A Florida Democrat issued a call to action Friday for House Speaker Mike Johnson to hold a vote on legislation that would ban assault weapons, suggesting that the Republican Party should reverse its yearslong course of enabling mass shootings in light of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

Representative Maxwell Frost, a Democrat who represents Florida’s 10th district, shared his letter to Johnson in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

“This past weekend, we saw that the need to act against political violence is not a partisan issue; it is a matter of public safety and common sense,” Frost wrote. “That’s why [Representative Lucy McBath] and I are calling on House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring a vote on legislation that would ban assault weapons and protect the safety of every American.”

The full letter urged Johnson to bring H.R. 698, Assault Weapons Ban, and H.R. 8600, McBath’s bill that would ban gas-powered firearms like the one used by Trump’s assailant, to a vote. The Assault Weapons Ban was originally introduced in February 2023, and its primary sponsorship was taken over by McBath that June.

“What we saw on July 14, 2024, is that the need to act against political violence is not a partisan issue, it is a matter of public safety and common sense,” Frost and McBath wrote in the letter. “It should not take the attempted assassination of a former President for the Speaker of the House to act. A failure to respond in the face of a brazen attack almost certainly invites a future tragedy.”

As a former national organizing director for March for Our Lives, the gun control advocacy group, Frost helped to establish the first federal office focused on preventing gun violence.

While Frost’s push isn’t expressly tongue-in-cheek, it seems to be a checkmate for the Republican-led House, which has repeatedly torpedoed attempts to expand gun restrictions.

The pressure building on Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race has reportedly led to his family gaming an exit strategy.

NBC News reports that Biden’s family are discussing how the president can step aside on his own terms, with a well thought-out plan. Biden’s health, his family, and the country’s stability are reportedly the chief concerns, along with the final plan being one that gives the Democrats the best chance to beat former president and convicted felon Donald Trump.

Officially, the White House denies that such discussions are taking place.

“That is not happening, period,” said White House spokesman Andrew Bates. “The individuals making those claims are not speaking for his family or his team — and they will be proven wrong. Keep the faith.”

Biden’s family even discussing his exit could be a big turning point. It comes after news this week that top Democrats including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Representative Nancy Pelosi have all spoken with Biden about dropping out. Even former president Barack Obama has voiced concerns, and one West Coast donor has taken the liberty of drafting an exit speech for Biden.

Earlier this week, the White House announced that Biden was diagnosed with Covid-19, fueling more discussion about health concerns. As each day goes by, more and more Democrats in Congress are calling on Biden to step aside, including five more lawmakers who joined the public calls on Thursday. Biden could drop out within a few days, according to reports. Still, some of his supporters think that a switch at this point could imperil the Democrats, especially if it is not well-planned.

The Democratic National Convention in Chicago is only a month away. If Democrats want to make a move, they will need to present a unified party to the country at that point, otherwise Trump and the GOP will see a lot of weakness to exploit.

At a pro-Israel event in Milwaukee on Thursday, House Speaker Mike Johnson described his plans to target Democratic lawmakers who protest Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming speech to Congress.

“There’s a number of Democrats in the House who have said they are going to boycott the event, and then some others are gonna protest,” said Johnson. “We’re gonna have extra sergeants at arms on the floor, and if anybody gets out of hand the Speaker of the House will bang the gavel. We’re gonna arrest people if we have to do it. We’re gonna get the message out.”

According to PBS, Johnson was the one to initially lead the charge to invite Netanyahu, after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the Israeli leader as “an obstacle to peace” due to his handling of the war on Gaza.

A number of Democrats are considering objecting to the upcoming speech. Several intend to boycott it, including Representatives Jim Clyburn, Pramila Jayapal, Greg Casar, and Loyd Doggett. Justifying his stance, Doggett pointed to Netanyahu’s encouragement of the “indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza and the resultant “loss of lives that should never have happened.” He said of Netanyahu, “He has not prioritized the hostages; he ought to be doing that instead of coming here.”

Others have considered different forms of protest. According to Axios, an unnamed House Democrat has said some of his colleagues plan on “going and disrupting” the speech. Wisconsin Representative Mark Pocan suggested “dressing in a certain way” or “sitting together”—but specified that he will not be “going MTG.”

On X (formerly Twitter), progressive political analyst Omar Baddar said that Johnson’s promise to meet protest with a heavy hand revealed a double standard, as Republicans have heckled State of the Union addresses by Obama and Biden........

© New Republic