The 10 Republicans who signed onto a bipartisan gun control proposal released Sunday are either not up for reelection this midterm cycle or are retiring.
A group of 20 bipartisan senators announced framework for gun control legislation Sunday that includes stronger background checks for those under the age of 21, incentives for states to adopt red flag laws and mental health funding. The legislation was spearheaded by Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
Of the 10 Republicans who support the legislation, Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, and Roy Blunt of Missouri are all set to retire after their terms end.
The other six Republicans who signed onto the legislation — Cornyn, Tillis and Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina — are not up for reelection this cycle.
“The tragedies in Uvalde and elsewhere cried out for action,” Cornyn tweeted Sunday. “I worked closely with my colleagues to find an agreement to protect our communities from violence while also protecting law-abiding Texans’ right to bear arms.”
The tragedies in Uvalde and elsewhere cried out for action.
I worked closely with my colleagues to find an agreement to protect our communities from violence while also protecting law-abiding Texans’ right to bear arms.
https://t.co/BbHGz4ydqL— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) June 12, 2022
Romney said the legislation “will save lives while also protecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans.”
“It deserves broad support,” Romney continued.
Families deserve to feel safe and secure in their communities. Proud to join my colleagues on this commonsense, bipartisan proposal that will save lives while also protecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans. It deserves broad support. https://t.co/mGUowH8BQC
— Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) June 12, 2022
President Joe Biden signaled support for the proposal, saying while it falls short of some of his desires, it’s a good start.
“Obviously, [the proposal] does not do everything that I think is needed, but it reflects important steps in the right direction,” Biden said. “With bipartisan support, there are no excuses for delay, and no reason why it should not quickly move through the Senate and the House.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he hopes the legislation will respect the Second Amendment. (RELATED: ‘Don’t Need The Government To Save Me’: Gun Rights Activist Shoots Down Gun Control Laws In Fiery Testimony)
“I continue to hope their discussions yield a bipartisan product that makes significant headway on key issues like mental health and school safety, respects the Second Amendment, earns the broad support in the Senate and makes a difference for our country,” McConnell said, according to Axios.
Five House Republicans voted with Democrats to pass a gun control package Wednesday. A majority of House Republicans voted against the Protecting Our Kids Act, which sought to raise the age to buy a rifle, mandate storage requirements for gun owners and increase bump stock regulations. Republican Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, Chris Jacobs of New York, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Fred Upton of Michigan voted alongside Democrats in support of the legislation.