HR 7910 - "Protecting Our Kids Act

On Thursday, June 2, just nine days after a minor wielding a weapon of war slaughtered nineteen fourth-graders and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, the House Judiciary Committee approved HR 7910, common-sense gun control legislation known as "Protecting Our Kids Act." HR 7910 raises the legal age to purchase certain semi-automatic weapons of war like the AR-15 from 18 to 21, institutes new federal penalties for gun traffickers and for selling large-capacity (100 round) drum magazines, establishes a buy-back program for those magazines, creates a tax incentive for retailers who sell safe storage devices, and strengthens federal regulations on the sale and use of bump stocks and ghost guns.
Every Republican, led by Ranking Member Jim Jordan on the House Judiciary Committee, voted against HR 7910.
The majority of Americans, including Republicans and gun owners, favor common-sense gun legislation.
We like to think that Representatives in Congress care about our views when they decide how to prioritize legislative agendas and vote on critical issues, but when it comes to the nineteen Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee, they don't.
Why would every Republican member of the House Judiciary Committee vote against legislation favored by a majority of Americans who pay their Congressional salaries, benefits, and perks?
A combination of two reasons.
1. They care about serving electoral constituents (those who are likely to vote GOP) but don't care about serving the rest of their constituents because retaining power, privilege, and wealth is more important to these members than saving lives.
2. They're concerned about hustling contributions from lobbyists, special interest groups, and wealthy contributors who make investment donations to buy influence and access to the point of drafting legislation guaranteed to generate returns on their investments. Republicans by state and district who voted on June 2 to protect killers, not kids, are:
Andy Biggs — Arizona 5th Congressional District Burgess Owens — Utah 4th Congressional District Chip Roy — Texas 21st Congressional District
Cliff Bentz — Oregon 2nd Congressional District Dan Bishop — North Carolina 9th Congressional District
Darrell Issa — California 50th Congressional District
Gregory Steube — Florida 17th Congressional District
Jim Jordan — Ohio 4th Congressional District
Ken Buck — Colorado 4th Congressional District Louie Gohmert* — Texas 1st Congressional District
Matt Gaetz — Florida 1st Congressional District Michelle Fischbach — Minnesota 7th Congressional District
Mike Johnson — Louisiana 4th Congressional District
Scott Fitzgerald — Wisconsin 5th Congressional District
Steve Chabot — Ohio 1st Congressional District Thomas Massie — Kentucky 4th Congressional District
Tom McClintock — California 4th Congressional District
Tom Tiffany — Wisconsin – 7th Congressional District
Victoria Spartz — Indiana 5th Congressional District
Perhaps voters who prefer to protect kids, not killers, will remember on November 8 how these nineteen Republicans voted on June 2.
What do you think?