Texas Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) hit the proverbial nail on the head when he said “This bill is not going to please everyone…” shortly after the bipartisan group of Senators he led dropped the long-awaited, much-speculated full text of their “bipartisan gun safety bill” last evening. According to the Senators, the bill will “protect America’s children, keep our schools safe, and reduce the threat of violence across the country.”
In response, groups like the Firearms Policy Coalition and the National Rifle Association wasted no time in letting the Senators know they’re the opposite of happy. “You can thank the worthless GOP,” the FPC wrote, “which has basically f*cked you and your rights- but couldn’t be bothered to buy you dinner.”
Erich Pratt, Senior VP of the Gun Owners of America issued a statement saying “Once again, so-called conservative Senators are making clear they believe that the rights of American citizens can be compromised away. Let me be clear, they have NO AUTHORITY to compromise our rights, and we will not tolerate legislators who are willing to turn gun owners into second-class citizens.”
The National Rifle Association’s statement was more polite, but equally direct: “The NRA will support legislation that improves school security, promotes mental health services, and helps reduce violent crime. However, we will oppose this gun control legislation because it 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.”
Despite the vociferous opposition, the Senate says it is “confident” it will have the legislation passed before the Senate leaves for its two-week July Fourth recess.
