As GOP Balks on Gun Control, Biden Appeals to Voters to Channel ‘Outrage’

President Joe Biden’s call Thursday for strengthened gun background checks and raising the age for purchasing assault weapons immediately ran into headwinds from Republicans who called his proposals a threat to Americans’ gun rights.

“President Biden had the opportunity tonight to help unite the country,” tweeted Darrell Issa, a Republican from California. “He didn’t. He lashed out at everyone who doesn’t share his gun control agenda. Then he demanded voters elect more Democrats. “His worst speech yet.”

In his 17-minute-long speech carried live on prime time, Biden made clear he anticipated a negative reaction from opponents, even as he appealed over the heads of legislators to turn voter outrage “into making the issue central” to the midterm elections this fall.

“If Congress fails, I believe this time a majority of the American people won’t give up either,” he said. “I believe the majority of you will act to turn your outrage into making this issue central to your vote.”

Support for expanded background checks usually is upwards of 80 percent, but Biden may have less appeal to voters than national polls show, even in Democratic-leaning states, the New York Times Reports.

In 2016, four Democratic-leaning states – California, Washington, Nevada and Maine – all showed at least 81 percent of voters supported the expansion of background checks, according to national surveys.

New York this week announced it would raise the age for purchase of assault weapons.

However, the actual support based on referendum results was much closer to each state’s partisan composition. California had the highest actual support at 63 percent – down from the 91 percent in national surveys. Maine had the lowest support in the referendum at 48 percent, down from 83 percent in national polls.

Support for gun control rises after mass shootings, implying Biden’s message resonated with voters despite the evidence that broadly supported gun reform measures have less support than polls show.

“After Columbine, after Sandy Hook, after Charleston, after Orlando, after Las Vegas, after Parkland — nothing has been done,” he said.

Republicans, however, said the right response should be more support for law enforcement.

“Anyone with any heartbeat is horrified that 19 little boys and girls were murdered, that two teachers were murdered,” Senator Ted Cruz told Fox News. “And what does Joe Biden and the Democrats do? They don’t come back and say, ‘Let’s unite behind law enforcement to stop criminals, to keep our kids safe.’

“Nope. They immediately demagogue and say the solution is to take way your weapons to disarm law-abiding citizens.”

James Van Bramer is associate editor of TCR.