Texas Senator John Cornyn says he hopes bipartisan agreement for legislation could pass Senate next week
WASHINGTON, D.C. (CBSDFW.COM) - After striking a deal on a bipartisan agreement over the weekend, Senator John Cornyn said Monday that he hopes the Senate can turn the framework into a bill by the end of the week and have it pass the Senate next week.
"I believe that the principles that we came up with will save lives," Cornyn said. "To me, that is the ultimate goal."
The framework seeks to improve gun safety, mental health and school security following the deadly mass shooting in Uvalde, where an 18-year-old gunman shot and killed 19 students and two teachers and injured 17 others.
Cornyn is the lead Republican negotiator, who along with nine other Republican Senators, worked with 10 Senate Democrats.
On the Senate floor Monday afternoon, Senator Cornyn spoke about the bipartisan agreement reached between Senate Republicans and Democrats in response to the deadly mass shooting in Uvalde.
Under the agreement, there would be an enhanced review process for gun buyers under the age of 21.
Those buyers would have their juvenile records looked at closely as part of the criminal background check.
In addition, there would be penalties for straw purchases of guns.
There is also support for state crisis intervention orders, which Cornyn said is more than just providing states incentives for states that establish red-flag laws.
The agreement would also include provisions for funding to make schools safer and for mental health programs including tele-health services.
Cornyn said from the beginning he would not support any provisions that banned assault-style rifles and that raised the age to buy one of those weapons from 18 to 21.
He said the agreement would not impact law-abiding gun owners.
The Senate is evenly split among Republicans and Democrats.
On the Senate floor Monday afternoon, Senator Cornyn said he hopes legislation would win more votes than the 60 required to pass in the chamber. "I'm hoping that 10 Republicans isn't the ceiling, but the floor. We continue working with our colleagues to help them understand these principles that we've agreed to, the 20 of us, and to write legislative text that can earn, broad bipartisan support, maybe supermajority support here in the United States Senate."
If the measure passes the Senate, it will go to the House.
Democratic Congressman Marc Veasey of Fort Worth said he can support the framework as written.
"I would absolutely approve this," Veasey said. "Again, I think there definitely needs to be more suit worried about, you know, people like the shooting that was in Midland people being able to get guns, again, through private sales, and not have to go through some sort of a background check. We need tougher laws in this country to stop terrorists than bad guys and criminals and sociopaths from getting guns. I'm committed to making it harder for people like that to get guns. But again, this is a good first step in the right direction."
Republican Congressman Pat Fallon of the 4th Congressional District, including parts of Collin County, said if provisions include incentivizing states establish red flag laws, he will oppose the legislation.
"I will have to vote no, because there's no way I can support red flag laws and denying due process," Fallon said. "I wouldn't want to incentivize something that would deny somebody their constitutional rights and deny their right to face their accuser. There are some good things in it, and then I wish that we would be able to vote on multiple pieces of legislation."
He said he supports mental health and school safety funding. "The number one thing that we should all be talking about is hardening our schools because we can do it, we can do it with technology, we can do it with the funding that we have, we can do it with experts coming in and making that you have not only Texas schools, but United States schools as safe as possible."
Senator Cornyn said he hopes their agreement will end up on President Biden's desk.