(Headline USA) More than 20 House Democrats blasted party leadership in a letter this week over its decision to push a radical gun control package.
In the letter, the Democrats, many of whom are up for reelection this November, ask House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to split up the proposed omnibus gun control package into several bills and allow votes on each rather than forcing members to support every single policy included in the package.
“While we wish every Member of Congress in the House and Senate would join us in supporting all these bills, we know that is not our current reality, and given the composition of the U.S. Congress, we know we must have bipartisan support for bills we want to become law,” the letter, led by Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., said.
“As Members of the majority party, we must make a good faith effort to invite our colleagues across the aisle to join us in debating the merits of each bill and in voting for each bill.”
Spanberger is one of several members facing tough reelection races. Other vulnerable Democrats who signed the letter include Reps. Katie Porter, D-Calif., Susan Wild, D-Pa., Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.
The Democrats made it clear that they support the provisions of the Protecting Our Kids Act, which would raise the age to purchase a semiautomatic rifle to 21, tighten regulations on “ghost guns,” and ban new large-capacity magazines, but accomplish little for actually protecting kids from mass shootings like what recently ripped through several towns.
“Rep. Spanberger and her colleagues who signed this letter look forward to moving all of these measures forward, and they believe that each merits its own vote,” a spokesperson for Spanberger said in a statement.
“The American people expect action, and they deserve to see which proposals can move forward, as well as which specific proposals GOP lawmakers are refusing to support.”
