Rep. Jim Jordan accused Democrats Thursday of using their gun control package to repeal the Second Amendment.
Mr. Jordan, Ohio Republican and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, made his remarks during a markup hearing of the six-piece gun-control package that the House Judiciary Committee debated Thursday during an emergency meeting.
Democrats, who convened the committee while the rest of Congress takes the week off, pushed the legislation forward after 19 children and two adults were killed last week by an 18-year-old gunman at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
“Their real beef is with the Second Amendment. Think about what this bill does. [Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas] Massie just outlined for us the six bills on what this bill does. It tells law-abiding citizens when you can get a gun, what kind of gun you can get, what accessories you can get for your gun and where and how you have to store it in your own darn home,” Mr. Jordan said.
He went on to say, “That’s what this bill does. This is an assault. This is the start. We know what’s the start because [Texas Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee] was the first person to speak on their side [and] said this: ’We’re not finished.’ This is just the beginning of their goal, plain and simple, to get rid of the Second Amendment. [President] Biden said it the other day. He said he wants to ban 9 mm handguns.”
Mr. Biden suggested to reporters earlier in the week that 9 mm handguns should be banned.
“They said a .22-caliber bullet will lodge in the lung, and we can probably get it out — may be able to get it and save the life. A 9 mm bullet blows the lung out of the body,” Mr. Biden said.
“So, the idea of these high-caliber weapons is, uh, there’s simply no rational basis for it in terms of self-protection, hunting,” Biden added. “Remember, the Constitution was never absolute.”
The president made the comments outside the White House after returning from a trip to the site of the deadly mass shooting in Uvalde.
House Democrats named the series of gun laws the Protecting Our Kids bill. It includes bills that elevate the federal age to purchase a rifle from 18 to 21, restrict ammunition magazine capacity to 10 rounds, though existing magazines are “grandfathered,” mandate existing bump stocks to be registered and ban new bump stocks for civilian use.
Another measure in the catch-all legislation would amend the definition of “ghost guns” to mandate background checks on all sales and create new requirements for firearm storage at home – specifically when minors are present.
The package is expected to pass the Democrat-run House but die in the Senate, which is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans. House Democrats also say their bill will increase the pressure on GOP senators to back some type of new gun laws.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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