CNN
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Chris Murphy, the lead Democratic negotiator on gun control legislation, told CNN on Friday that he expects talks on policy proposals to intensify next week — adding that there are a lot of “outstanding” issues that haven’t been resolved.
from them: Whether to raise the age to 21 Senate sources to buy semi-automatic rifles Haven’t gained much traction yet are in talks and are skeptical if they can be included in a final deal.
“I don’t know yet if there’s enough support to get 60 votes on that,” Murphy told CNN about raising the purchasing age. “There are a lot of outstanding questions that we will have to answer next week.”
Murphy, who said he is “growing more optimistic every day” that a deal can be done, indicated that talks will take up a good portion of the next week, although he indicated that some discussions are likely to take place over the weekend as well. . Next week is an important week to see if a deal can be done, he reiterated.
“I know the focus on this crisis is very fleeting,” Murphy said at the Capitol. “I urgently need to get a piece of legislation that we can buy coworkers. I don’t know what we’ll have until Monday.”
Murphy also indicated that the White House has not been directly involved in the talks, although he noted that officials are getting regular briefings,
“They know we need our space — so we’re in regular contact with the White House, but they know it’s ultimately going to have to be a deal in the Senate,” Murphy said. The senator also said that the flurry of gun-related bills in the House would not affect how they function in the Senate.
“I think his process next week is going to be very important and very emotional. But we have to find our own way into the Senate,” Murphy said.
Murphy indicated that Senate talks focused on a handful of issues: upgrading school safety, strengthening the nation’s mental health system, expanding background checks, and prompting states to implement strict red flag laws, Other issues are still part of the talks, including rules on gun smuggling between states and ways for Americans to safely store their guns at home.
But all of those issues still need to be resolved – with the price tag to the plan and whether the costs need to be offset to avoid widening the deficit, an issue that could derail talks. Murphy said he did not know whether the plan’s cost would need to be offset with spending cuts in order to win GOP support.
On storing guns safely at home, Murphy said Republicans have offered ideas for providing financial incentives for gun owners, even as Democrats have pushed for a mandate that individuals have guns. How can you store Murphy was open to the GOP’s views, but added: “I don’t know if we’ll be able to find common ground on that issue.”