Gun-Control Gains in Red States Amid Midterm Shift
Gun-control advocates secure key wins in red states during midterm elections, reshaping congressional power.
2 min read
Supporters of gun-control made significant gains in red states during Tuesday’s midterm elections, contributing to a sweeping Democratic victory. Republicans lost control of the House and Senate as Democrats captured key races in the South and Midwest, including flipping open seats in Iowa, North Carolina, and Texas, while ousting incumbents in Ohio, Kansas, and South Carolina.
Among the new gun-control candidates elected are Democratic Texas Sen.-elect James Talarico, South Carolina Sen.-elect Annie Andrews, and Ohio Sen.-elect Sherrod Brown. These victories followed substantial donations from billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who contributed at least $36 million to Everytown for Gun Safety.
BREAKING: Democrat Annie Andrews wins U.S. Senate race in South Carolina, NBC News projects. https://t.co/nBIBkG3e7E https://t.co/qnWosIlniP
Talarico, who previously supported gun restrictions during his time in the Texas House of Representatives, expressed backing for a gun licensing system, mandated safety standards for handguns, and a ban on modern semiautomatic firearms. Similarly, Sherrod Brown, who had a long anti-Second Amendment record in the House and Senate, supported bans on modern semiautomatic firearms, so-called “red flag” laws, and received backing from anti-Second Amendment organizations.
In South Carolina, Republican Sen. Darline Graham lost her reelection bid to Andrews, a former volunteer for Moms Demand Action, an anti-Second Amendment group backed by Bloomberg. In Kansas, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, a known supporter of reforms to the National Firearms Act, also lost his reelection bid after being outspent by $17 million by supporters of Adam Hamilton, a minister who became the first Democrat to win a Senate seat since the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration.
Meanwhile, in Texas, influencer Brandon Herrera, the Republican nominee for the 23rd Congressional District, lost to Democrat Katy Padilla Stout. These shifts in power could lead to new legislative efforts to impose higher taxes on suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns, with firearms potentially falling into the category of “any other weapon.”
Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy introduced an amendment known as SA 4159, which would restore and increase taxes on these items to $4,709 per item, during a debate over a funding bill in January.
Source: Daily Caller
