Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, on Monday blasted President Donald Trump's suggestion Congress connect gun control legislation to immigration reform in the wake of two mass shootings.
"That's a joke – that's an absolute freaking joke that he's going to tie this to the most polarizing issue happening in the United States around immigration reform," Ryan, who is a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, told CNN’s "New Day." "This is very clear-cut here. There are people that are getting access to guns that shouldn't be, and the guns are high-powered. The magazines hold too many bullets."
Trump had tweeted earlier that day that legislators from both parties should work together to "get strong background checks" for gun purchases, and suggested "marrying this legislation" with immigration measures.
"[Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell needs to get off his a– and do something," Ryan said. "People are getting killed in the streets in America and nobody is acting. Nobody. There's a bottleneck in the United States Senate. The House has sent a comprehensive background check bill supported that's by 80 to 90% of the American people. What the hell are we doing in the United States of America?"
Trump said in his first comments about the recent mass shootings, "Perhaps more has to be done," about gun violence. His administration has largely avoided gun control efforts, aside from supervising a ban on "bump stocks."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.