Calls for gun reform legislation in Washington, D.C. are picking up steam in the wake of mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, N.Y., but Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says it is not clear what proposals, if any, will make it into law. The U.S. Senate was not in session last week as legislators completed work within their home states, so there has been little formal discussion on gun control. However, Grassley says two of his colleagues, John Cornyn (R-TX) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), are leading those initial talks. Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio
The changes most likely to make it to the Senate floor for discussion include expanded background checks, particularly for rifle buyers under 21 years of age, increased school safety funding, and broadening red flag laws, but it is not clear which aspects may appear in the proposed legislation. Grassley, who has defended Second Amendment rights in the past, including a no vote for the 1994 assault weapons ban, says violence cannot become the norm in society.
Grassley is hopeful any proposed legislation will include aspects of the EAGLES Act, which was first introduced by a bipartisan group of senators in 2018 following the Parkland school shooting and has been reintroduced several times since.
Regardless of the bill’s language, at least 10 Republican Senators will need to vote with Democrats for the legislation to pass, which may prove difficult as the nation prepares for the 2022 midterm elections five months from now. Grassley made his comments Monday during his weekly Capitol Hill Report.