On Tuesday the Senate cleared the first procedural step in passing a new gun safety bill, just hours after a bipartisan group of Democrats and Republicans released the 80-page bill text.
The bill, called the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, could become the first gun violence legislation to pass Congress in decades. It was backed in the Senate by all 48 Democrats, two allied independents and 14 Republicans, in a 64 to 34 vote.
These are the 34 Republican senators who voted against the bill:
- John Barrasso, Wyoming
- Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee
- John Boozman, Arkansas
- Mike Braun, Indiana
- Tom Cotton, Arkansas
- Mike Crapo, Idaho
- Ted Cruz, Texas
- Steve Daines, Montana
- Deb Fischer, Nebraska
- Chuck Grassley, Iowa
- Bill Hagerty, Tennessee
- Josh Hawley, Missouri
- John Hoeven, North Dakota
- Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mississippi
- Jim Inhofe, Oklahoma
- Ron Johnson, Wisconsin
- John Kennedy, Louisiana
- James Lankford, Oklahoma
- Mike Lee, Utah
- Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming
- Roger Marshall, Kansas
- Jerry Moran, Kansas
- Rand Paul, Kentucky
- Jim Risch, Idaho
- Mike Rounds, South Dakota
- Marco Rubio, Florida
- Ben Sasse, Nebraska
- Rick Scott, Florida
- Tim Scott, South Carolina
- Richard Shelby, Alabama
- Dan Sullivan, Alaska
- John Thune, South Dakota
- Tommy Tuberville, Alabama
- Roger Wicker, Mississippi
These two Republican senators did not vote:
- Kevin Cramer, North Dakota
- Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania
The bill was strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association, which said on Tuesday evening that "it falls short at every level" and "does little to truly address violent crime while opening the door to unnecessary burdens on the exercise of Second Amendment freedom by law-abiding gun owners."
Some of the Republican senators who voted against the bill declared to share this sentiment. Sen. Hawley tweeted that the bill "ignores the national crime wave & chips away instead at the fundamental rights of law abiding citizens."
Sen. Cotton said it would "restrict the freedoms of law-abiding Americans and put too much power in the hands of politicians and political officials." Sen. Blackburn also tweeted about opposing the bill because it would "infringe on law-abiding Americans' Second Amendment rights."
Tonight, I opposed the gun control legislation — released only an hour before the vote — that would infringe on law-abiding Americans’ Second Amendment rights.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) June 22, 2022
Sen. Rubio tweeted arguing that senators were "being asked to vote tonight to begin debate on a gun proposal whose legislative text was only made available less than an hour ago."
These 14 Republican senators voted in favor of the bipartisan gun safety bill:
- John Cornyn, Texas
- Mitch McConnell, Kentucky
- Thom Tillis, North Carolina
- Susan Collins, Maine
- Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
- Bill Cassidy, Louisiana
- Roy Blunt, Missouri
- Richard Burr, North Carolina
- Mitt Romney, Utah
- Rob Portman, Ohio
- Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia
- Joni Ernst, Iowa
- Lisa Murkowski, Alaska
- Todd Young, Indiana
The bipartisan bill is a tamer version of the measures Democrats have unsuccessfully pushed for for years, but the compromise is still a breakthrough in decades of political stalemate in Congress for passing gun safety legislation.
The new proposed measures aim at toughening background checks for the youngest firearms buyers aged 18 to 21, fixing the so-called "boyfriend loophole" by prohibiting domestic abusers from owning guns, and supporting states that have or will implement "red flag" laws, allowing for the swift, temporary removal of firearms from individuals considered dangerous.
"Some think it goes too far, others think it doesn't go far enough. And I get it. It's the nature of compromise," said Sen. Cornyn of Texas, who voted in favor of the bill on Tuesday.
"I believe that the same people who are telling us to do something are sending us a clear message, to do what we can to keep our children and communities safe. I'm confident this legislation moves us in a positive direction."
Senate Minority Leader McConnell called the bill "a commonsense package of popular steps that will help make these horrifying incidents less likely while fully upholding the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens."
With the support gathered on Tuesday, it's possible that the bill could be passed by the Senate by the end of the week, as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said he expected.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. and European politics, global affairs ... Read more
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