Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) has walked away from the ongoing gun legislation negotiations; “I’m done,” said Cornyn after nearly two hours of talks, signaling that he’s ready to fly home.
“This is the hardest part because at some point, you just got to make a decision. And when people don’t want to make a decision, you can’t accomplish the result. And that’s kind of where we are right now,” Cornyn said.
‘I’m not frustrated, I’m done,’ he added, noting he was open to continued discussions.
From The Daily Mail…
Democratic and Republican senators were at odds over how to keep firearms from dangerous people as bargainers struggled to finalize details of a gun violence compromise in time for their self-imposed deadline to hold votes in Congress next week.
Lawmakers said they remained divided over how to define abusive dating partners who would be legally barred from purchasing firearms.
Disagreements were also unresolved over proposals to send money to states that have ‘red flag’ laws that let authorities temporarily confiscate guns from people deemed dangerous by courts, and to other states for their own violence prevention programs.
The election-year talks have seemed headed toward agreement, with both parties fearing punishment by voters if Congress does not react to the carnage of last month’s mass shootings.
Before walking out on the negotiations Cornyn has warned that time and policy constraints were putting pressure on the negotiators – and that Democrats have run out of rope.
Red flag laws are a particular trouble point for negotiators, as is the so-called “boyfriend loophole,” Cornyn told conservative talk show host Huge Hewitt.
“The challenge, of course, as you know, is to translate those principles into text.”
Republican senator John Cornyn of Texas said he was "done" as he left Thursday's closed-door session of gun law negotiations after nearly two hours, saying he was flying home. https://t.co/4hsGhfOFeb
— The Scotsman (@TheScotsman) June 17, 2022