WASHINGTON — Monday’s top Democratic negotiator for a package gun bills, prompted by the recent mass shooting in Uvalde (Texas), said Monday that he hopes to strike a deal this week with his Republican counterparts.
“My hope is we can reach an agreement before the end of this week,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told NBC News Monday. “The discussions were really positive. “I am still hopeful that we will be able to obtain a product.”
“My goal — I cannot say that this is a collective one — my goal is for us to reach an agreement by the week’s end. He said that he doesn’t believe that this is an unreasonable goal, but that it might be more an outline than detailed legislative text.
Murphy’s remarks came just hours before he was scheduled to meet in person at the Capitol with a few key negotiators. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.
“We’re meeting — working over dinner tonight. Cornyn stated Monday that he believes we are making progress. “We have been talking and exchanging texts messages.”
Cornyn said that an agreement could be reached by this week. He also stated that negotiators had “talked about the framework earlier, but I think we’re still trying to figure out the details.”
During the week following Memorial Day, Congress was in recess. Various groups of senators worked together to negotiate the various pieces of the gun package via Zoom and phone.
Murphy described the bipartisan talks today as “more advanced” than they were a week ago and stated that the discussions remain centered on four pillars discussed in the past: red flag laws, expanded background checks and mental health.
Murphy said that “normally on this issue, two week into negotiations, they are falling apart or non-existent.” “I believe that every day there is more seriousness in getting a product we can present to the caucuses.”
Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has endorsed the negotiations and supported the goal of reaching an agreement this week.
He said to reporters Monday that he was trying to achieve a bipartisan outcome in the matter. “And hopefully, sometime in the week, we will come together.”
Some lawmakers are moving towards stricter regulations due to the recent spate of gun violence, ranging from Buffalo, New York to Uvalde Texas to a weekend shooting at Philadelphia.
Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), a key centrist in a rural pro-gun country, supports raising the minimum age for purchasing a semi-automatic weapon from 18 to 21 years. Monday’s spokesperson confirmed that.
“There are no limits. We have to do something. Manchin stated that Americans must bring ‘gun sense to America’.
This provision, however, is unlikely to be included in a Senate package because it faces Republican opposition. It also likely lacks the required 60 votes to defeat filibuster.
Republicans are wary of offending progun voters who make up a large portion of their base. They have stressed that the issues they are trying to address include mental health and school safety.
Murphy tried to do so by extending a rhetorical olive leaf to Republican legislators, categorizing certain policies in the negotiations that were aimed at keeping guns away form dangerous people, while also referring to the mental health umbrella.
