Washington – Rep. John Katko said today he will vote to pass a package of bipartisan gun reforms that cleared a key hurdle in the Senate but faces stiff resistance from House Republican leaders.
Katko, R-Camillus, is among fewer than 20 House Republican expected to vote for the bill, one of the biggest overhauls of the nation’s gun laws in decades.
A group of Senate Democrats and Republicans worked out a deal on the compromise legislation after last month’s mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas.
“It is my strong belief that this legislation represents a consensus approach to addressing these senseless and depraved acts of violence, and I fully intend to support this measure when it comes to the House floor,” Katko said in a statement.
The Senate voted 64-34 on Tuesday to move forward with consideration of the bill, with 14 Republicans including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., joining Democrats and two independents supporting the measure.
But House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told Republicans in a closed-door conference meeting today that he and House GOP leaders will oppose the Senate deal, Politico reported.
Separately, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the third-ranking House Republican, announced she will vote against the compromise bill, which she called “blatant government overreach.”
The bill would require enhanced background checks for the buyers of firearms under age 21, require more gun sellers to conduct background checks, toughen penalties on gun traffickers, and provide about $15 billion to states for school safety and mental health initiatives.
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act also sets aside $750 million in new funding for states to expand red-flag laws, which allow authorities to temporarily take guns from people found to be a danger to themselves or others.
The National Rifle Association announced its opposition to the bill when it was introduced Tuesday night. The NRA said the reforms place “unnecessary burdens on the exercise of Second Amendment freedom by law-abiding gun owners.”
Katko, co-chair of the bipartisan House Mental Health Caucus, said he was pleased to see the bill includes new investments in mental health initiatives.
“Additionally, as a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, I believe that this legislation takes important steps to promote public safety, while also safeguarding the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans,” Katko said.
During Senate negotiations of the bill, Katko sent a letter with his suggestions to the Democratic and Republican senators working on the compromise. He also spoke with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona, before senators reached a deal on the final framework.
Earlier this month, Katko voted against a package of gun bills that House Democrats put forward to address a nationwide rise in gun violence and mass shootings. He was among 10 House Republicans who supported a measure within the package to raise the minimum age from 18 to 21 for purchases of semi-automatic rifles.
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