In the Michigan Senate Wednesday, Democrats tried to force a floor vote on gun safety bills one day after a school shooting in Texas left 19 students and two teachers dead.
The bills would punish adults who leave a gun where it can be accessed by a minor.
The legislation has been sitting in a Senate committee for nearly 11 months, and Democrats used a procedural maneuver to get the bills to the Senate floor.
Republican Senator Ken Horn opposed the effort. He said it’s too soon after the Texas tragedy to debate gun measures.
“They don’t give a flying frog what we do here in the Senate. Right now, they’re not paying attention to us. It’s way too early to assign bill numbers to their grief. Let’s have an honest conversation,” Horn said.
Democratic Senator Rosemary Bayer said it’s been six months since the school shooting in Oxford, where four students were killed.
“This is urgent. Every day we don’t take action, we are choosing guns over children,” Bayer said.
Republicans blocked floor action on a party-line vote and returned the bill to committee.
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