Where Senate Republicans Stand on Gun Legislation

May 25, 2022

“The New York Times reached out on Wednesday 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.

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.

Kevin CramerN.D.

NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION RATING: A

“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.”

John KennedyLa.

N.R.A. RATING: A

“Look, if there’s legislation to be introduced, I will review it carefully as I do all legislation.”

Mitt RomneyUtah

N.R.A. RATING: A

“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

“My interest in doing something to improve and expand our background check system remains.”

John BarrassoWyo.

N.R.A. RATING: A

“We don’t want to take away the rights of law-abiding citizens.”

Ted CruzTexas

N.R.A. RATING: A+

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

“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

“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

“Doesn’t it also change who gets the checks? That would be one of my concerns.”

Ron JohnsonWis.

N.R.A. RATING: A

Mr. Johnson's office said, “The senator does not support HR8, 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

“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

Expanding background checks “would not be acceptable for the state of Wyoming.”

Mike RoundsS.D.

N.R.A. RATING: A+

“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

“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+

“I’m a Second Amendment person, period.”

Tommy TubervilleAla.

N.R.A. RATING: A

“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

“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 or didn’t answer

Marsha BlackburnTenn.

N.R.A. RATING: A

“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.”

Roy BluntMo.

N.R.A. RATING: A

John BoozmanArk.

N.R.A. RATING: A

Mike BraunInd.

N.R.A. RATING: A

“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+

“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

Susan CollinsMaine

N.R.A. RATING: B

“I believe that Congress should look at passing what are known as red flag or yellow flag laws. They allow a court to confiscate guns from people who are mentally ill who pose a threat to themselves or others.”

John CornynTexas

N.R.A. RATING: A+

Tom CottonArk.

N.R.A. RATING: A

“I have no comment on that.”

Michael D. CrapoIdaho

N.R.A. RATING: A+

“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+

Joni ErnstIowa

N.R.A. RATING: A

Said she needed to better “understand the circumstances” of the shooting before backing any fix.

Deb FischerNeb.

N.R.A. RATING: A

Charles E. GrassleyIowa

N.R.A. RATING: A+

John HoevenN.D.

N.R.A. RATING: A+

Cindy Hyde-SmithMiss.

N.R.A. RATING: A+

James M. InhofeOkla.

N.R.A. RATING: A+

“I hadn’t thought about it. You’re the first one to bring that to my attention.”

Mike LeeUtah

N.R.A. RATING: A

Roger MarshallKan.

N.R.A. RATING: A+

Mitch McConnellKy.

N.R.A. RATING: A+

Shelley Moore CapitoW.Va.

N.R.A. RATING: A

Jerry MoranKan.

N.R.A. RATING: A

Lisa MurkowskiAlaska

N.R.A. RATING: A

Rand PaulKy.

N.R.A. RATING: A

Rob PortmanOhio

N.R.A. RATING: A

Jim RischIdaho

N.R.A. RATING: A

Marco RubioFla.

N.R.A. RATING: A+

Ben SasseNeb.

N.R.A. RATING: A

Tim ScottS.C.

N.R.A. RATING: A

Dan SullivanAlaska

N.R.A. RATING: A+

John ThuneS.D.

N.R.A. RATING: A+

“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

“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+

“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.”