Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R., La.) stated on Wednesday that America needs "more idiot control" in lieu of more gun control.
Louisiana’s junior senator conducted an interview with the New Orleans Times-Picayune to explain his opposition to a bipartisan gun-control measure introduced by Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R., Tex.).
The legislation, S. 2135 or the Fix National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act, was introduced in November of 2017 by Cornyn after the Sutherland Springs, Texas church shooting. The bill aims to increase the efficiency of federal and state agencies in reporting criminal offenses and other pertinent background information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) database. The NICS database, which is run by the FBI, determines if individuals are eligible to purchase firearms.
The act would reward compliant agencies with greater federal funds and penalize those who do not.
"We don't need a law to try to get federal workers to do their jobs. We shouldn't be asking government workers to 'pretty please with sugar on top, can you do your job?’" said Kennedy. "To me, the state employees and the federal employees already have an incentive to comply with the NICS. It’s called their job."
So far, 35 other senators have signed onto the measure: 17 Republicans, 17 Democrats, and Sen. Angus King (I., Maine).
"It has bipartisan support," said Kennedy. "It appears I will be the only no vote."
This isn’t the first time Kennedy has explained policy reasoning through colorful terms. Last year, during the confirmation process of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, the senator compared school choice to shopping for mayonnaise at the grocery store.