Rapid fire gun control hits Biden's desk

The 'Do something' bill won't stop mass shootings, violence

I’ve never seen major legislation move through Washington, D.C. as fast as the gun control bill that shot from Nancy Pelosi’s gavel to Joe Biden’s desk on Friday. And it’s a big deal.

The first major change in federal firearms laws in three decades didn’t even have a hearing. It did not go through — what we call on Capitol Hill -- “regular order.”

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) delivers remarks as she joins fellow Democrats for a rally before voting on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in outside the U.S. Capitol on June 24, 2022 in Washington, DC. The legislation is the first new gun regulations passed by Congress in over 30 years. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

I first told you about it on June 12. It was negotiated behind closed doors with Democrats and 10 Republicans. I wrote you all the details in the “bipartisan” deal just on Tuesday. It flew through the Senate at nighttime.

The House passed it Friday. Ten House Republicans voted for it. (I put links at the bottom to see their names and the full bill text.)

The legislation, of course, was a reaction to the terrible school shooting in Uvalde that was exactly one month before the House passed it with a brief debate. It was supposed to be about making schools safer, but liberals knew it was a win on guns.

“I'm honored to sign the legislation, to send it to the President – right away – for his signature, with gratitude for his leadership in gun violence prevention for decades,” said Pelosi.  

She said this bill is a “counterpoint to the dangerous decision of this Trumpian Supreme Court” on overturning New York’s conceal carry law. (I wrote about that yesterday, so much at once!)

Democratic members of the House of Representatives cheer and embraces after the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act passed in the House Chamber on June 24, 2022 passed by a vote of 234-193. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The final bill is the same one I wrote about earlier this week— it has federal funding for state red flag laws, closed the so-called boyfriend loophole, supposedly will help with straw purchasers and “enhanced” background checks for people under 21 years old.

At her weekly press conference with reporters, Pelosi laid it on thick for Biden.

“We're so proud of the President. He has been a champion on gun violence prevention for such a long time,” said Pelosi “This is historic. We are so proud of this legislation.”

Biden was too distraught about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade to talk about his big gun control win on Friday, but he put out this statement Thursday night:

Tonight, after 28 years of inaction, bipartisan members of Congress came together to heed the call of families across the country and passed legislation to address the scourge of gun violence in our communities. Families in Uvalde and Buffalo – and too many tragic shootings before – have demanded action.  And tonight, we acted.

(UPDATE: Biden signed the law on Saturday. I put an excerpt of his speech crowing about this victory in the comments.)

Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) talks to reporters after the Senate passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act at the U.S. Capitol on June 23, 2022 in Washington, DC. Cornyn was the lead Republican negotiator on the bipartisan gun safety legislation, which passed the Senate 65-33. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The strong Second Amendment supporters on the Hill protested in vain. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) had his own alternate bill that would have increased funding for School Resources Officers among other things, but it didn’t get far.

Cruz said in the floor speech below that Washington Democrats’ response is to “try to disarm law-abiding citizens rather than take serious measures to protect our children.'“ He alluded to red flag laws that “the Supreme Court might find significant portions of it to be unconstitutional.”

The NRA opposed the bill but couldn’t do anything to stop it. It said in a statement that, “These measures were hastily jammed through with ambiguous language and overbroad definitions to appease gun control supporters in Congress.”

President Joe Biden and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) talk outside the Oval Office before a meeting at the White House about gun control reform June 7, 2022, in Washington, DC. - Murphy is the lead Democrat in a bipartisan group of Senators working to come to an agreement on a new gun control bill. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

I’m surprised by the speed of this law but not the substance. Biden has said since his first days in office that gun control is his top priority. And now that Democrats see how they can push through truly major legislation on gun control, they will keep at it. Pelosi already said that she next wants to get…