Despite horrors, Mitch in no rush for new laws
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell bucked Democratic demands Thursday and threw cold water on demands he cut the upper chamber’s summer recess short in order to pass gun control legislation in the wake of mass shootings in Texas and Ohio.
McConnell, who alone has the authority to decide what comes to a vote in the Senate, claimed bringing lawmakers back early wouldn’t solve anything.
“We’d just have people scoring political points and nothing would happen,” the powerful Kentucky Republican said during a call-in interview to his hometown radio station, Louisville’s WHAS. “There has to be a bipartisan discussion here of what we can agree on.”
But Democrats counter that a bipartisan gun control bill — approved by the House in February — could be put on the Senate floor immediately and likely pass.
The bill would implement mandatory background checks on all gun purchases — a step in the right direction, according to gun control advocates.
But McConnell remained defiant.
“We’re going to begin these discussions over the August break and when we get back hopefully we’ll be in a position to agree on things on a bipartisan basis and go forward and make a law,” McConnell said.
Congress is set to return in September.
The majority leader, who’s a huge benefactor of political donations from the vehemently anti-gun control National Rifle Association, was non-committal on which type of legislation he would bring forward, but said background check and “red flag” bills will be discussed.
“Those are two items that for sure will be front and center, as we see what we can come together on and pass,” he said.
“Red flag” laws are meant to make it easier for law enforcement to take weapons away from individuals who are deemed to be a danger to themselves or others.
McConnell said he had spoken to President Trump earlier in the day.
“He’s anxious to get an outcome and so am I,” he said.
McConnell’s reluctance to do anything immediately comes less than a week after gunmen in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio shot and killed more than 30 people and wounded dozens more.
Both men used militarystyle weapons that Democrats have long argued should be banned.
Authorities believe the El Paso shooter had a racist motive, posting a rambling screed online decrying a “Hispanic invasion of Texas” before killing 22 people of mostly Hispanic descent at a Walmart. The manifesto directly echoed some of Trump’s immigrant-bashing rhetoric.
In the wake of the horrific shootings, Trump has floated the possibility of passing beefed up background check legislation, telling reporters Wednesday that there’s a “great appetite” for it.
But the NRA — which has given more than $1 million to McConnell and dished out $30 million on efforts to get Trump elected in 2016 — is putting its heavy foot down.
The influential gun lobby’s chief executive officer, Wayne LaPierre, confirmed he also spoke to Trump on Thursday.
“I’m not inclined to discuss private conversations with President Trump,” LaPierre said in a statement. “But I can confirm that the NRA opposes any legislation that unfairly infringes upon the rights of law-abiding citizens. The inconvenient truth is this: the proposals being discussed by many would not have prevented the horrific tragedies in El Paso and Dayton.”
Before McConnell’s dithering radio comments, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a letter to Trump urging him to ignore the NRA and put pressure on the majority leader to bring back Congress early.
“This extraordinary moment in our history requires all of us to take extraordinary action to save lives,” the speaker wrote. GUN VOTE? NAH