South Texas Democrat Candidate Bucks Party on Gun Control: 'It’s the Intent, It’s Not the Gun Itself,' says Lira

Lira’s words appear to repudiate Democrat's Talking Points

AUSTIN, Texas (Texas Insider Report) — In the aftermath of the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, Democrats across the country – led principally by President Joe Biden and his series of public comments or speeches following the shooting – are attempting to coalesce around a rallying cry in order to move new gun control legislation through Congress.

Democrat leadership in the House of Representatives have announced they will be bringing up legislation on the House Floor and be voting on multiple pieces of legislation that, they say, will curb gun violence. While the debate over the efficacy of the bills will likely be heated, early indicators suggest they will easily pass the House and make their way to the Senate with the support of every single member from Nancy Pelosi’s Democrat Caucus.

But while the president says now is the time to sign a new series of "Gun Control Reforms" into law, Democrat party leaders and strategists continue to struggle mightily to find an issue – or perhaps even a series of issues – to help them hold onto their slim majorities in Congress. Mobilizing the party's increasingly progressive base – and also winning over as many of the nation's Independent Voters as possible will be key to many race victories this fall.

Clearly the hope is to use a series of recent shootings to finally, as Republican critics have characterized the issue, take guns out of the hands of regular Americans trying to defend themselves, while passing legislation that does nothing to keep indivuals who want to from acquiring firearms to commit crime.

But not every Democrat candidate nationwide seems to be on the same page.

In Texas’ 23rd Congressional District – one of the nation’s top battleground districts every election cycle – Democrat candidate John Lira has bucked his own party on gun control.

Lira hosted a San Antonio campaign event in early May, and in remarks covering a host of topics, Lira’s words came across as a repudiation of the Democrat talking points on guns.

According to audio from the event, in reference to gun violence, Lira said:
 
Lira continued on and made a different point. He argued that when it comes to the right to keep and bear arms:
 
Lira even acknowledged that cities like Chicago – with some of the nation's most robust "gun control" laws – have among the highest rates of gun crime. He posited an explanation for this was that criminals still have been able to obtain firearms from an “underground” or black market.

Given the announcement by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that votes will be taking a priority on the House Floor later in the week, time will tell if Democrat activists, donors and organizations take note of Lira's remarks as the 2022 mid-term election heats up.

Galvanizing party unity around as narrow a message as possible, arguing that more gun control and including the banning of certain types of firearms, will require all of Speaker Pelosi's political skills – and will be a fine line for the House of Representatives to walk this week in what is an already fractious 2022 mid-term election.