Why is Schumer standing in the way of a bill to protect school kids?

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Ever since the horrific events in Uvalde, TX, Democrats have been playing the blame game. Basically and as per usual, they’re blaming gun rights advocates for everything that transpired that day. It’s our fault, they tell you, and they’re the only ones who want to address the problem.

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However, there’s a problem with that claim.

You see, while I understand they argue gun control is a good thing, what I can’t understand is why they’d kill a bill meant to make schools safer.

Also on May 25, Schumer blocked legislation, known as the Luke and Alex School Safety Act, that supporters say could help prevent school shootings. The bill would require the Department of Homeland Security to establish a federal clearinghouse on the best school safety practices. The bill was introduced by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and two of his Republican colleagues in January 2021.

“@SenSchumer blocked this common sense legislation in favor of his partisan agenda,” Johnson wrote on Twitter. In a separate tweet, he added “Dems aren’t looking for solutions, they want wedge issues that they hope will keep them in power. Sick.”

Look, we can have the debate about guns until the cows come home. However, a clearinghouse on best practices for school safety is one of those things that should be fairly non-controversial. Even if you think gun control is necessary, surely you can also think there are steps schools could take to minimize the risk to our children, right?

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Only, Schumer doesn’t think so.

“Well, of course not. He said it would put more guns in schools!” someone might chirp. Except, it doesn’t. I’ve read the bill and it does no such thing. It really is just a bill setting up a clearinghouse for best practices as well as funding the implementation of those practices.

The only way Schumer could really think it would put more guns in schools is if he happens to think that’s a best practice.

If so, why oppose it if the goal really is to protect children?

If not, again, why oppose it if the goal really is to protect kids?

At no point does this make any sense. Not if the goal is really about protecting children.

Now, I’m not going to engage in grandstanding and pontification about the vile motivations of my ideological opponents, unlike some people. However, it’s kind of hard not to in light of the information we currently have available.

What I can say with absolute certainty, though, is that I don’t want to ever hear a Democrat again utter claims that they’re the ones interested in keeping kids and schools safe.

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If they were, they’d be willing to pass what we should be able to agree on, at a minimum, then continue their fight for gun control. At least then it would look like they actually gave a damn.

Instead, they sure appear to be guilty of many of the sins they accuse Republicans of. Of course, I’m used to seeing the left project, so nothing about this is remotely surprising.

Yet if the issue was really about keeping kids safe, you’d think they’d at least try to look like they gave a damn. Clearly, they don’t.

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