KANSAS CITY, Mo. — U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., is drawing backlash from members of his own party in the state legislature after the retiring senator joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in support of a deal to address gun violence.
State Rep. Tony Lovasco of O’Fallon and 48 other Republican members of the Missouri General Assembly on Wednesday penned a letter asking Blunt to immediately withdraw support from the proposed measure.
The letter described the proposed legislation as “immoral and unconstitutional” and argued it would “further normalize support for the eventual disarmament of this nation.”
“Please stand tall and immediately and publicly refuse to support any legislation that incentivizes or encourages the passage of Red Flag laws or gun control of any variety,” the letter said.
Earlier this week, Blunt’s name was among the 10 Senate Republicans who signed on to the bipartisan deal proposed by Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut intended to curb gun violence, potentially the most significant effort at reform since the 1990s. Four of the Republicans in the group, including Blunt, are retiring at the end of the year.
Wednesday’s letter illustrates further blowback against Blunt from Missouri Republicans, who have largely painted the proposed deal as an attempt to confiscate guns. Blunt’s agreement to the deal drew criticism earlier this week from the Republicans running to replace him in the Senate.
Viewed as a bipartisan compromise, the agreement focuses primarily on keeping guns away from people who may pose a risk of hurting themselves or others.
The deal would provide money to states to help them administer “red flag laws,” which allow law enforcement to temporarily take away weapons from someone who is deemed a threat to themselves or others by a court order. It would also prevent people who are convicted of domestic violence crimes from being able to own guns.
While the deal stops short of raising the minimum age to purchase a firearm, it requires enhanced background checks to buy a gun for people under 21.
Missouri is one of roughly 20 states with so-called “constitutional carry,” where adults can carry a gun openly or concealed without a permit. State law does not prevent people convicted of domestic violence from possessing a weapon.
The letter penned by Lovasco included other members of the Missouri General Assembly, including hard-right state Sens. Bob Onder of Lake St. Louis, Mike Moon of Ash Grove, Bill Eigel of Weldon Springs and Eric Burlison of Battlefield.
The state legislators argued that the proposed deal would “authorize the forcible seizure of firearms from people without requiring them to be convicted of a crime.”
The letter noted that the Missouri legislature has a long history of rejecting similar gun laws, but indicated that “many other states will not have such resolve.” It accused federal legislators of punting responsibility to the states.
“It’s reasonable to conclude that not all aspects of Senator Murphy’s proposal are objectionable, and bipartisan discussion surrounding any legislation is a healthy part of the process,” the letter said. “However, under no circumstances should you allow any bill to advance that contains gun control or firearm confiscation of any kind, no matter how small or indirect it may seem.”
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