Flaunting his “A+” rating by the National Rifle Association, U.S. John Cornyn of Texas announced he was part of a group of Republicans joining Democrats in promoting new restrictions on gun ownership.
The Republicans’ support means the deal will most likely sail through the Senate, adding new restrictions to gun ownership. Notably, Cornyn was reportedly the lead “negotiator” in the proposal to offer federally collected tax dollars to states willing to enact more restrictive measures, known as “red flag” laws.
Red flag laws have a checkered history, most often taking the form of otherwise law-abiding citizens being denied the right to purchase a firearm without due process proceedings.
Gov. Greg Abbott publicly flirted with promoting red flag laws several years ago. In 2019, he issued a series of executive orders related to gun violence, mostly regarding reporting suspicious behavior to law enforcement.
In announcing the deal, a letter—signed by Cornyn and the other Republicans—promotes the compromise with the Democrats as a “commonsense, bipartisan proposal to protect America’s children, keep our schools safe, and reduce the threat of violence across our country.”
Shortly after, the NRA issued a statement opposing Cornyn’s gun compromise:
NRA will continue to oppose any effort to insert gun control policies, initiatives that override constitutional due process protections & efforts to deprive law-abiding citizens of their fundamental right to protect themselves into this or any legislation.
John Cornyn is slated to attend and address the Republican Party of Texas’ biennial convention later this week in Houston.
