Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) quickly followed his vote this morning to break the GOP filibuster and move forward to consideration of gun legislation with a lengthy explanatory statement and pledge to bring forward his own NRA-backed legislation.
“I welcome a debate on the Second Amendment in the United States Senate. I want to proceed to this bill. I want to debate it. I am not afraid,” Graham said. “Some have asked why I opposed filibustering a procedural motion to move forward.”
His reasons?
— “Many Senators have refused to even take a position on some of these issues for fear of angering one side or the other. There’s only one way to see where Senators actually stand – make them vote.”
— “Filibustering right now means Senators get a free pass. Some politicians’ dream scenario is one where they don’t actually have to vote For or Against a proposal but can tell each side they were with them all along. Again, let’s make Senators vote.”
— “Nothing the Democrats are proposing would have prevented the Sandy Hook massacre. We need Senators on record. Do you support these proposals?”
— “The legislation can still be filibustered after today in the United States Senate. And even if gun control legislation passes the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate it is unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.”
— “Finally, I have my own legislation, supported by the NRA, which I want to bring forward in the Senate. My legislation would make a real difference in keeping guns out of the wrong hands.”
That bill, Graham said, is “designed to prevent individuals like Alice Boland, a mentally disturbed individual who once pled ‘Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity’ in federal court for threatening to kill the President of the United States, from legally buying a firearm. Under current law, she was able to pass a background check, buy a pistol, and go to Ashley Hall School in Charleston where she tried to shoot several school officials. One bullet in her hands is one too many.”
“Again, I welcome a debate on gun control and you should too,” he continued. “The American people deserve to see where their elected representatives stand on the Second Amendment. Let’s vote.”