John McCain and Tom Coburn don’t support Rand Paul and allies gun control filibuster threat
For what started as three liberty-minded US Senators sending a letter to the Senate Majority Leader opposing any gun control legislation coming out of the Senate, has grown to at least 13 Republican Senator supporters, according to numerous media outlets Saturday.
Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) sent the letter to Harry Reid March 22, and was soon joined by the likes of Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) and Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma).
Even the smaller gun-lobby organization, Gun Owners of America (GOA), called “The only no-compromise gun lobby in Washington” by former Texas Congressman Ron Paul, has has pressured senators and the National Rifle Association to back the unwavering Second Amendment protecting trio.
However, not everyone in the GOP is as supportive of the filibuster threat. According to a report in Think Progress, Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn is not so enamored with the idea.
Coburn, who is working on compromise legislation that would expand background checks to all gun purchases, but would not require private sellers to keep a record of the transaction said after being questioned about it at a town-hall meeting at the Oklahoma Sports Museum in Guthrie, Okla., on Wednesday, “Is that about filibustering a bill to protect the Second Amendment, or is that about Rand Paul? I’ve done more filibusters than Rand Paul is old.”
Less surprising opposition to the Paul gun control filibuster threat comes from Arizona Senator John McCain. “I don’t understand it,” said McCain on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “The purpose of the United States Senate is to debate and to vote and to let the people know where we stand.”
The Hill reports, “What are we afraid of? Why would we not want… if this issue is as important as all of us think it is, why not take it to one of the world’s greatest deliberative bodies – that’s one of the greatest exaggerations in history by the way – but you know why not take it up, an amendment and debate. The American people will profit from it,” said the Arizona senator.
“I don’t understand why United States senators want to block debate when the leaders said we could have amendments,” McCain added.
[…] Obama targeted Republican Senators who are hinting at a plan to filibuster new gun legislation — a group that now includes Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. […]