NRA responds to gun control deal

The National Rifle Association (NRA) has vowed to “continue to oppose any effort to insert gun control policies” in response to the bipartisan “framework” passed by both houses of Congress over the weekend.

The American gun rights group said in a statement on Sunday that it was “committed to real solutions to help stop violence in our communities” but stressed that it “does not take positions on ‘frameworks’” and promised to make its opinion known “when the full text of the bill is available for review.” 

Encouraging politicians to “provide more resources to secure our schools, fix…our severely broken mental health system and support law enforcement,” the NRA’s statement hit on its usual points, stressing the importance of not impinging on Americans’ Second Amendment right to bear arms while offering up alternative possibilities for curbing gun violence.

“The NRA will continue to oppose any effort to insert gun control policies, initiatives that override constitutional due process protections and efforts to deprive law-abiding citizens of their fundamental right to protect themselves and their loved ones into this or any other legislation,” the statement concluded.

The reform “framework” includes funding to promote state crisis intervention orders, the expansion of mental health services in schools and for families, stricter controls on gun purchases for individuals under the age of 21, a crackdown on “straw buyers” (individuals who use their clean record to purchase firearms for someone else), and further funding for school resource officers.

However, the details of the legislation have not been hammered out, and gun rights advocates and gun control proponents are waiting to see how Congress might attempt to strike a balance between protecting constitutional rights and making families uneasy at the recent uptick in reported mass shootings feel safe.

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President Joe Biden has praised the package, declaring that while “it does not do everything that I think is needed,” it “reflects important steps in the right direction, and would be the most significant gun safety legislation to pass Congress in decades.”

Opponents of the reform package have called for enforcing existing laws before passing new ones, pointing out that critical safety procedures were not followed in recent tragedies like the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas which left 19 children and two teachers dead.

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