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Where Senate Republicans Stand on Gun LegislationSkip to Comments
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Where Senate Republicans Stand on Gun Legislation

The New York Times reached out on Wednesday and Thursday to all 50 Republicans in the Senate to see whether they would support a pair of House-passed measures to strengthen background checks for gun buyers. Within hours of the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Senate Democrats moved quickly to clear the way for possible votes on the two bills.

The legislation would expand criminal background checks to would-be purchasers on the internet and at gun shows and give the F.B.I. more time to investigate gun buyers flagged by the instant background check system.

The vast majority of Republicans have opposed gun safety legislation for years, banding together to block its consideration or refusing to bring it up. Any deal in the 50-50 Senate would need the support of at least 10 Republicans, joining every Democrat, to produce the 60 votes necessary to break a filibuster.

Most Republicans who have responded to The Times so far have either declined to take a position or signaled they would oppose the measures, citing concerns about infringing on the rights of gun owners. All but one Democrat is supportive; Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia backs a narrower bill to expand background checks that he has co-sponsored with Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania.

Open or undecided

Susan CollinsMaine
NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION RATING: B
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $18,000
A spokeswoman said, “Senator Collins is one of two Republican senators currently serving who voted for Manchin-Toomey, which included background checks for all commercial transactions – including at gun shows and Internet sales – but exempted family gifts and transfers.”
John CornynTexas
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $584,000
“Now, we don't know everything we need to know, but once we do, I expect there will be informed debate about reforms we can make and I look forward to participating in those discussions.”
Kevin CramerN.D.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $13,000
“I think that’s something we’re certainly going to discuss, probably very openly. That particular bill, my first review of that bill was it went a bit far. I wish we could fix the things that they’re supposed to be enforcing now, with regard to lists like the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. But I’m not someone who takes things off the table.”
Mitt RomneyUtah
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $13.6 million
“I do believe that we will be looking at ways to improve our background checks. I’ve been looking at Toomey-Manchin as a piece of legislation, and seeing if that would make a difference. And I do believe that red flag laws and states are helpful."
Patrick J. ToomeyPa.
N.R.A. RATING: C
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $1.5 million
“My interest in doing something to improve and expand our background check system remains.”

Opposed or leaning no

John BarrassoWyo.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $27,000
“We don’t want to take away the rights of law-abiding citizens.”
Roy BluntMo.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $4.6 million
"I would hope that Senator Schumer's view would be to see if there's any bipartisan opportunity before he gets people started voting ‘no’ on gun legislation.”
Ted CruzTexas
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $176,000
Faulted Democrats “and a whole lot of folks in the media” for rushing to “try to restrict the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.”
Lindsey GrahamS.C.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $433,000
“None of these things we’re talking about seems to change the outcome, before these most recent cases. I doubt if any Republicans vote for that.”
Bill HagertyTenn.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $16,000
“To be clear: Using this horror to infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens — before we even know what might have prevented this tragedy — and accusing anyone who disagrees of being complicit in this abhorrent crime is not a solution that will make us safer.”
Josh HawleyMo.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $1.4 million
“Doesn’t it also change who gets the checks? That would be one of my concerns.”
Ron JohnsonWis.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $1.3 million
Mr. Johnson's office said, “The senator does not support HR 8, which would criminalize common exchanges of firearms and strip away the rights of millions of people while doing nothing to reduce gun violence. Universal backgrounds checks wouldn’t be universal. Almost 70 percent of prisoners who used a gun to commit crimes acquired firearms from black-market sources, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.”
James LankfordOkla.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $24,000
“My first thought is, background bill seems a little out of place based on what happened in Uvalde.”
Cynthia LummisWyo.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $19,000
Expanding background checks “would not be acceptable for the state of Wyoming.”
Mike RoundsS.D.
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $101,000
“It’s one thing to say that, regardless of the facts, you should just do something. The question is whether something you would do would actually make a difference.”
Rick ScottFla.
N.R.A. RATING: C
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $0
“I haven’t seen those exact bills. I don’t support taking away people’s — law-abiding citizens’ — Second Amendment rights.”
Richard C. ShelbyAla.
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $259,000
“I’m a Second Amendment person, period.”
Tommy TubervilleAla.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $10,000
“I’m willing to say that I’m very sorry it happened. But guns are not the problem, OK? People are the problem. That’s where it starts — and we’ve had guns forever. And we’re going to continue to have guns.”
Roger WickerMiss.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $106,000
“I’m committed to exploring bipartisan solutions that can help address gun violence without infringing upon the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners.”

Declined to answer or deflected

Marsha BlackburnTenn.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $1.3 million
“Schools should have secured, limited entry points, and increased funding for school resource officers. School officials with prior military or law enforcement experience should be allowed to carry firearms. Finally, mental health must be taken seriously. We should improve access to resources and treatment for those suffering from mental illness.”
John BoozmanArk.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $87,000
Mike BraunInd.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $1.3 million
“I’m going to focus on school security, which I know works. We’ve got red flag laws in Indiana that have really measurably worked. A lot of them need to be fine-tuned.”
Richard M. BurrN.C.
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $7 million
“If somebody’s got a solution to this, by all means, let’s talk about it. But nobody’s proposed that they’ve got one.”
Bill CassidyLa.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $2.9 million
“I would rather discuss it before I opined. You know, do my background on what these issues mean. It's just something I am currently trying to understand.”
Tom CottonArk.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $2 million
“I have no comment on that.”
Michael D. CrapoIdaho
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $58,000
“What happened in Uvalde is a horrific tragedy, and I condemn all violence. I’m personally devastated to hear of the young lives lost and I will mourn for the loss of these precious lives.”
Steve DainesMont.
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $454,000
Joni ErnstIowa
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $3.7 million
Said she needed to better “understand the circumstances” of the shooting before backing any fix.
Deb FischerNeb.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $20,000
Charles E. GrassleyIowa
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $225,000
John HoevenN.D.
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $25,000
Cindy Hyde-SmithMiss.
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $112,000
James M. InhofeOkla.
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $82,000
“I hadn’t thought about it. You’re the first one to bring that to my attention.”
John KennedyLa.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $216,000
“Look, if there’s legislation to be introduced, I will review it carefully as I do all legislation.”
Mike LeeUtah
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $8,000
Roger MarshallKan.
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $185,000
“I think we should all take a deep breath here and try to figure out what causes the problems here before we start jumping to potential solutions.”
Mitch McConnellKy.
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $1.3 million
Shelley Moore CapitoW.Va.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $338,000
"Senator Schumer has indicated that he would like to work together with Republicans and Democrats to find a bipartisan path forward. We’ll have to see what comes out of these bipartisan talks on any legislation."
Jerry MoranKan.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $37,000
Lisa MurkowskiAlaska
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $146,000
Rand PaulKy.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $104,000
Rob PortmanOhio
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $3.1 million
Jim RischIdaho
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $24,000
Marco RubioFla.
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $3.3 million
Ben SasseNeb.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $87,000
Tim ScottS.C.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $22,000
Dan SullivanAlaska
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $25,000
John ThuneS.D.
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $639,000
“I think there’s a time and place to have those conversations, and we’ll see where they go.”
Thom TillisN.C.
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $5.6 million
“I have not seen them, but [Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader] hasn’t consulted with us, so that’s a not a good sign.”
Todd YoungInd.
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $2.9 million
“I’m huddling up with my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats alike,” initiating “conversations about this horrible incident and what we can do to prevent future types of incidents.”