would allow federal courts to temporarily block people from buying a gun if they’re a threat to themselves or others.
But Senate Republicans won’t support bans or heavy limitations on purchases of firearms and they’re unlikely to support a federal red flag law. The most dramatic reform – raising the age on certain gun purchases or enhanced background checks for those under 21 – is reportedly part of Senate negotiations, and even Republicans in leadership are signaling possible support. The shooting suspects at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, and at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, both purchased AR-style rifles at age 18.
That measure, however, still remains a longshot compared to others that are part of the conversation. Any potential agreement will be much more modest than House-passed proposals. Such reforms under consideration among the bipartisan Senate group include some expanded background checks, increased funding for school security, mental health services, safe storage of firearms and incentives for more states to enact red flag laws.
Since Republicans typically focus on mental health reform after deadly shootings, their willingness to consider measures directly related to guns is a major step forward since the last time the Senate considered a bipartisan background checks bill in 2013 after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
The continued onslaught of gun violence rippling throughout communities has elevated the issue. Wednesday’s votes come just several hours after victims and families affected by the mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde gave emotional testimony at a hearing before the Oversight and Reform Committee. One account came from 11-year-old Miah Cerrillo, who gave taped remarks about the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde.
Still, members in both parties are realistic about the prospects of agreement since efforts like this have fallen apart before.
