John Cornyn
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) - Shutterstock

In 2022, Congress passed, and President Biden signed, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in response to mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, that left dozens dead. The law incentivizes states to pass extreme risk protection laws, also called “red flag” laws, that allow members of the public and law enforcement to petition courts for a civil order to temporarily suspend a person’s access to firearms for fear that person might do violence. After gun rights advocates raised Second Amendment concerns, Congress included requirements that states applying for federal grants to implement red flag laws include certain due process protections.

But Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., say in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland that the Justice Department has handed federal funds to states that did not meet the minimum due process criteria. The letter accuses the Biden administration of ignoring Congress and demands to know why grants to at least eight states and territories with no red flag laws on the books nevertheless received federal funds under the DOJ program. The letter was signed by seven GOP senators and 26 House lawmakers. 

“The Department of Justice appears to have weaponized the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to illegally fund ineligible ‘red flag’ laws and bribe pro-gun states into passing gun confiscation laws,” the lawmakers wrote.

“Since the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, no states have revised their statutes to comply with the ‘due process’ requirements imposed by the 117th Congress,” the letter states. “Nevertheless, the Bureau of Justice Programs has funded every state that applied with a ‘red flag’ gun confiscation law on the books without enforcing Congress’ ‘due process’ requirements. The federal government should have no part in funding state level gun confiscation programs which violate the due process rights of gun owners.”

The Republicans, quoting a Myth vs. Fact sheet from Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn’s office, say Congress made explicitly clear that the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was not intended to require or incentivize states to adopt red flag laws. The law also prohibits federal funding from being used to lobby state legislatures to pass any legislation or law.

“Disturbingly, several states and territories without ‘red flag’ laws on the books have been granted funding for the creation and implementation of such programs – including Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Minnesota and West Virginia,” the Republicans wrote. “It appears that this Bipartisan Safer Communities Act grant program is being used by the federal government to influence states into enacting ‘red flag’ gun confiscation laws.”

The lawmakers called it a “federal bribery program” and demanded that the DOJ explain the lawful purpose of its federal grants to states without red flag laws.

“The DOJ’s efforts to disarm law-abiding gun owners is unconstitutional,” Marshall told Fox News. “The Biden administration must immediately stop this scheme to strong-arm states into enacting these laws and answer for the millions of dollars illegally distributed in an attempt to do so. Kansans will not accept any attempts by this administration to strip them of their Second Amendment rights.”

“This scheme by the Biden Department of Justice is clearly intended to bribe and coerce states into adopting gun confiscation laws,” said Mooney. “West Virginia is a constitutional carry state and has no business receiving federal dollars to restrict Second Amendment rights. West Virginians deserve to know how the federal and state governments are spending tax dollars to limit your constitutional rights.”

–  Chris Pandolfo in Justice Department ‘Weaponized’ Bipartisan Gun Safety Law to ‘Illegally Fund’ Red Flag Laws, Republicans Say

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

52 COMMENTS

  1. Cornyn’s Folly? Clearly this was a feature as far as the Texas senator is concerned. Of course both my senators are far worse. and I blame Trump for getting them elected.

      • I blame him for telling Georgia Republicans that their votes weren’t going to count because the Democrats were going to steal the election anyway. As a result over 425,000 Republicans that voted in the general election didn’t bother to show up for the run off. That handed the both seats to the damned Democrats and thus the Senate to the tender mercies of Chuck Schumer, and yes it is his fault.

        • rusty…Perhaps it was heads full of the Trump Bashing slander that lost the so called elections for GA senators…All your Trump Bashing accomplishes is making you look dumber than dirt while putting a pleasing sht grin on a democRat.

        • Rusty,
          You’ve been fooled by the propaganda. Trump did NOT tell people not to show up. He did the opposite. He pushed hard in 2021 to get Perdue and Loeffler elected. Then he tried to help Walker get elected to the senate. If you’re fooled about this sort of thing, then is it any wonder that others were fooled into believing that Biden was actually a good choice?

          January 04, 2021 09:39 PM

          ATLANTA — President Trump on Monday told a revved-up crowd in Georgia to vote for two Republican senators locked in tight runoff races that will determine the success of President-elect Joe Biden’s legislative agenda.

          Calling the runoffs a “biggie,” Trump said if Democrats won Tuesday’s contests, it would give them “the power to ram through every deluded piece of left-wing legislation that they’ve ever wanted, that they’ve ever dreamt of.”

          “Your religious liberty will be gone, your Second Amendment will be gone, your borders and great new wall will be gone, your police departments will be gone as we know them, and your life savings will be gone,” Trump said.

          Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are going head-to-head against Republican incumbents Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.

        • “it would give them “the power to ram through every deluded piece of left-wing legislation that they’ve ever wanted, that they’ve ever dreamt of.”

          “Your religious liberty will be gone, your Second Amendment will be gone, your borders and great new wall will be gone, your police departments will be gone as we know them, and your life savings will be gone,” Trump said.

          Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are going head-to-head against Republican incumbents Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.”

          And Trump was right… the left wing democrats have tried to “ram through every deluded piece of left-wing legislation that they’ve ever wanted, that they’ve ever dreamt of” aimed at doing exactloy what he said with “Your religious liberty will be gone, your Second Amendment will be gone, your borders and great new wall will be gone, your police departments will be gone as we know them, and your life savings will be gone,”

          It was only the Republicans gaining majority control of the House of Representatives that keeps it from happening in congress, and only republican controlled legislatures and republican governors keeping it from happening in their various states.

          the left-wing has clearly exposed their agenda, they don’t even bother to try to keep it a secret any more. And they are willing to commit crimes, and planned and documented intentional infringement of rights, to do it too as well as conspire with others to do it, and that’s being exposed in the current house hearings with actual evidence.

        • You are correct. Trump told Georgia republicans not to bother to vote. Stupidest thing he’s ever said.

        • You’re not going to get the Trumptards to admit almost everything Trump has touched since leaving office has turned to shit. Losing the Senate twice has cost the country dearly.

          What kind of dumbfuck backs a candidate for PA senator that can’t beat a brain-damaged, Frankenstein-looking, neanderfuck.

        • You’re a fucking idiot Cato. What kind of brain dead bitch votes for a literally brain dead bitch…Cato I’m thinking.

        • Yes, everything you don’t like is Trump’s fault. Life is much easier that way. It’s funny that you aren’t asking what kind of person would vote for Fetterman since he apparently got the most votes. I don’t think you understand how elections work.

        • Muck and Dud

          I voted for Trump asswipes. I know how elections work, I also know it pays to back candidates that have a chance to win.

          As far as being a bitch, that’s your mom’s title.

        • Anyone capable of speaking in complete sentences should have beaten Fetterman. That’s the point. The people of PA chose a literal braindead lib over Oz. I’m not saying Oz was a good candidate. I thought he was awful. But anyone would have been better than Fetterman. The people in PA apparently disagreed. That says more about PA than Trump.

          Did Oz lose the right wing or the centrist voter? Oz was more of a centrist. If Oz lost centrist voters, then so would any other candidate. If Oz lost right wing voters, then they chose Fetterman by default. That’s how elections work.

        • Does the phrase “Trump was right” mean anything to you. There are hardly any Democrats and very few Republicans who do the right thing. And the leadership in Georgia is the worst.

        • So the ACTUAL PEOPLE who did not cast a vote, who abdicated the responsibilities of citizenship are not to blame? Are those people so um…uninformed that unless someone tells them what to do they remain motionless? REALLY?

        • Of course you cannot prove anything you say, special elections are ALWAYS lower turn out than the general. Maybe blame the idiot voters there.

      • Every single architect of these constitutional travesties should stripped of public office, charged and prosecuted for high treason, constitutional Infringements under US code 18 §241, & 242, Fraud, etc… Sentenced to life in prison… DemoNUT Demo-Authoritarian, or RepubliCON both are responsible for helping destroy America!!!!

      • Trump is an idiot and no friend to the 2nd amendment! You must have forgot it’s because of him bump stocks were made illegal. You must have forgot him saying just take the guns first, then do due process later but you go ahead and keep putting him on a pedestal.

        • I’m not putting anyone on a pedestal. Are you speaking to me or the voices in your head?

        • Dude!…😎

          And fuck Me…You bitch Me…How is Bribem working out for We?

          That was wierd…what happened to i after e except after c?

        • Wow Bump Stocks and 80% lowers, ghost guns, all legal now, the courts have ruled you argue a MOOT POINT!!!

    • rusty…I blame pathetic politically inept twerps like you for putting Jim Crow Gun Control democRat joe biden in the White House.

      • slinging blame is always helpful.
        do you blame your robot parents for not transitioning you?

  2. It is hard for me to see a pic of John Cornyn without getting enraged especially when it looks like he is about to plant a kiss on Chris Murphy’s ass

  3. Oh, sorry. I see it has “Bipartisan” right in the name. I will now throw my whole support behind this effort to take my guns.

  4. Garland has been using the funds illegally. Per the “Safer Communities Act” the funds can only be used for states that already have ‘red flag’ laws that include due process, and zero states have ‘red flag’ laws that have due process (according to the states laws and the creators of the ‘Safer Communities Act’) – and heck, Garland even gave money to states that don’t even have ‘red flag’ laws, to bribe them to create ‘red flag’ laws.

    BTW, the money goes away in 2026. They timed it expecting that the democrats would win again in 2024 but that’s becoming unlikely as the current ongoing house hearings have reveled more and more evidence (yes, actual evidence) that shows democrats may not be the best choice next time.

    Heck, just on the evidence they have revealed for the Hunter Biden lap top alone … according to surveys for that around 50% of those that voted for Biden last time have indicated they would not have voted for Biden had they known about the Hunter laptop (which the dems and some government agencies and social media and MSM censored and lied about it turns out in the evidence – the NY Post was the only one that told the truth about it from the very beginning it turns out) – had those voters known about that lap top they would have not voted for Biden or voted democrat.

    • The Massive Mail-In Vote Cheat Machine will need to have a wrench thrown in it before the Democrats will lose.

  6. And where were the Trump Bashing democRat butt kissing Gun Talkers during the massive Uvalde Gun Control March? Nowhere.

    During that time one man stood on the floor of congress and Defined Gun Control by its History. And pathetic Gun Talking blowbags like oldshtgeoff have yet to show one bit of appreciation for a man who stood up to a tidal wave of Uvalde Gun Control insanity…

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=WlItbl9SOAg&feature=share

    • Take your menopause meds dearie.

      I seriously feel bad for whoever is stuck living with a retarded dingbat like you… 🙂

  8. Texans that voted for Cornyn were fools. He is anti-gun until just before every election.

    Get a grip, Texas!

    • AND you can’t trust politicians. In ILLannoy there’s quite often no difference…

    • As a Texan, i am amazed that that p o s Cornyn is still there in D C . I called his office and raised almighty hell over his b s red flag treason law . Later i got a letter that expoused his past and present support for the Second Amendment. I wrote the s o b back and told ” don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining “. We need to primary the RINO. ( Mconnel’s right hand man ).

  9. There is an old adage “The Far Right are always their own worst enemies”.

    The advanced paranoia and stupidity of the Far Right is “infinite”. By preventing common sense gun laws from being passed it only guarantees that mass murders and crime and homicides with guns will increase which in turn results in a hue and cry for even more draconian gun bans.

    Even a High School Class is intelligent enough to see that the gun laws of industrialized Foreign Countries have resulted in way less mass murders and crime and homicides with firearms. Of course the deraigned paranoia of the Far Right makes them reject all the historical facts with the simple “wave of the hand”. One would have more success teaching an Orangitang than anyone of the Neanderthals of the Far Right.

    • “By preventing common sense gun laws from being passed it only guarantees that mass murders and crime and homicides with guns will increase …”

      Hey, asshole — explain how the current laws against murder, crime and homicides are working to prevent crime. Or explain how they’re a failure. Either way, more laws aren’t going to change the behavior of criminals.

      But you’re stupid and won’t be able to make that connection.

      • If only we had just one more law – if only we had just one more law – if only we had just one more law ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………etc.

    • see how intellectually dishonest dacian is, and ignorant.

      see how its now “industrialized Foreign Countries” and not “civilized countries”.

      he’s an idiot

    • To lil’d, anyone to the right of him is a fascist.

      But he is so far left he’s further on the right than actual fascists.

      It’s not a p0litical line. It is a circle that returns on itself.

    • Due process is important not just for 2A rights, but for all rights and even privileges. To deny due process is fascist.

    • You leftist dolts will never take guns from conservatives.
      Eat s hit and bark at the moon.

  12. Cornyn is “MY” Senator. Many Democrats in my area voted in the Republican primary and voted for Cornyn. Cornyn is NOT popular with Republicans around here.

Comments are closed.