Following the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School in Texas, the White House has demanded congressional action and has attacked a Republican campaign for more weapons in schools.
‘If more firearms were the answer, we’d be the safest country on the planet.’ On Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre remarked, “But we are not.”
She frequently stated that President Joe Biden has done everything he can through executive action and that Congress should adopt tighter gun regulations.
‘These were elementary school kids. They should be losing their first teeth, not losing their lives,’ Jean-Pierre said in an emotional press briefing that was dominated with questions about the Texas shooting that resulted in 21 deaths.
‘School should be sanctuaries of learning, not battlefields. And teachers should be there to teach, nurture, prepare and prepare our children for the future. Not to be gunned down or asked to sacrifice their own lives for the kids they love,’ she said.
Despite the White House push for congressional action, the Senate appears to be stuck on moving legislation forward.
More Republican senators say they are open to red flag laws on guns, which would allow authorities to temporarily take guns away from people considered to be a threat to themselves or others. Several states have similar laws on the books.
Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, whose state has a red flag law, said it’s a good bipartisan path forward.
‘I believe that we should look at enacting a red flag law based on the one we have in Maine, which has due process rights and involves a medical professional in the decision,’ she said Tuesday. ‘I don’t know the details of the shooter, but it’s hard to believe he wasn’t mentally ill.’
Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas also signaled an openess on the matter.
‘There’s a whole list of things that we can consider but, I think, particularly, mental health, access to mental health treatment, is high on that list,’ he said.
He said he will speak to Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut on red flag laws. Murphy has taken the lead on negotiations for Democrats.
‘I’m hopeful there is there’s growing momentum. But I have had failed plenty of times before,’ Murphy said on Thursday.
But it’s unclear if there are the necessary 10 Republican votes to move any legislation forward.
Many lawmakers think a red flag law has a better chance of becoming law than expanded background checks or address loopholes on waiting periods. Bills on those matters is being discussed but appears less likely to garner the 10 Republicans votes that Democrats need to move legislation forward in the Senate.
Nineteen states currently have red flag laws, including in GOP-controlled states such as Florida and Indiana.
President Biden has supported even stronger measures, including the return of the assault weapons ban.
And Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday blocked a school safety bill that GOP senators were pushing.
Schumer claimed that the bill ‘could see more guns in schools.’
Republicans say the bill would require the Department of Homeland Security to establish a ‘Federal Clearinghouse on School Safety Best Practices’ that authorities could use for information.
Americans, meanwhile, have little hope in Congress’ ability to solve the problem, with a Reuters/Ipsos poll on Tuesday showing that just 35% believe lawmakers will act.
Discussions took place throughout the Capitol on Thursday – the last day senators were in town ahead of their two-week Memorial Day recess.
The White House also announced President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Uvalde, Texas , on Sunday – nine days after they went to Buffalo, New York, after a mass shooting there.
Tuesday’s shooting in Texas saw gunman Salvador Ramos kill 19 children, and two adults, including special ed teacher Eva Mirales, before he was shot dead by a cop.
Each of the victims – all aged under 11 – were killed inside a single classroom, the Texas Department of Public Safety revealed Wednesday, as authorities continue to assess the situation and identify all the victims.
Ramos, who just days before the attack and shortly after his 18th birthday, bought two AR-style rifles and paraded them on social media. He indiscriminately rained bullets on the room, before being fatally shot himself by police.
It is the deadliest elementary school shooting since the 2012 Sandy Hook killing.