Bipartisan Senate Gun Bill Gets Chilly Reception From House Republicans

The bipartisan Senate gun bill made it through a procedural vote Tuesday with the support of more than a quarter of Senate Republicans, including top party leaders. But on Wednesday it was clear he would not get the same reception from House Republicans.

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., announced that he would formally whip against her. House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, RN.Y., said the bill “destroys the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans with no effect on criminal deterrence.” And House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., will oppose the bill, his office confirmed.

“In an effort to slowly undermine the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens, this legislation takes the wrong approach in attempting to curb violent crime,” Scalise said in a notice Wednesday.

SCALISE TO EXHAUST HOUSE REPUBLICANS AGAINST SENATE GUNS BILL

“Since Biden’s election, the Democrats have failed at every level. There is literally only one way Republicans can lose the midterms,” Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado, said at a news conference. “That is exactly what these 14 RINOs, Republicans in name only, have done in the Senate.”

He called the bill unconstitutional and said Republicans would try to defund it if it passes.

Officially titled the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,” senators involved in the bill released the final text Tuesday night after weeks of negotiations.

SENATE VOTES TO ADVANCE BIPARTIDAR GUN CONTROL LEGISLATION

The bill would provide funds for states to create programs that can keep guns away from people who pose a danger to themselves or others, often called red flag laws. It would also improve background checks for gun buyers under the age of 21, add penalties for some gun-wielding offenders, and provide funding for a variety of health and mental health-related programs.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the lead Republican negotiator on the bill, has emphasized that it “will not infringe on the Second Amendment rights of any law-abiding American.” And Senate Republicans who support the bill also highlight what they say are negotiating victories, including that the bill does not expand background checks and will include due process requirements for red flag laws.

But several House Republican sources said the bill is unlikely to gain broad support in the current political environment.

DETAILS OF THE ARMS PROJECT AGREED ON BY THE BIPARTISAN GROUP OF FOUR KEY SENATE NEGOTIATORS

A GOP aide said there’s a good chance the gun bill will garner even less Republican support in the House than the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which won 13 Republican votes. The aide said that because red flag laws are so “demonized” among conservatives, it will be very difficult for most Republicans to vote for the bill.

But at least some are expected to do so, including Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, who announced Tuesday that he will vote for it.

“My name is Tony Gonzales and I am a survivor of domestic abuse, my stepfather would come home drunk and beat me and my mother,” Gonzales said on Twitter. “One night he decided that wasn’t enough and he put a shotgun in my mother’s mouth. I was 5 at the time and not strong enough to defend myself against wolves.”

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Gonzales added, “As a congressman, it is my duty to pass legislation that never violates the Constitution while protecting innocent lives. I look forward to voting YES on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in the days ahead.”

Fox News is told the word is five to six Republican yeses. But that number could grow to 15-17 Republican years.

Either way, that won’t reach as high a percentage of Senate Republicans who are expected to vote “yes” on final passage of the bipartisan gun bill later this week.

Chad Pergram and Aishah Hasnie of Fox News contributed to this report.