Politico: A bill unveiled by Maxwell Frost and Chris Murphy would create a federal office dedicated to gun violence prevention. But Senate Republicans still have doubts on further moves.
What's happening: Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost and Sen. Chris Murphy introduced gun reform legislation on Tuesday that would help to further implement the bipartisan bill passed last summer. But Senate Republicans aren't eager to pass another measure on the matter.
The details: The bill would create the Office of Gun Violence Prevention under the Department of Justice, and would help further implement new regulations imposed by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act signed into law last June. Murphy (D-Conn.), who stewarded the bill through the upper chamber, noted the federal government lacked one singular office dedicated to coordinate implementation efforts.
Frost (D-Fla.), who has said the issue of gun violence drove him into public office, told reporters that this was the first piece of legislation he's introduced as a member of Congress.
Uphill battle: Last summer's bipartisan bill was the first gun safety measure to be signed into law in nearly 30 years, with Republican lawmakers joining Democrats to bring the bill over the finish line. But don't expect further bills to have the same momentum. Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), the lead Republican on last year's measure, said there wasn't appetite to build further on the bill.
"That bill is just now being implemented and producing some very productive results that I think people should be very proud of," Cornyn told POLITICO. "But I think we explored where the bipartisan consensus is ... so I don't see any anything else in the near future."
Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.), another of the main GOP negotiators, echoed that it was too early in the bill's implementation to pass more bills on the matter.
"Just to be very clear, anytime that you're talking about legislation, in the same sentence with gun violence, it's an uphill battle," Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told reporters during the presser.
Grim note: The lawmakers unveiled their legislation as police responded to a shooting at a Denver high school that wounded two faculty members, with one in critical condition.
— Nancy Vu
Source: Politico