How John Cornyn and the U.S. Senate defied 26 years of inaction to tackle gun violence

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar speaks with U.S Sen. John Cornyn during the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing to examine protecting children from gun violence in Washington on June 15, 2022. (Credit: Cliff Owen - CNP/Sipa USA via Reuters)

Sen. John Cornyn had just left a convention center stage in Houston, where he had been mercilessly booed by conservative activists furious at his leading role in the most serious gun-law talks on Capitol Hill in a generation, when the Texas Republican picked up his phone and sent a message.

The day before, Cornyn had stormed out of a key bargaining session inside the Capitol, telling reporters, “I’m done.” And video clips of the Houston jeers were already bouncing around social media, leading many observers to conclude that the talks — launched in the wake of the May 24 massacre inside a Texas elementary school — were on the brink of collapse.