Republican senator blocks gun control law in wake of Michigan shooting

R&I – FS

The Iowa senator Chuck Grassley, the leading Republican on the Senate judiciary committee, blocked a request on Thursday to proceed on gun control legislation in the Senate following the Michigan school shooting this week.

Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut and leading gun control advocate, requested unanimous consent on Thursday to pass the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021, which would require new background checks for gun transfers between private parties, as well as expand a 10-day review for gun purchases and transfers.

The legislation, passed by the House in March, would also prohibit a firearm from being transferred among individuals unless a licensed dealer or manufacturer carries out a background check.
However, Grassley blocked the request, condemning it as “hostile towards lawful gun owners and lawful firearm transactions”. He argued that “so-called universal background checks will not prevent crime and will turn otherwise law-abiding citizens into criminals.”

Murphy said “I want to tell you why I’m making this request. I understand the low likelihood of success, but I hope many of my colleagues took a minute to watch the cellphone video from the school shooting in Michigan,” Murphy said, referring to the surveillance footage in which 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley allegedly emerged from a bathroom with a pistol and a 15-round magazine, firing at classmates and teachers. He added that the Republican party cares “more about the health of the gun industry and their profits than they do about the health of our kids.”

Rawr

Article URL : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/02/republican-senator-blocks-gun-control-law-chuck-grassley