Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) has introduced a bill that would completely repeal the gun control legislation that Democrat President Joe Biden just signed into law after Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and other establishment Republicans championed through Congress alongside Democrats, Breitbart News has learned exclusively.
Boebert’s bill, which stretches barely beyond one page onto a second one, is titled the “Shall Not Be Infringed Act.” What it does, very simply, is completely repeal the so-called “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,” the legislation that sailed through Congress earlier this summer promoting red flag laws using federal funds.
“The so-called ‘Bipartisan Safer Communities Act’ tramples on the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens and will have no significant impact in stopping mass shootings and deterring gun violence,” Boebert told Breitbart News. “This poorly written law was negotiated behind closed doors by a small group of Senate RINOs that do not reflect the interests and values of the American people. Shockingly, this bill was rushed to the floor a few days after introduction and didn’t receive a single congressional hearing or markup despite the legal implications for millions of gun owners in America. Rather than hardening building security and allowing resources to be spent on training and staffing schools with more armed personnel, this bill seeks to bribe states with promises of Washington money for adopting red-flag gun seizure laws. The Shall Not Be Infringed Act fully repeals this unconstitutional bill and defends the Second Amendment rights of all Americans.”
That gun control bill, which passed the Senate with help from Cornyn and other establishment Republicans, later passed the U.S. House with some establishment Republican votes. Biden signed it into law shortly thereafter, marking the president’s only steps towards restraining the Second Amendment that he has successfully achieved since taking office—far less than Biden has aimed for, but an achievement in the eyes of gun control promoters nonetheless.
Cornyn’s efforts to promote the gun control package have severely hurt him back home in Texas, with Republicans booing him at the state party convention and his approval rating dipping into the low 30s among Republicans in Texas as a result.
Boebert’s bill is unlikely to pass this Congress. Democrats probably will not even put it up for a vote; they control both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate, and both chambers actually passed the bill her proposal would repeal. However, this could set up an epic battle for after the midterms, assuming Republicans retake one or both chambers of Congress in November.
Boebert has a strong list of powerful cosponsors out of the gate, including, most notably, House GOP conference chairwoman Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY). Also on board are Reps. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Jody Hice (R-GA), Mary Miller (R-IL), Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Dan Bishop (R-MI), Warren Davidson (R-OH), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Bob Good (R-VA), Randy Weber (R-TX), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Scott Perry (R-PA), Adrian Smith (R-NE), Alex Mooney (R-WV), Brian Babin (R-TX), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Chip Roy (R-TX), Ben Cline (R-VA), Michael Cloud (R-TX), Troy Nehls (R-TX), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), and Ronny Jackson (R-TX).
In other words, should the GOP retake the House this year, expect an effort to repeal this law next year in that chamber, with this bill as the framework for it—and likewise in the Senate, where even though many Republicans did vote for it this year, several exciting new younger voices are coming to replace older guard senators. That would set up a showdown with Biden, who would obviously fight against repealing one of his core objectives and likely frame this issue as a core 2024 presidential campaign matter between whomever both parties decide to nominate, especially if a rematch between Biden and former President Donald Trump is in the making.
That means, too, there could be serious long-term political consequences for every Republican involved in this effort to undercut the Second Amendment and especially, in particular, for Cornyn who was the face of the push. It could also, thanks to Boebert’s push, influence the debate over the future of Senate GOP leadership. While Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell remains in his position for now, McConnell’s future is uncertain, and Cornyn is one of several potential successors who has been publicly discussed as a possible replacement. Cornyn’s drive to cut anti-Second Amendment deals with Biden and the radical left being the center of attention politically for years to come are unlikely to help his chances at securing the top spot among Senate Republicans, most of whom voted against this plan. The new ones incoming after the midterm election, many of whom have Trump’s endorsement, are even less likely to go along with this type of plan.