Donovan Slack

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – House Democrats, responding to reports that Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., will schedule a vote next week on gun legislation, are already dismissing the gesture.

Ryan told Republicans on a conference call Thursday that he planned to bring legislation to the floor that would prevent individuals on the no-fly list from buying guns, according to multiple news reports. The speaker did not specify which measure he planned to proceed with, but Democrats believe it will be similar to a proposal they voted down in the Senate last week, saying it was unworkable.

That provision, sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and supported by the National Rifle Association, would have allowed the attorney general to stop gun sales to people on watch lists but only after proving probable cause before a judge within three days, a timeframe and standard of proof that Democrats say is unrealistic.

“House Democrats will keep up our efforts to push for the majority to allow a vote on gun violence legislation, but bringing up a bill authored by the NRA just isn’t going to cut it,” said Drew Hammill, spokesman for Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

She and other House Democrats staged a nearly 25-hour sit-in on the House floor last week demanding action on gun control legislation after Ryan declined to allow votes on gun bills in the wake of the Orlando shooting massacre that left 49 dead and 53 others injured June 12.

“I think the details here are rather important,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Thursday, suggesting that the president doesn’t want to see another version of the Cornyn proposal.

“We've certainly been pleased to see congressional Democrats make it a priority,” he said. “The president’s view is a simple one: If it's too dangerous for you to board a plane it should be too dangerous for you to buy gun. And that I think is a pretty common sense notion and it's something we believe should just get a vote. It should pass and be sent to the President's desk so he can sign it into law.”

Last week, the Senate voted down four partisan gun bills, including the Cornyn legislation. A bipartisan measure sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is still alive but has slim chances for passage.

Collins’ proposal, which would ban sales only to people on the no-fly list and a list mandating extra scrutiny at airports, survived a procedural vote last week but didn’t have the 60 votes it would need to advance to passage.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a version of the same legislation in the House last week. Ryan could choose to take up that bill, which may draw more support than the Cornyn language, but it’s unclear which route he will take.

The NRA opposed the Collins legislation because it doesn’t provide due process before gun sales are denied. Rather it allows them to appeal after the fact.

“If the anti-gun politicians in the Democrat majority wanted to pass legislation that prevented terrorist from purchasing firearms while providing meaningful due process to law-abiding Americans before they are denied their constitutional rights, they could,” NRA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker said Thursday. “Sadly, they would rather play politics and engage in political stunts. This is exactly why the American people are so frustrated with Washington DC.”

Gregory Korte contributed.

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