周三晚上，两党枪支安全框架的高级谈判代表闭门磋商了几个小时，试图解决方案中尚存的分歧，但该组织加快通过协议的努力陷入了僵局，至少目前如此。
自10名民主党人和10名共和党人宣布就一个旨在遏制枪支暴力的提案框架达成协议以来，一个由两党参议员组成的小组一直在努力迅速将这些想法转化为一项法案，准备下周在参议院审议。但得克萨斯州共和党首席谈判代表约翰·科宁(R-Texas)周三表示，有两项条款目前困扰着谈判，一项侧重于激励各州实施暴力预防计划，另一项涉及填补所谓的“男朋友漏洞”。
“如果我们能解决这两个问题，我认为我们正在前进，但我现在担心的是，考虑到这需要时间，而且我们需要在明天之前完成我们的工作，我们必须解决这些问题，”科尔宁周三早上对记者说。
当谈判代表星期三晚上结束会谈时，他们注意到了一些进展，但是他们说，关于这两个主要问题的讨论需要在星期四继续进行。
“我们确实取得了进展，”科宁说。“但我们还没到那一步。”
“我们正在继续取得进展，”民主党首席谈判代表克里斯·墨菲(Chris Murphy)在科宁离开后表示。“这是一个非常紧迫的时间表，以解决一些非常严重的问题。”
参议员们感到时间紧迫，因为他们试图满足一个雄心勃勃的最后期限，将他们宣布的框架变成法律。如果参议员希望在参议院于6月27日休会两周之前看到对他们的一揽子计划进行投票，他们需要将他们的框架协议变成法案文本，以便其他参议员可以审查和投票。
自从拟议的框架宣布以来，在共和党会议上，关于如何建立一个支持或激励州暴力预防计划的计划的挑战一直在涌现，包括旨在暂时从法院认为对自己或他人构成危险的人手中没收武器的红旗法律。
根据Cornyn的说法，谈判者正在努力解决提供给各州支持红旗计划的资金是否也应该提供给具有其他类型暴力预防计划的州，如退伍军人法院，精神健康法院和辅助门诊治疗计划。
一些共和党人长期以来一直在与红旗项目作斗争，因为他们担心这些条款侵犯了那些被指控为威胁的人的正当程序权利。在周二的一次闭门共和党会议上，谈判小组以外的几位共和党议员告诉ABC新闻，他们对支持红旗法律的条款感到担忧。
据许多参与者说，科宁反复向他的同事保证，联邦政府不会强制执行这些法律。他还回应了早些时候的一次演讲，他在演讲中说，他们即将出台的立法将确保任何接受联邦资金的州都必须确保任何可能受到红旗令(也称为“极端风险保护令”)影响的人的正当程序权。
“大部分讨论都围绕着红旗问题，这也是我最关心的问题，我们要做好这件事，”共和党参议员凯文·克莱默(Kevin Cramer)周二表示。“老实说，我认为我们对红色浪潮比对红色旗帜更感兴趣，因为共和党人和我们有一个很好的机会做到这一点，”这似乎是指共和党人今年秋天控制国会的可能性。
Senate negotiations on gun safety reform stall over outstanding challenges
Top negotiators on a bipartisan gun safety framework huddled behind closed doors for several hours Wednesday evening to try to solve remaining differences on the package, but the group's effort to expedite passage of an agreement is stalled, at least for the moment.
Since a group of 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans announced an agreement on a framework of proposals aimed at curbing gun violence in the wake of mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, on Sunday, a bipartisan group of senators has been working to speedily turn the list of ideas into a bill ready for consideration on the Senate floor next week. But two provisions, one focused on incentivizing states to implement violence prevention programs, and another dealing with closing the so-called "boyfriend loophole," are now plaguing negotiations, chief Republican negotiator John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Wednesday.
"If we can settle these two issues, I think we're on our way, but I am concerned now given the time it takes and the need to complete our work really by tomorrow that we've got to settle these issues," Cornyn told reporters Wednesday morning.
When negotiators emerged from their meeting Wednesday evening, they noted some progress, but said discussions on these two major issues will need to continue Thursday.
"We did make progress," Cornyn said. "But we're not there yet."
"We are continuing to make progress," Sen. Chris Murphy, the top Democratic negotiator, said after Cornyn's departure. "This is a very tight timeline to land some very serious issues."
Senators are feeling the time crunch as they try to meet an ambitious deadline to turn their announced framework into law. If senators wish to see a vote on their package before the Senate departs for a two week recess on June 27, they need to turn their framework agreement into bill text that other Senators can review and vote on.
Challenges over how to create a program to support or incentivize state violence prevention programs -- including red flag laws designed to temporarily seize weapons from those deemed by a court to be a danger to themselves or others, have been bubbling up in the Republican conference since the proposed framework was announced.
According to Cornyn, negotiators are struggling over whether funds made available to states to support red flag programs should also be available to states with other types of violence prevention programs, like veterans' courts, mental health courts, and assisted outpatient treatment programs.
Some Republicans have long struggled with red flag programs out of concern that these provisions violate the due process rights of those accused of being a threat. During a closed-door Republican conference meeting on Tuesday, several Republican lawmakers outside of the negotiating group told ABC News they had concerns about provisions supporting red flag laws.
Cornyn, according to numerous participants, repeatedly assured his colleagues that there would be no federal mandate to implement the laws. He also echoed an earlier speech in which he said their impending legislation would ensure that any state that does take federal funding would be required to ensure the due process rights of anyone potentially falling under a red flag order, also called an “extreme risk protection order.”
“Most of the discussion was around the red flag issue, and that is my greatest concern as well that we do it right,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-ND, on Tuesday. “I think we’re more interested in the red wave than we are in red flags, quite honestly, as Republicans and we have a pretty good opportunity to do that,” seemingly a reference to the possibility of Republicans taking control of Congress this fall.
Still, Democrats are optimistic there's a solution on the red flag issue. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-CT., has been leading the group's efforts on red flag laws, said Wednesday that negotiators have already been in discussion on a "very doable" solution.
"We need to support every possible way to intervene in crisis before they produce violence. And red flag laws need investment of hundreds of millions of dollars for them as an incentive but also to implement them and at the same time we can have a variety of other crisis intervention mode that help save lives," Blumenthal said.
There's also been issues over efforts to modify law to close "boyfriend loophole." Under current law, unmarried partners who commit domestic violence are not barred from purchasing a firearm, though spouses who perpetrate domestic violence are.
Negotiators are struggling with how to appropriately define a "boyfriend" or partner in this language to include those who are unmarried.
Democrats earlier Wednesday sought to downplay Cornyn's concern about the two outstanding issues.
Democratic negotiator Sen. Chris Coons, D-DE, chalked both the boyfriend loophole issue and the red-flag law snag up to "modest negotiation challenges," noting that issues always arise when frameworks are being turned to legislative bill text.
"All we have to do is write text that is true to the framework," Murphy said. "You know, we all made a commitment to each other that we were supportive of the framework and then we're going to write that into law. I have continued confidence that we can write that framework into text and we can have that for our colleagues next week."
While negotiators continue to work on legislative text, there is a growing contingent of Republicans who have signaled willingness to supportive the framework.
Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday said he is "comfortable" with the bipartisan gun safety reform framework and will be "supportive" of the bill "if the legislation ends up reflecting what the framework indicates."
"My view of the framework if it leads to a piece of legislation I intend to support it I think it is progress for the country and I think the bipartisan group has done the best they can to get total support and the background check enhancement for that age group I think is a step in the right direction," McConnell said.
And other members in his conference are also signaling willingness to support the proposal.
"I just need to see the text…want to see the details. The framework I think looks good, but it’s going to be what the details are,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-WV, on Tuesday.
Getting text to members before the weekend will be key, Cornyn said. And he's still hopeful it can be done.
"We need to tie a nice thick ribbon around everything," Cornyn told reporters. "Because we have to have an end to this to write the text in order to be able to share it with colleagues and provide it to the majority leader to put it on the floor."
