Democrats press McCarthy for vote on gun reform ‘as soon as possible’

More than 100 Democrats are calling on Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to schedule votes on gun violence prevention legislation, the latest push by members of the minority party to spark action on gun reform.

In a letter to McCarthy on Thursday, the Democrats — all members of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and led by Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) — asked McCarthy to bring firearm-related measures to the floor “as soon as possible.”

The lawmakers also laid out a “new standing request” that if leadership is ever forced to change the vote schedule or cancel votes altogether — which happened last week — that they would fill the open time by considering gun violence prevention legislation instead of scraping votes altogether. The House left for recess one day early last week after GOP leadership was forced to punt a vote on an appropriations bill amid internal disagreements, canceling votes on what was supposed to be the final legislative day before August recess.

“We are disappointed that Republican leadership cancelled votes in July with so many pressing issues facing our country. Foremost amongst those is the gun violence crisis that is the leading cause of death for children in America,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter, first reported by The Hill.

“As Members of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, we call on you to schedule votes on gun violence prevention legislation as soon as possible this year,” they continued. “We also have a new standing request that should the vote schedule fall apart again, you would fill that time to vote on life-saving gun violence prevention legislation, instead of canceling votes altogether.”

The group cited statistics about deaths and injuries attributed to gun violence, writing, “Despite this preventable carnage, the House has yet to vote on even one gun violence prevention bill.”

More than 400 mass shootings have occurred this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

The push from members of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force to set a vote on legislation comes after a previous effort by Democrats to force action on firearms in the GOP-majority chamber fizzled.

Earlier this year, Democrats announced a discharge petition that was meant to bring gun violence prevention legislation to the floor for votes despite the objections of Republican leaders. They wanted to force action on three bills: an assault weapons ban, expanded background checks ahead of gun sales and creating a longer window for authorities to conduct screenings.

The effort, however, required a small handful of Republican support, which Democrats could not secure. Even Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), the sponsor of the background checks bill, would not sign on to the Democratic effort, pointing to the fact the measure would likely fail in the Senate.

Thursday’s letter took note of the current dynamics on Capitol Hill: that just some GOP support could help push gun violence prevention legislation over the finish line.

“To save the lives of our kids, we only need the opportunity to vote on gun violence prevention legislation and the support from a tiny minority of the Republican Conference,” the lawmakers wrote. “For example, if only 20 Republicans, 10 in the House and 10 in the Senate voted for the Bipartisan Background Checks bill, we would have the votes to help prevent felons, domestic abusers, terrorists and people with serious mental health conditions from accessing guns.”

The lack of action on gun violence prevention legislation in the current Congress comes after the House and Senate approved and President Biden enacted a gun safety bill last year — the first time in nearly 30 years that Congress passed major legislation to counter gun violence. The bipartisan legislation enhanced background checks for gun purchasers ages 18-21, created a federal offense for individuals who obtain firearms through straw purchases or trafficking and clarified the definition of a federally licensed firearm dealer.

The House also passed an assault weapons ban and a more expansive gun safety bill last year, but neither of those measures moved in the 50-50 split Senate.

This year, the lower chamber approved a resolution that would have blocked the Biden administration’s rule that would reclassify pistols with stabilizing braces as short-barreled rifles. The rule would have also required that individuals who have pistols with stabilizing braces register them with the government by May 31.

The measure, however, was rejected in the Senate.

Polls have shown that Americans are supportive of stricter gun control regulations. A CNN survey conducted in May found that 64 percent of adults favor stricter gun control laws, with 36 percent opposed.

“The American people strongly support action on the gun violence crisis and the gun violence prevention laws that will keep their kids alive,” the Democrats wrote.

Emily Brooks contributed.