House Judiciary Committee Meets To Discuss Gun Control Legislation

The House Judiciary Committee held an emergency meeting to discuss the advancement of eight measures as a part of the “Protecting Our Kids Act.”

“In the days since the shooting at Tops Friendly Markets store in Buffalo, New York, and in the long, sad nights since the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, I have turned to a particular teaching in the Talmud: ‘Whoever kills one life kills the world entire, and whoever saves one life saves the world entire,'” committee head Jerry Nadler (D-New York) said in an opening statement.

The longtime Congressman referred to the racially motivated massacre at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store in mid-May that took the lives of 10 and last week’s Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that left 21 more dead.

Legally bought AR-15-style rifles used by 18-year-old male shooters were common factors in both instances.

“We’re working on the assault weapons ban,” Nadler said. “If we have the votes then we’ll take that to the vote, too.”

The measures, which include raising the age to legally buy some rifles from 18 to 21, establishing a buyback program and bolstering ghost gun and bump stock regulations, will face opposition in the evenly split Senate. A bipartisan group is working to find common ground in hopes of garnering the 60 votes needed to avoid the filibuster. Finding 10 Republican votes is unlikely if Thursday’s House Judiciary Committee meeting is any indication of Republicans’ stance.

“No one wants another tragedy,” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the committee’s highest-ranking Republican, said during the meeting. “No one wants this to happen again. That’s why it’s regretful that Democrats have rushed to a markup today in what seems more like political theater than a real attempt at improving public safety or finding solutions.”

“Democrats never once reached out to us to seek our input on the legislation we are considering here today,” Jordan added. “This is not a real attempt in my judgment to find solutions.”

On Thursday, President Joe Biden addressed the nation and called on Congress to take action on passing stronger gun regulations.