Senate hearing on gun reform measures is growing tense

As the hearing on gun reform measures opened this morning in the Senate Judiciary Committee, the political red lines that have been a hallmark of the issue for decades reemerge.

In opening statements, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut accused Republicans of having no solutions on guns. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, pushed back, citing efforts he and Sen. Chuck Grassley have undertaken that are more incremental and blasted Democrats for pushing gun reform every time there is a shooting.

“We have had far too many tragedies in our country,” Cruz said. “I’ve been to too damn many of these. Every time there is a shooting, we play this ridiculous theater…”

“Democrats propose taking away guns from law abiding citizens,” Cruz said. “When you disarm law abiding citizens, you make them more likely to be victims. If you want to stop these murders go after the murders.”

Grassley, the top Republican on Judiciary, argued part of the problem is that the police are not funded well enough.

“We cannot reduce violence in our communities without a professional, well-trained and fully-funded police force,” Grassley said.

Today’s hearing comes as President Biden faces growing pressure to act on gun reform after the latest mass shootings in Boulder, Colorado, and in the Atlanta area. 

In remarks this afternoon, President Biden urged the Senate to pass a pair of House-passed gun reforms, including a universal background checks measure and an assault weapons ban.