On Thursday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Hannity,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) reacted to President Joe Biden accusing Republicans of blocking debate on gun legislation by pointing to legislation he proposed to increase school security and help keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill that had bipartisan support and the support of 52 senators that Democrats blocked because “Democrats cynically said, if we can’t disarm law-abiding citizens, we, the Democrats, are not willing to do anything to secure schools.”
Cruz said, “[H]e said it is unconscionable that Republicans won’t allow a debate. Well, you know what, Joe Biden, in 2013, he was President of the Senate, he was Vice President of the United States when the Democrats filibustered my legislation that would have directed the Department of Justice to prosecute violent criminals who try to illegally buy guns, that would have directed the Department of Justice to audit federal convictions to make sure [they’re] in the background check system. That could have stopped the horrific shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, the church shooting, because the Obama Air Force never reported that shooter’s conviction to the database. But also part of my legislation, the Grassley-Cruz legislation, was $300,000,000 for school safety, which could have perhaps prevented this horrific crime in Uvalde, and Joe Biden and the Democrats filibustered that legislation. 52 senators voted for it, nine Democrats voted for it, we had bipartisan agreement, and the Democrats cynically said, if we can’t disarm law-abiding citizens, we, the Democrats, are not willing to do anything to secure schools.”
He continued, “Just this week, Joe Biden says he doesn’t believe in hardening schools and making them safer. Well, that is cynical and it’s wrong. And, unfortunately, it is a set of policy proposals — what the Democrats are putting forward would not stop these horrible crimes. Instead, it’s their political objectives.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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