Bipartisan Group of Senators Hold Talks on Gun Safety

A bipartisan group of senators has begun meeting to find common ground on gun safety legislation.

Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy, Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema, Martin Heinrich and Richard Blumenthal reportedly met over lunch with Republican Sens. Susan Collins, Pat Toomey, Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy on Thursday, two days after a gunman shot and killed 21 people at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Some, including Manchin, Graham, Blumenthal, Toomey and Murphy, have spearheaded similarly bipartisan efforts in the past. Reports across the political spectrum suggest that the group may be approaching a consensus on some safety measures, such as improved school security systems.

Another potential area of common ground is on red-flag and yellow-flag laws and a federal grant program to encourage states to adopt those laws, though some Republicans remain skeptical. Red-flag laws have been implemented in 19 states, and allow courts to temporarily confiscate firearms belonging to people deemed to be a risk to others or themselves. Petitioners, such as family members or law enforcement, must present evidence on why individuals pose a threat. Yellow-flag laws allow only law enforcement to petition the courts to temporarily confiscate guns from those people.

News sources across the spectrum highlighted the group's bipartisan nature and their potential to agree on issues such as red-flag laws, while many sources also framed total Republican approval of the laws as unlikely.