Local congressman likes what he sees in Romney’s bipartisan gun bill but is waiting for the fine print

ST. GEORGE — The congressman representing St. George said he is pleased with what has come out of a bipartisan agreement among 20 Republican and Democrats – including Utah U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney – that would be designed to reduce gun violence in the country, especially in schools.

In a Sept. 19, 2019 file photo, Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, leaves a meeting at the Capitol in Washington D.C. | Photo by J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press, St. George News

However, Rep. Chris Stewart told St. George News he will need to see the full legislation before giving his full support. 

“I can tell you that there’s a lot of things in there that I’m very hopeful about. The mental health funding, for example, is one that we’ve been advocating for a long, long time,” Stewart said. “I’m hoping that we can … have a piece of legislation that we can support, but I hate to make a commitment to it until I’ve had a chance to read it.”

Romney himself said there is still “a lot more” work that needs to go into the bill and its draft is still being finalized. He said he is hopeful that the bill will come up for a vote next week, but more time will be needed. Romney and the other legislators supporting the bill got a boost Tuesday when U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kent., said he supports the bill if it retains its current framework.  

Some 50 people marched last Saturday in St. George urging tighter gun restrictions in the wake of a new series of mass shootings across the country, including one in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 elementary school students and two teachers dead.

A rendering unveiled of the Washington County Receiving Center during its groundbreaking, Hurricane, Utah, March 18, 2022 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Among the highlights of the bill are: enhanced background checks for those under 21; closing loopholes, including those that allow non-married spouses to not go on a domestic violence list; more penalties for gun trafficking and purchases where someone is buying a weapon for someone prohibited by law; expansion of family and school mental health services and school security; and more funding for state crisis intervention centers including one under construction in Hurricane that will provide additional care for people picked up by police who have mental issues. 

Not in the proposed bill is a so-called “red flag law,” which allows people or police to petition for the temporary removal of firearms from someone they believe may present a danger to others or themselves. Such a law, which some states have in place, has been a red line for many Republican legislators, but Romney told St. George News he still supports it but it is not in the draft legislation.

Romney said the bill will have more funding for states that do choose to have a red flag law and leave it to states and localities as to whether to have such laws of their own. 

Utah Sen. Mitt Romney speaks with constituents at a town hall meeting in St. George, Utah, on Aug. 28, 2019 | Photo by Ryann Richardson, St. George News

“There will not be a federal red flag law. This will instead be a funding source for states that have red flag laws,” said Romney, adding that even for states that don’t have red flag laws, the additional funds for crisis intervention centers will play a role in not only flagging those who may be at risk for violent acts but also treat them to ensure a potential mass shooter will get needed treatment.

“States would be able to get funding for crisis intervention centers or some other vehicle that would make it more difficult for a troubled teenager to commit a violent act,” he added.

But Romney said he has his own red line: The Second Amendment.

“Neither I, nor my Republican colleagues, are going to vote for something which infringes on the Second Amendment rights of our citizens. It doesn’t make assault weapons illegal or make large magazines illegal,” Romney said. “We’re basically not going to support a gun bill that infringes on the rights to own a gun, but what we are going to do is do everything in our power within that framework to provide greater safety for our kids in schools.”

St. George News reporter Mori Kessler contributed to this story.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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