Democratic senator warns of ‘popular revolt if Supreme Court stands in the way of gun
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said Sunday that attempts by the Supreme Court to block gun control could trigger a ‘popular revolt.’
He made his comments as President Joe Biden accused Republicans of caring more about gunmakers than their constituents as he again called on Congress to pass gun control legislation.
Democrats stepped up their arguments that a majority of Americans back tougher firearm regulation on the day that Buffalo, New York, was marking the anniversary of a racist gun attack that killed 10 people.
‘If the Supreme Court eventually says that states or the Congress can’t pass universal background checks or can’t take these assault weapons off the streets, I think there’s going to be a popular revolt over that policy,’ said Murphy, of Connecticut.
A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that a federal law preventing the sale of guns to 18- to 20-year-olds was unconstitutional.
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said Sunday that attempts by the Supreme Court to block gun control could trigger a ‘popular revolt’ during an appearance on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’
Any further action could make it all the way to the Supreme Court, which has lost the confidence of a swath of Americans and faces fresh ethics allegations against justices.
‘A court that’s already pretty illegitimate, is going to be in full crisis mode,’ Murphy added on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press.’
He is an outspoken advocate of gun control and his words may be seen as a threat.
Meanwhile, Biden marked the anniversary of the Buffalo mass shooting with an impassioned call to ban assault weapons and require gun owners to securely their firearms.
‘The majority of Americans – even the majority of gun owners – want Congress to take some commonsense action to reduce gun violence,’ he wrote in an op-ed published by USA Today.
‘But too many congressional Republicans are doing the bidding of gun manufacturers instead of their constituents.’
The city of Buffalo is marking the attack with a moment of silence to remember the 10 people killed when a gunman targeted black people at a supermarket.
It will be followed by bells tolling.
President Joe Biden on Sunday slammed Republicans for caring more about gunmakers than their constituents as he again called on Congress to pass gun control legislation
Biden made the demand as he marked marked the anniversary of a mass shooting at the Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New York, where 10 people died
‘The racially motivated mass shooting shook our community to its core. It was the day the unthinkable happened,’ Mayor Byron Brown said in announcing plans for the commemoration.
Biden pointed out the murders were followed 10 days later by an attack on a school in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were shot dead.
‘Jill and I visited both communities, spending hours with hundreds of family members who lost pieces of their soul and whose lives will never be the same,’ he wrote.
‘They had one message for all of us: Do something. For God’s sake, do something.’
In their aftermath, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. It strengthens firearms background checks for young people and expands the use of red flag laws.
But more is needed, wrote Biden, pointing out that the toll since Buffalo last year included 650 mass shootings and more than 40,000 deaths due to gun violence.
The city of Buffalo is marking the attack with a moment of silence to remember the 10 people killed when a gunman targeted black people at a supermarket
Payton Gendron (pictured being led into a Gendron courtroom last year) was sentenced to life in prison for the Buffalo attack. “I did a terrible thing that day. I shot and killed people because they were black,’ he said at his sentencing in February
‘Congress must act, including by banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, requiring gun owners to securely store their firearms, requiring background checks for all gun sales, and repealing gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability,’ he wrote.
‘We also need more governors and state legislators to take these steps.’
The White House sent out a fact sheet describing actions taken by the Biden administration.
They include enhanced background checks, particularly for people under the age of 21; adding dating relationship status in domestic abuse cases to prevent guns falling into the hands of people with a history of abuse; and increased prosecutions over firearms trafficking and purchases of weapons for people banned from buying a gun.