WASHINGTON — Sharing the story of his own chilling experience with gun violence, Uvalde Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales said he would vote for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which supporters hope will be quickly passed by the Senate.
“As a Congressman it’s my duty to pass laws that never infringe on the Constitution while protecting the lives of the innocent,” Gonzales said in a tweet.
The bill, led in part by Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn, involves several provisions aimed at reducing gun violence. These include funding for states to implement “red flag” laws, closing the “boyfriend loophole,” extending background checks for gun buyers under the age of 21, and increased funding for mental health resources in schools and communities.
The bill followed the school massacre at Robb Elementary in Gonzales’ home district that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
Senators including Cornyn released a framework for the bill on June 12 with the support of 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats. Tuesday night, just hours after the full bill was released, it cleared an initial 64-to-34 vote.
In a thread announcing he expects to vote yes to the bill once it reaches the House, Gonzales cited his own experience with gun violence. He said he’s a survivor of domestic abuse and that his school was often a sanctuary.
“My stepfather would come home drunk & beat on me and my mother. One night he decided that wasn’t enough and shoved a shotgun in my mother’s mouth,” Gonzales tweeted. “I was 5 at the time and not strong enough to fend off the wolves.”
The House passed a series of bills also relating to gun violence after the Uvalde hearings where surviving students, parents and doctors gave harrowing testimony to the effect of the shooting. The bill known as the Protecting Our Kids Act, included a number of provisions like raising the minimum age to buy a semi-automatic firearm to 21 and expanding background checks.
While the bill passed in the House, Gonzales voted against the measures.
“I am voting NO on HR 7910, anti-gun package – people keep playing politics knowing this bill has NO chance of becoming law,” Gonzales tweeted. “I am 100% focused on solutions, not rhetoric.”
Instead in interviews and on social media Gonzales has pushed for greater mental health access and resources.
Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, said in a tweet the Senate bill includes “important first steps” in addressing gun violence.
“I look forward to reviewing this bill as one of the building blocks to create a secure space for our children and to improve their quality of life,” Jackson Lee said in a tweet. “Our children deserve this! Enough is enough!”
Other House Republicans, however, spoke out against the bill and Republican senators that voted in favor last night.
Amarillo Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson called the bill “disgraceful” in a tweet.
“How many of these Senators ran as “2nd Amendment champions” only to turn their BACKS on their voters?” Jackson tweeted Tuesday. “WHY are we caving to Chuck Schumer? This is AWFUL!”
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, retweeted a list of the 14 Republican Senators who voted in favor of the bill in the first procedural vote, and wrote “Dems attack our way of life. @SenateGOP says “thank you sir may I have another.”
Backers of the bill in the Senate are hopeful to have a final vote on the bill by the end of the week. From there it will move on to the House.