By Kaitlan Collins (Brooke Lynch)
Senator Hawley shockingly submitted a bill to the President Pro Tem’s office last week which completely flipped his position on gun legislation.
The bill titled the “Gun Safety and Background Checks Act” was submitted by Hawley on October 18, 2022. The bill would reinforce and extend background checks for purchasing firearms.
In the past, Senator Hawley has been an avid opponent of stricter gun control, which is why this recent bill comes as a surprise to many. In June of this year, Senator Hawley released a statement regarding the stricter gun legislation being heard in the Senate. Hawley stated via Twitter that enforcing stricter gun laws “ignores the national crime wave & chips away instead at the fundamental rights of law-abiding citizens.” Senator Hawley declined to comment on his decision to change his position.
Senator Hawley has reportedly received over $1.3 million in funding from the National Rifle Association (NRA). Hawley will undoubtedly be hearing from the NRA and potentially losing funding if he keeps this new position on gun legislation.
Hawley’s bill submission comes at a time of national crisis for America in regard to gun control.
Following the Uvalde school shooting that occurred this spring, killing 19 children and 2 adults, the American public has been calling for stricter gun control. As more and more mass shootings continue to plague America, senators are being pushed to pass stricter gun legislation.
Other Republican senators are not joining Hawley in his new position. Senator Sasse submitted the “National Open Carry Act” on October 11 which would require the “open carry of firearms nationwide.” The bill was cosponsored by Senators Cornyn, Cruz, Blackburn, Rubio, and Cotton.
Democrat senators, on the other hand, have submitted legislation in line with Hawley’s bill. Senator Klobuchar submitted the “Safer America Act” with cosponsor Senator Feinstein that would raise the minimum age requirement for ownership of semi-automatic assault weapons to 21 years of age. Senator Schumer introduced the “Licensed Operators Only Permitted Act” which would prohibit unlicensed sellers from selling firearms without first conducting a background check. The LOOP Act was cosponsored by Senators Gillibrand, Hirono, Cardin, Baldwin, King, Manchin, Ossoff, Peters, Markey, Menendez, Masto, Sanders, and Padilla.
Whether for or against, gun legislation will soon be addressed in the Senate as the American public continues to protest the daily mass shootings the country is experiencing. It will be interesting to see if Hawley keeps his new position on gun legislation as his “Gun Safety and Background Checks Act” was assigned to the Judiciary Committee and will hopefully be heard in committee in the coming weeks.
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