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Will Vacationing Lawmakers Face Post-Gun Control Backlash?

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WASHINGTON -- On the heels of the Orlando massacre, lawmakers faced intense pressure this week to pass gun control legislation. But so far nothing has gone through.

A historic 25-hour sit-in by House Democrats ended uneventfully Thursday when House Speaker Paul Ryan announced the legislative body would recess until July 4.

But while out, lawmakers may face angry constituents wanting to know why no gun bills on either side of the aisle advanced. 

Rep. Scott Rigell, R-Va., says bipartisan solutions are needed to protect Americans. 

"Before we're Republicans and Democrats indeed we are fellow Americans," Rigell said. 

"We must remember this: the threat of radical Islam on the home soil is not in dispute. Orlando and other incidents make it clear that this is going to be with us for a while, and we need to get smarter at this," he warned.

Rigell says he supports Republican Sen. Susan Collins' bill, a measure that prevents approximately 2,500 people from being legally able to purchase firearms. These people are known threats to the United States, and already are prohibited from flying. 

Rigell says Orlando nightclub shooter Omar Mateen would have been on that list due to his multiple FBI investigations. 

"As a life member of the NRA, to me there's no contradiction in strong support for our Second Amendment and at the same time saying we need to be mindful of who we're up against: radical Islam," he said. 

"They'll kill more of us if they can and I think this is a reasonable step and that's why I support the Collins path," he explained. 

Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., says he would vote for the Collins bill, but thinks more needs to be done. 

"The Collins bill is better than no bill at all, but I don't think that most people believe that the Collins bill would have any sort of dramatic impact on the problem we have," he said. "The problem is that it's too easy to kill too many people very quickly." 

Grayson would like to see three things: universal background checks, a 'no-fly, no- buy' rule, and an assault weapons ban. 

"It made no sense to me that the killer was able to walk into a gun shop and buy what amounted to a weapon of mass destruction," he said.

"He would not have been able to do that in 1994, or in 1998, or in 2002 or in 2004," Grayson noted. "But he was able to do that today and one person with one weapon was able to kill almost 50 people in matter of minutes."

Meanwhile, members of the Christian Defense Coalition prayed outside Speaker Ryan's office, calling upon him to address this issue.

"The first step is just realizing how can we deal with this problem as Christians, as people who love the Lord," Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition, told CBN News.

Matt Cole, a Newtown, Connecticut, resident and gun control supporter, said, "If you don't do something, if you don't allow for a vote, if you don't push to stop people from killing each other as your faith commands you, then what are we really here for?" 

The House is in recess until July 5, when lawmakers will come back and start this process all over again. 

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About The Author

Abigail
Robertson

Abigail Robertson serves as the White House Correspondent for CBN News, where she has worked since 2015. As a reporter, Abigail covers stories from a Christian perspective on American politics and the news of the day. Before her role at the White House, Abigail covered Capitol Hill, where she interviewed notable lawmakers such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. During her time on the Hill, Abigail loved highlighting how God is moving in the House and Senate by covering different ministries on Capitol Hill and sharing lawmakers’ testimonies and