Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said on Sunday that the Supreme Court’s attempts to block gun control could spark a “popular uprising.”
He made his comments as President Joe Biden accused Republicans of caring more about gunmakers than their constituents as he again called on Congress to pass gun control legislation.
Democrats bolstered their case that a majority of Americans support tougher gun regulations on the day Buffalo, New York, marked the anniversary of a racist gun attack that killed 10 people.
“If the Supreme Court ends up saying that states or Congress can’t pass universal background checks or can’t get these assault weapons off the streets, I think there’s going to be a popular uprising against that policy. “said Murphy, from Connecticut. .
A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that a federal law banning the sale of firearms to 18 to 20 year olds was unconstitutional.
Any other action could go all the way to the Supreme Court, which has lost the trust of a slew of Americans and faces new ethics allegations against the justices.
“A court that is already quite illegitimate is going to be in a crisis,” Murphy added on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
He is a strong supporter of gun control and his words can be seen as a threat.
Meanwhile, Biden marked the anniversary of the Buffalo mass shooting with an impassioned call to ban assault weapons and demand that gun owners secure their guns.
“The majority of Americans — even the majority of gun owners — want Congress to take common-sense action to reduce gun violence,” he wrote in an op-ed published by USA today.
“But too many Congressional Republicans are bidding on gunmakers instead of their constituents.”
The city of Buffalo marks the attack with a minute’s silence to remember the 10 people killed when a gunman targeted black people in a supermarket.
President Joe Biden on Sunday slammed Republicans for caring more about gunmakers than their constituents as he again called on Congress to pass gun control legislation
Biden made the request as he marked the anniversary of a mass shooting at the Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New York, where 10 people died
It will be followed by the sound of bells.
“The racially motivated mass shooting has deeply shaken our community. It was the day the unthinkable happened,’ Mayor Byron Brown said as he announced plans for the commemoration.
Biden pointed out that the killings were followed 10 days later by an attack on a school in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were shot dead.
“Jill and I have visited both communities, spending hours with hundreds of family members who have lost pieces of their souls and whose lives will never be the same,” he wrote.
“They had a message for all of us: do something. For God’s sake, do something.
In the aftermath, Congress passed the bipartisan Safer Communities Act. It strengthens gun background checks for youth and expands the use of red flag laws.
But more is needed, Biden wrote, pointing out that the toll since Buffalo last year included 650 mass shootings and more than 40,000 gun violence deaths.
City of Buffalo marks attack with moment of silence to remember 10 people killed when gunman targeted black people in supermarket
Payton Gendron (pictured being led into a Gendron courtroom last year) was sentenced to life in prison for the Buffalo attack. ‘I did a terrible thing that day. I shot and killed people because they were black,’ he said when sentencing in February
“Congress must act, including banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, requiring gun owners to store their firearms safely, requiring background checks for all sales firearms and repealing the immunity from liability of firearms manufacturers,” he wrote.
“We also need more governors and state legislators to take these steps.”
The White House sent out a fact sheet outlining the actions taken by the Biden administration.
They include enhanced background checks, especially for people under 21; adding dating status in cases of domestic violence to prevent guns from falling into the hands of people with a history of violence; and increasing prosecutions for gun trafficking and gun buying for those banned from buying guns.