It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that anti-gun politicians care far more about scoring political points than reducing crime. Their support for policies that have no discernable effect on crime rates is proof enough for that. But sometimes they make their motivations more obvious than usual.

During a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee last week, Republican Representative Greg Steube proposed an amendment to the universal background check bill (H.R. 8) that would require local, state, and federal law enforcement officials be contacted if a firearm is transferred to a prohibited person after a delayed, and subsequently failed, background check. The amendment also would have required that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) be contacted if the person is determined to be an illegal alien.

Democrats voted against the amendment. They didn’t provide a rationale, but their motivation is clear. The chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler, cosponsored a bill in 2017 that is identical to Steube’s policy—except it doesn’t include the requirement to contact ICE.

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“Clearly, the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee don’t care about preventing gun violence, they simply are playing politics with Americans’ Second Amendment rights,” Steube said after the vote. “The fact that Democrats do not want law enforcement notified if an individual attempting to purchase a firearm fails a background check is truly troubling.”

“In rejecting this amendment, the Democrats have shown their true colors,” he continued. “It is clear they are not interested in preventing gun violence or stopping the illegal purchase of firearms, but rather they are only interested in limiting the rights of law-abiding citizens to advance their own political agenda.”

Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz also noted the inconsistency of his Democratic colleagues.

Democrats in the Judiciary Committee just voted against notifying ICE when an illegal alien fails a background check to buy a gun. They hate ICE so much that they’d keep ICE in the dark when illegals try to get guns! pic.twitter.com/WIkUDsW6FJ — Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) February 13, 2019

Current federal law prohibits “illegal or unlawful aliens” from possessing firearms or ammunition in the United States, but that law was challenged in 2015 by Victor Manuel Torres, who entered the country illegally from Mexico in 2005 when he was 20 years old. After being caught in 2014 with a revolver in his backpack, he argued that the law violated his Second Amendment rights.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled last month to uphold the prohibition on possession of firearms by illegal aliens. In its decision, the court ruled that “the government’s interests in controlling crime and ensuring public safety are promoted by keeping firearms out of the hands of unlawful aliens.”

Democrats in Congress, apparently, disagree.