Almost from the minute Joe Biden stepped into the Oval Office, Sen. Joe Manchin has been a thorn in the Democrat party’s side. He’s a Democrat but recently, he’s been at odds with leftists proposals.
Manchin has stood up against a variety of Democrat-backed bills and proposals, and right-wing voters are starting to think they have an ally on the other side.
Now, this Democrat leader has once again stood against his own party.
After the tragic Boulder, Colorado shooting, Democrats quickly pushed for stricter gun control. New legislation has already passed through the House, and will next face the Senate.
Bills H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446 would make universal background checks a requirement on all gun purchases, and would extend the amount of time needed for a background check.
In response, Republicans claim this is another step toward diluting the Second Amendment.
And as it turns out, Manchin isn’t on board with these bills, either.
Via The Daily Caller:
MSNBC reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell said during Tuesday’s broadcast of ‘MTP Daily’ that Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin ‘doesn’t support’ the gun control legislation recently passed by the House of Representatives.
Caldwell said specifically that Manchin doesn’t agree with this new legislation, and added that it might be difficult to get them through the Senate.
Manchin does support gun control to some extent but apparently, these bills go too far in his eyes.
The Democrat Senator did work with Republican Sen. Pat Toomey (PA) a couple times in the past, in an effort to pass background check legislation. So, he’s not against certain restrictions.
However, in this case, the bills that passed through the House don’t get Manchin’s stamp of approval.
That won’t stop Democrat leader Chuck Schumer from bringing the bills before the Senate, though. Finished Caldwell:
Schumer has said he plans, regardless of where Republicans stand, regardless of where Senator Manchin stands, he’s going to bring the two House bills … up for a vote on the Senate floor to see where people stand …
So that is not an exercise to get them to the president’s desk. It’s an exercise in getting people on the record.
President Joe Biden has already said he supports H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446, and he also wants to ban “assault weapons” and high-capacity magazines.
The definition of “assault weapons” is up for some debate, though, as many right-wing 2A supporters contend.
And it won’t be so easy to get the bills to pass in the Senate, as Democrats need to reach the 60 vote filibuster-proof threshold. This means 10 Republicans would have to vote for it.
Without Manchin’s support, they actually need 11 GOP members to jump on board. But given the party’s history of backing the Constitution and 2A, this does seem unlikely.
Though it’s important to note that the Boulder, CO incident could swing the minds of some Republican leaders.
Key Takeaways:
- 2 gun control bills successfully passed the House, and will be brought before the Senate.
- But Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin reportedly does not support the legislation.
- This means Democrats would need 11 Republicans to vote for the bills in the Senate, which may not be possible.
Source: The Daily Caller