NRA Announces It’s Opposition To Senate Bipartisan Bill
By Nikki Slusher
Staying as predictable and true to form as it can, the National Rifle Association came out on Tuesday saying it opposes the new bipartisan Senate legislative text on gun safety.
“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 NRA said in their statement, as reported by Axios. The NRA also claimed that the new bill’s text “does little to truly address violent crime” and “leaves too much discretion in the hands of government officials.”
The bipartisan group of Senators released the legislative text on Tuesday, which includes background checks for those under 21. The bill also includes provisions to increase funding by over $120 million for mental health programs and school safety, including proper training for first responders on how to respond safely to incidents where individuals suffer from mental health disorders. It prohibits straw purchasing and trafficking of firearms, and increases the penalties on prohibited persons who are found in possession of firearms. The bill also provides incentives for states that implement “red flag” laws, and closes the gaps on the “boyfriend loophole” that would ban domestic abusers from having firearms whether or not they are married. Currently, the Senate is working to have the bill passed before their two-week July 4th recess.
“Today, we finalized bipartisan, commonsense legislation to protect America’s children, keep our schools safe, and reduce the threat of violence across our country,” Senators Murphy (D-CT), Cornyn (R-TX), Sinema (D-AZ) and Tillis (R-NC) said in their joint statement on Tuesday. “Our legislation will save lives and will not infringe on any law-abiding American’s Second Amendment rights.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in his statement, “I will now put this life-saving legislation on the Senate floor for a vote, with an initial procedural vote as soon as tonight and, following that, we will move to final passage as quickly as possible.”
The NRA stated that the legislation “falls short at every level.” They aren’t wrong, if you’re a Democrat then the bill is not what liberals were hoping to see passed but if it is, it would be the most transformative piece of gun safety legislation in quite some time. But the NRA’s statement is for one simple reason – it will cut into their board members and shareholders’ pocket books.
The more fun violence there is, the higher amount of sales in firearms. If we aren’t shooting each other, how else will they afford those lavish lifestyles? Here’s an idea – maybe the Senate will consider the NRA’s opposition once the NRA allows firearms at their convention and other events. The only reason I can think of them banning firearms at their events is because they don’t want to be shot, which is how most Americans feel when dropping their kids off at school, going to a nightclub or church, or buying some groceries at the supermarket.
It seems like the Senate is finally willing to listen to the voices of the people, not the gun manufacturers.
We can only hope that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell continues to ramp up support from at least 10 Republican senators and even more than that to secure passage of the bill while the country remains in fear after mourning the constant string of mass shootings we have seen in daily news headlines, like Buffalo and Uvalde.
As for the NRA and Republican senators who are considering how they’ll vote on the bill, just remember one thing — when everyone has suffered from gun violence as either survivors or victims, or knowing a loved one who has, there will be no one left to pay membership dues, buy a gun, or vote for you. So the time to act before we all end up dead due to your ignorance and greed is urgent, and it needs to happen now.