Sens. Wicker, Hyde-Smith noncommittal on bipartisan gun safety proposal
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Jun. 14—JACKSON — Mississippi two U.S. senators — Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith — in recent statements vacillated on a new bipartisan gun safety proposal that seeks to curb the carnage stemming from repeated mass shootings.
A bipartisan group of Senate negotiators announced on Sunday that they struck a deal on narrowly tailored gun safety measures that had the potential to break a decades-long logjam in Washington over gun reform measures, according to the Associated Press.
The proposal put forward by 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats would include enhanced background checks for firearm buyers under the age of 21, close a loophole on convicted domestic abusers from owning a gun and provide money for mental health resources.
It would also provide grants for states to enact so-called red-flag laws, which would allow law enforcement and state courts to temporarily confiscate guns from people believed to be dangerous.
But in a deeply conservative state like Mississippi, any major gun reform measure would likely be a tough sell to the state's U.S. senators, both of whom are Republicans and have received endorsements from the National Rifle Association.
Wicker, from Tupelo, told the Daily Journal in a statement that he looks forward to reviewing the proposed language when it comes out to see if there are "workable solutions to promote school safety and prevent gun violence" without infringing upon the rights of law-abiding gun owners.
"As I have said before, I support efforts to step up enforcement of our existing laws and address the serious mental health challenges that lead to mass shootings," Wicker said.
Chris Gallegos, spokesman for Hyde-Smith, said the state's junior U.S. senator from Brookhaven would like to see the actual legislative language before commenting in detail. Still, she remained skeptical of the proposed framework.
"The Senator remains steadfast in protecting 2nd Amendment rights, supporting law enforcement and protecting children," Gallegos said. "Given that, she finds it difficult not to be wary of any agreement being praised by some of the same people who not long ago called for defunding the police and easing the prosecution of crime."
The framework is in response to back-to-back mass shootings, including one instance in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, which left 19 children and two teachers dead.
It's unclear when the draft's framework would be codified into an actual bill, but the Senate negotiators are aiming to hold a vote on the final product before Congress leaves for its July 4 recess in less than two weeks, according to Politico.
