House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) said he opposed gun control reform laws in the past as he believed it “wouldn’t solve the problem” of mass shootings in the United States, signaling that there will be no congressional action taken in the House.
Scalise said on Monday to CNN that he opposed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Biden signed into law in June. It made changes in the U.S.’s mental health system, school safety programs, and gun safety laws. Several Republicans, including Scalise, voted against the measure because they said it went against the Second Amendment and would not prevent shootings.
NINE DEAD INCLUDING GUNMAN IN MASS SHOOTING AT TEXAS MALL COMPLEX
“Congress passed more gun control. I opposed it because I knew it wouldn’t solve the problem,” Scalise said. “It just makes it harder for law-abiding citizens to get guns to defend themselves.”
Scalise’s comments come two days after a mass shooting at Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, Texas, that left eight victims dead and several in the hospital. Victims being treated at Medical City Healthcare’s trauma facilities range from 5 to 61 years old.
The suspect, Mauricio Garcia, 33, was shot and killed by a responding officer. He was wearing a tactical vest and used an AR-15 to open fire on the shoppers at the mall. He was equipped with a handgun as well.
Saturday’s mass shooting is one of over 200 mass shootings in the United States since the start of 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Other high-profile shootings have occurred in Knoxville and Nashville, Tennessee; Atlanta, Georgia; and Alabama.
President Joe Biden called for gun control laws banning assault-style weapons following the Allen, Texas, shooting.
“Once again I ask Congress to send me a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Enacting universal background checks. Requiring safe storage. Ending immunity for gun manufacturers,” Biden said in a statement. “I will sign it immediately. We need nothing less to keep our streets safe.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will meet with the gun control caucus on Thursday to “discuss gun violence and the path forward on gun safety legislation,” a spokesperson confirmed to the Washington Examiner. However, with a narrow 51-seat majority, Schumer is unlikely to overcome a Republican filibuster or the GOP-controlled House to pass any gun reform legislation.
Gun control is a hot-button topic and a top priority for voters in recent elections. It will likely have a large influence on the 2024 election.
Republicans have been relatively quiet on the recent shooting and gun control as a whole, instead focusing on mental health reform.
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Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) deflected questions regarding Texas’s gun laws, stating that there have been an increased number of shootings in states “with easy gun laws as well as states with very strict gun laws,” such as California — something that earned Abbott a swift rebuke from Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA).
Abbott also made claims that the state has been “lagging in addressing mental health for years,” pointing to efforts by the state legislature to add $105.5 million for school safety and mental health initiatives.
