(Mark Pellin, Headline USA) An audacious, so-called bipartisan assault on the 2nd Amendment cleared a key Senate hurdle Tuesday, with more than a dozen alleged Republicans voting to dismantle gun rights for thousands of law-abiding citizens.
Senate negotiators hammered out language Tuesday for the expansive 80-page gun control bill that expands background checks for gun buyers ages 18-20, requires more gun sellers to register as Federally Licensed Firearm Dealers and provides copious grants for states that implement their own dubious red flag laws, reported Fox News.
The bill’s finalized language, crafted by 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans, was then warp-speed rushed to a Senate procedural vote, which passed 64 to 34 with the support of 14 Republicans.
14 Republicans voted ‘YES’ tonight:
Roy Blunt
Richard Burr
Shelly Moore-Capito
Bill Cassidy
Susan Collins
John Cornyn
Joni Ernst
Lindsey Graham
Mitch McConnell
Lisa Murkowski
Rob Portman
Mitt Romney
Thom Tillis
Todd Young— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) June 22, 2022
The bill is now cleared to move toward a full Senate vote, which would likely take place this week and would require the support of at least 10 Republicans to avoid a filibuster.
The approved language also creates penalties for straw purchases of firearms, calls for additional funding for largely-woke school safety measures and mental health services and closes the so-called “boyfriend loophole” by prohibiting gun access for people convicted of domestic abuse.
The National Rifle Association issued a statement opposing the legislation, which it said “falls short at every level.”
“It does little to truly address violent crime while opening the door to unnecessary burdens on the exercise of Second Amendment freedom by law-abiding gun owners,” the group said.
“This legislation can be abused to restrict lawful gun purchases, infringe upon the rights of law-abiding Americans, and use federal dollars to fund gun control measures being adopted by state and local politicians.”
The speed that the bill’s language received Tuesday for approval came under fire from several Republicans who voted against the measure.
“We are being asked to vote tonight to begin debate on a gun proposal whose legislative text was only made available less than an hour ago,” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said.
Here we are voting to move on a bill negotiated entirely behind closed doors, released only an hour ago, that no one has had time to fully read, that ignores the national crime wave & chips away instead at the fundamental rights of law abiding citizens. NO
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) June 22, 2022
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) June 22, 2022
The rushed process didn’t seem to bother one of the bill’s architects, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.
Cornyn overhead on Senate floor: “It’s only 80 pages long, how long do you need to read it”
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) June 21, 2022
