Schumer acknowledged that Republicans will likely block new firearm regulations even after the Texas school shooting, but pledged to continue his efforts to pass stricter U.S. gun-control laws.
Schumer urged his Republican colleagues to resist the influence of the National Rifle Association and join Democrats to discuss what measures Congress could pass to reduce mass shootings.
The New York lawmaker said from the Senate floor that he wanted to put himself in the shoes of the parents.
Schumer said that if you put yourself in the shoes of these parents, you might be able to wriggle free from the grip of the NRA.
The Senate is unlikely to pass gun-safety legislation before they leave for a Memorial Day recess. Schumer said that many Democrats want him to quickly take up a House-passed background check bill, but conceded that Republicans would likely block the legislation as they have with similar measures in the past.
Democrats have long blamed the National Rifle Association for swaying Republicans against gun policy changes.
The majority leader, like Murphy, was against Republicans who argued that the best way to stop mass shootings was to focus on mental health.
Schumer said that the U.S. is not an outlier on mental illness.
We are an outlier in the number of guns available in this country.
CNBC requested comment from the NRA, but they did not respond.
Democrats are pushing for stricter gun safety rules after the Texas shooting. In an emotional speech Tuesday, President Joe Biden called on Republicans to resist the firearms industry's influence to help curb gun violence.
The White House was asked if Biden would visit Uvalde. According to CNN, the administration is in the early stages of planning a presidential visit to Texas.
Schumer said at the end of his speech that the Senate will consider a bill that the House passed earlier this month, days after a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York. The grocery store is in a predominantly Black neighborhood.
Schumer called on McConnell to allow for debate on and amendments to the legislation.
The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act would create three new offices in the F.B.I., the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security to investigate and monitor domestic terrorism. It would require biannual assessments of the threat posed by white supremacists and neo-Nazis in the U.S., which contributed to the Buffalo shooting on May 14.
McConnell, the minority leader, may or may not agree to Schumer's appeals. The killings in Uvalde, Texas, were described by the Kentucky Republican as sickening.
McConnell said that the nation's hearts were broken for the victims and their families.
McConnell didn't address policy in his speech.
Senate Republicans would likely block the domestic terrorism bill even if McConnell allowed discussion. Schumer acknowledged that the GOP would likely block a slate of bills designed to reduce gun violence that Democrats support.
The key to ending gun violence is access to mental health services according to the GOP. They say that the right to bear arms would be affected by tougher gun regulations.
Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, said on Tuesday that editing guns laws wouldn't prevent another act of evil and mass murder.
Inevitably, when there is a murder of this kind, politicians try to politicize it. That doesn't work. It isn't effective.
People gather at Robb Elementary School, the scene of a mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, May 25, 2022.In the wake of the 2012 school massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut, bipartisan legislation was penned by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and GOP Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.
Several Democrats and a Republican signaled renewed interest in discussing new gun regulations on Wednesday.
There are commonsense reforms we can pass to reduce gun violence that align with our rights and are supported across the political spectrum, wrote Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat up for reelection in November.
According to a report, Sen. Susan Collins said that she was open to discussing a red flag law. Police or family members can petition a court to remove firearms from a person if they are suspected of being a danger to themselves or the public.
The bipartisan bill to introduce universal background checks on gun buyers and eliminate loopholes for firearms purchased at gun shows and over the internet has been stuck in the Senate for the past decade.
The Senate voted 54-46 in favor of the Manchin-Toomey bill, but it has yet to overcome the 60-vote requirement to clear the chamber's filibuster rule.
Schumer acknowledged that political reality Wednesday morning when he suggested he wouldn't hold a vote on a bill that lacks enough support to clear the Senate.
He said that this isn't a case of the American people not knowing where their senators stand.
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