Stay skeptical. The extent of the progress is that Cornyn said he had “touched gloves” with Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat and fierce advocate of new gun laws.
Cornyn, notably, is among the Republicans to pull out of a speaking role at this weekend’s National Rifle Association annual meeting in Houston, across the state from the scene of the tragedy in Uvalde. His office cited a schedule conflict earlier this week.
That top Republicans like McConnell and Cornyn want to at least appear to be open to gun measures is full-on breaking news, even if what they might ultimately support is far from sweeping action on guns.
That the show must go on at the NRA convention is a little more true to the usual politics around gun safety versus gun rights.
Some are canceling on the NRA
The NRA’s convention will not be the event that was originally planned.
In addition to Cornyn, Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Rep. Dan Crenshaw, also of Texas, pulled out of the event. Abbott canceled his in-person appearance to instead attend a news conference in Uvalde, but addressed the NRA convention via a prerecorded video message.
“God Bless the USA” singer Lee Greenwood told Fox he was canceling his performance because he didn’t want to appear to be endorsing “that weapon.”
Gatlin told CNN he still supports gun rights and the NRA. He’s still a card-carrying member.
“I didn’t think it was a good time to go down to Houston and have a party with them digging 21 fresh graves in the valley of my precious, beloved Texas,” he said.
The NRA influence cycle
There is an eerie similarity between this year’s annual meeting, taking place just days after the Uvalde shooting, and the annual meeting in 1999, which occurred in Denver just days after the Columbine High School shooting.
The cycle repeats over and over.
Trump and Cruz attend
Earlier this week, Cruz told CNN’s Jessica Dean that people pushing anew for gun laws after the slaughter in his home state were trying to politicize the tragedy.
“You see Democrats and a lot of folks in the media whose immediate solution is to try to restrict the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens,” Cruz said.
American exceptionalism
Here’s what happened when Mark Stone, a US correspondent for the British outlet Sky News, asked Cruz this week why the US has so many more gun deaths than other developed countries.
Stone: “But why does this only happen in your country? I really think that’s what many people around the world just — they cannot fathom, why only in America? Why is this American exceptionalism so awful?”
Cruz: “I’m sorry you think American exceptionalism is awful.”
Stone: “I think this aspect of it …”
Cruz: “You’ve got your political agenda. God love you.”
Whose right is it?
There has been a lot of focus this week on the gun debate in light of the abortion debate.
The Supreme Court is poised to remove the right of American women to seek an abortion in every state. Their thinking is that state legislatures should have that power.
While the newly conservative court is likely to undo abortion rights, the court views as sacrosanct people’s right to own weapons, which is written as a clause into the Bill of Rights in the context of “a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State.”
States seem very unsecured now that gunmen routinely kill people going on about their daily lives.
Using anti-abortion tactics on gun owners
CNN’s Alisyn Camerota asked Texas state Rep. James White why the Texas legislature doesn’t use the same creativity it has shown in protecting unborn embryos to protect kids from being gunned down at school.
“We have this thing called the Constitution,” White said in answer. “What we really need to be looking at is, whether it’s in Buffalo or whether it’s in Uvalde, is these young men for some reason that have some very disturbed emotional state.”
You’ll hear that refrain from those who still choose to attend the NRA meeting this weekend, that mental health is the key to stopping shootings. You’ll hear the allegation that Democrats are politicizing the shooting. And you’ll hear the argument that more school officials need weapons.
