The NRA and gun lobbyists are preparing to fight red flag laws being debated in Congress as gun reform legislation gained renewed support following the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. This weekend, a bipartisan group of senators agreed on a modest package of gun law reforms.
Democrats are determined to use the nation’s grief to champion gun regulation after the second most deadly mass shooting in U.S. history took place in Uvalde, Texas.
“Restricting the fundamental human right of law-abiding Americans to defend themselves is not the answer. It never has been,” Wayne LaPierre, the CEO of the NRA, said during the NRA’s convention in Houston.
Around 19 states have enacted red flag laws of some kind within the past decade. Among those states is New York, where the Buffalo mass shooting occurred at a grocery store.
Gun activists criticize the ineffectiveness of the laws and states’ failure to enforce them as a reason to halt any further legislation.
Last year, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the House with a provision that enabled military courts to issue protective orders and confiscate personal firearms.
The NRA and its allies lobbied through email campaigns and social media to prevent the provision from passing the Senate.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), originally in support of red flag laws in 2019, has since said he is against red flag laws entirely.
“What you’re essentially trying to do with a red flag law is enforce the law before the law has been broken,” Crenshaw said.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) wrote on Twitter, “Hopefully we succeed and the Senate can vote on a bipartisan bill that saves lives. But if we can’t find common ground then we are going to take a vote on gun violence. The Senate will not ignore this crisis.”
