Dem Senator Puts Kibosh on Biden's 'Assault' Weapon Ban
The Democratic pipe dream of a new “assault” weapons ban during the waning days of the first half of Joe Biden’s first term in the White House has found a new hurdle in its already impossible journey…and it’s on the left side of the aisle.
With President Biden continuing to exploit the emotional state of the nation in the wake of tragic mass shootings, Democrats seemed to truly believe that they’d have a shot at passing meaningful gun reform legislation, or even their radical “assault” weapons ban.
But now, one of their own is putting the kibosh on the idea.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., threw cold water on President Biden’s hopes to pass an assault weapons ban during the lame duck Congress on Sunday.
Murphy argued that the votes for such a bill are “probably not” there for Democrats, despite the president’s push to enact a ban following a spate of shootings in recent weeks. The 50-50 split in Congress means Democrats would need 10 Republicans to defect and vote for the ban in order to overcome a filibuster.
“I’m glad that President Biden is gonna be pushing us to take a vote on an assault weapons ban,” he told CNN’s Dana Bash. “The House has already passed it. It’s sitting in front of the Senate. Does it have 60 votes in the Senate right now? Probably not, but let’s see if we can try to get that number is close to 60 as possible.”
And then:
“If we don’t have the votes, then we’ll talk to [Senate Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer and maybe come back next year, with maybe an additional senator, and see if we can do better,” he added.
The idea of an “assault” weapons ban is a nerve-wracking one for many Americans who don’t envision any sort of peaceful outcome when enforcement would begin.
