U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is doubling down on his support for “compromise” gun control legislation he helped move through the Senate.
In 2022, Cornyn joined with Democrats to help pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The law was criticized for incentivizing states to impose “red flag” laws. The purpose of such laws is to deny otherwise law-abiding citizens their right to purchase firearms by circumventing the Constitution’s due process protections.
Cornyn was condemned by the Republican Party of Texas during their convention which took place right as the gun control proposal was being moved through the Senate. Cornyn was loudly booed during his speech to delegates, while a resolution denounced red flag laws as “a pre-crime punishment of people not adjudicated guilty.”
A poll of Republican delegates found that 67 percent disapproved of the senior senator.
Now Cornyn is calling the legislation “a good start.”
The comment came during a meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee on the “public health crisis” caused by guns.
During the hearing, Cornyn was praised by Democrat U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (IL).
“That took real courage, John,” Durbin said, referring to Cornyn’s teaming up with Democrats. “We may disagree on a lot of issues, but at a time when we needed to act you did your best, and I thank you for that.”
Cornyn was quickly criticized by gun rights activists for his comments.
“Cornyn’s gun control compromise is referred to as ‘the most significant gun control to pass in 30 years’ by the Biden White House,” Chris McNutt, the president of Texas Gun Rights, told Texas Scorecard. “It incentivizes states to pass red flag gun confiscation laws without due process, amongst other things. This law has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with eroding the Second Amendment. It must be repealed.”
Cornyn was re-elected to the Senate in 2020 and will be up for re-election in 2026.
