We are wrapping up tonight’s coverage of President Biden’s primetime address but here’s a rundown of some of what he called for in his speech:
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Ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. If this can’t be achieved, he called for age restrictions to purchase them to be raised from 18 to 21.
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Red flag laws, safe storage laws, and better background checks. Biden said key measures would ensure guns don’t fall into the hands of felons, and highlighted that most Americans — including gun owners — support stronger background checks. He said those who don’t lock up their guns effectively should be held accountable. Biden also pushed for limits on how many rounds weapons can hold. “Why in God’s name should an ordinary citizen be able to purchase an assault weapon that holds 30 round magazines that lets mass shooters fire hundreds of bullets in matter of minutes?,” he asked, describing the horrors that parents had to endure after Uvalde, relying on “DNA swabs to identify the remains of their children, nine- and 10-year-olds”.
- Mental healthcare. Noting that there’s a “serious mental health crisis in this country,” he said that mental health was a big part of his agenda this year. Biden called for more school counselors, more mentorship, and both privacy protection and resources to protect young people “from the harms of social media”. “This unity agenda won’t fully heal the wounded souls, but it will help, it matters,” he said.
- End immunity for manufacturers. Gun manufacturers are shielded from liability for the death and devastation their products cause. “The only industry in this country that has that kind of immunity,” he said. “The gun industry’s special protections are outrageous. It must end.”
Other news this evening:
- The House judiciary committee passed the “Protect Our Kids Act,” a package that includes many of the proposals outlined in the president’s speech. It’s unlikely to clear the divided Senate though.
- The House select committee will hold its first hearing on the 6 January attack next week, sharing findings in primetime.
- Children under 5 may be able to get Covid-19 vaccinations in the coming weeks.
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In a tweet following the president’s speech, Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator from South Carolina, said he was ready to vote on all the proposals outlined.
“I stand ready to vote on ALL the proposals mentioned by President Biden tonight and encourage the Democratic leader to bring them forward for votes,” he said.
But he followed that with a criticism of Biden’s speech, saying, “I also stand ready to work across the aisle to find common ground – something that was absent from President Biden’s address to the nation.”
Graham ready to vote *on* (not *for*) the Biden gun proposals: https://t.co/v5aCs0TFh5
— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) June 3, 2022
Biden was clear in blaming Republicans for inaction in Congress.
Senate Democrats are bracing for a battle over gun control and expecting another disappointing outcome. “I’m certainly prepared for failure,” Democratic Senator Chris Murphy told CNN earlier today. “I’ve been here enough times to know that this is probably the most politically complicated and emotionally fraught piece that Congress deals with.”
Murphy had been in talks with Graham about reviving last year’s Manchin-Toomey bill that would close loopholes that enable gun sales without background checks but that effort already seems doomed to fail. “It’s too broad,” Graham said of that specific bill.
From CNN:
The talks are centering on a narrower version of the Manchin-Toomey proposal – along with several other ideas. Blumenthal and Graham are engaged in renewed talks over incentives to bolster state laws empowering authorities to restrict gun access to individuals deemed a threat – referred to as red flag laws. There are ongoing talks, including between Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine and Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, to impose new rules on trafficking of guns between states.
Republicans, including Cornyn and Tillis, are in talks over school safety provisions as well as ways to bolster the US mental health system. Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona, is involved in those talks as well.”
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