House Democrats are demanding Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell immediately return to Washington so the Senate can vote on gun control legislation in the wake of two deadly mass shootings over the weekend that left at least 31 people dead.
In a letter likely to be delivered Wednesday, Democrats are calling on the Kentucky Republican to bring up two House-passed measures that would strengthen federal background checks for gun purchases. The two bills passed the House in February, but McConnell has refused to hold a Senate vote on the legislation.
California Democratic Rep. Mike Thompson, chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, was circulating the letter to his colleagues on Tuesday.
"This inaction must stop. We know background checks save lives," Thompson and other Democrats write in the letter, according to text obtained by POLITICO. Thompson is still working to gather signatures for the letter, with a Wednesday deadline for lawmakers to sign on.
But the note to McConnell comes as House Democrats themselves struggle with how to respond to mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, that occurred within hours of each other over the weekend. The alleged shooter in El Paso is suspected of posting an anti-immigrant manifesto before the killings that echoes rhetoric used by President Donald Trump.
In a lengthy caucus call Monday, House Democrats debated whether they should cut short their six-week recess and return to the Capitol to pass additional gun control legislation.
Some Democrats, including House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), advocated further action, even suggesting his panel vote on additional gun restrictions, including an assault weapons ban.
But others, including House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), nixed the idea, saying the best strategy is to keep the spotlight on McConnell's refusal to consider legislation the House has already passed.
"I don't know what additional bills we would pass. I think we've made the first step, we've passed good legislation," Thompson said in an interview Monday, referring to the pair of background-check bills. "I think the Senate needs to do its job and pass the legislation."
Speaker Nancy Pelosi also pushed for keeping pressure first and foremost on McConnell, though she opened the door to the House returning in a letter to Democrats after the call.
In February, the House passed legislation mandating background checks for nearly all gun purchases, including private sales. The House also passed a bill closing the "Charleston loophole" to bar individuals from purchasing guns before their background check is finished.
Since the deadly shootings over the weekend, Democrats — and a few Republicans — have forcefully criticized McConnell for sitting on the legislation for months.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and New York Republican Rep. Peter King held a joint news conference on Tuesday calling on McConnell to take action on background checks. Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) also announced Monday they're restarting efforts to pass their expanded background checks legislation.
"We're saying to Leader McConnell: Do the right thing," Schumer said. "Gavel the Senate to an emergency session so we can take immediate action on the bipartisan, already passed, gun legislation that Peter and others had successfully shepherded through the House of Representatives."
But many Republicans privately concede that the effort would succeed only if Trump were vocally and publicly on board.
Trump initially backed the idea of strengthening background checks in a tweet on Monday morning but didn't revisit the idea in a speech later in the day. Instead, Trump said Congress should enact "red flag laws," which allow police and relatives to temporarily take guns away from people who pose a threat to themselves or others. The president is also exploring executive actions in response to the mass shootings.
McConnell issued a vague statement Monday saying Republicans "are prepared to do our part," but did not commit to any specific actions.
"Partisan theatrics and campaign-trail rhetoric will only take us farther away from the progress all Americans deserve," he added.
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