House Republicans' Toothless Gun Bill, Brought to You by the NRA

In the wake of House Democrats' historic sit-in on the Floor of the House, the American people are coming together to demand real action to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and suspected terrorists.  But House Republicans are as committed as ever to obstructing meaningful gun violence prevention legislation – pushing a toothless bill written by the NRA that would do nothing to keep our communities safe.

"A fake solution."  "A nearly impossible standard."  "Just a talking point."  That's what the Republicans are pushing with their Cornyn-NRA bill:

Republican Senator Susan Collins: "She agreed that Mr. Cornyn's measure set a standard too difficult to meet.  ‘If probable cause is found, then probably law enforcement could arrest you,' she said. ‘If you have got that, you are going to be arrested, unless they are leaving you out there in order to catch others.'" [NYT, 6/17].  "In an interview, Ms. Collins noted that if federal prosecutors could demonstrate such probable cause, the prospective gun buyer should probably be under arrest." [NYT, 6/24]

New York Times Editorial Board: "A competing bill introduced by Senator John Cornyn, a Republican, would give authorities only three days to prove that a suspect is about to commit an act of terrorism — a nearly impossible standard to meet."

Washington Post's Paul Waldman: "In practice, how often is the government going to be able to conduct an investigation, assemble an ironclad case, get in front of a judge, and get the judge to rule that the buyer has already committed terrorist acts or is about to, all within 72 hours? Basically never."

New York Daily News Editorial Board: "…a sham of a bill, endorsed by the NRA…"

Everytown for Gun Safety: "Senator Cornyn's NRA-backed proposal is just a talking point, not an effective counterterrorism proposal.  Senator Cornyn's proposal has an unworkable standard—requiring officials to show in court that someone will actually commit an act of terrorism, or has already committed, or conspired to commit an act of terrorism."

Brady Campaign: A bill "that would do virtually nothing to keep guns out of the hands of known or suspected terrorists."

The American people can't understand why House Republicans want it to be easier for a suspected terrorist to buy a deadly weapon than to set foot on a plane.  House Democrats will continue to push for meaningful gun violence prevention measures – and bills that are written by the NRA just aren't going to cut it.