Myrtle Beach-area Rep. Tom Rice votes in favor of gun control package
U.S. Rep. Tom Rice, a Myrtle Beach Republican, joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Friday with his vote in favor of a gun control package that now heads to President Joe Biden, who’s signaled he’ll sign it.
Rice’s “yea” vote came alongside 13 other House Republicans, including Wyoming Rep. Liz Chaney and others who were targets of former President Trump. Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales, who represents Uvalde — where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school — was another “yes” vote for Republicans.
Rice’s vote was also the second “yes” vote for South Carolina, along with Majority Whip Jim Clyburn. Rice is now the 7th Congressional District’s outgoing congressman after losing his re-election bid to state Rep. Russell Fry.
The 234-193 vote came after Rice had previously called for expanded background checks and includes a limited version of that measure.
The gun control package includes a number of measures aimed at restricting people who have interacted with law enforcement or have been diagnosed as mentally ill from purchasing weapons. The legislation includes:
- $750 million to incentivize states to implement “red flag” laws, which allow courts to take a person’s guns if they pose a threat to themselves or others.
- The closing of the “boyfriend loophole” which prevents individuals convicted of domestic violence from purchasing or possessing guns. Previously, the rule only applied to married couples, couples who lived together or had children together. The legislation prevents gun ownership for anyone convicted of domestic violence who has a “continuing serious relationship of a romantic or intimate nature” with another person.
- A requirement that more gun sellers to register with the federal government. Anyone whose primary source of income is selling guns must now register with the government, meaning they have to conduct background checks before selling a weapon.
- Additional background checks for people aged 18 to 21. The expanded background checks would include juvenile records in federal databases. Rice has supported a different form of expanding background checks that would apply to all gun buyers.
- Stricter penalties for people who purchase guns for others who are not allowed to possess guns.
- Increased funding to existing school security and school mental health programs.
Rice on Friday did not return a call seeking comment on his vote for the package.
But Rice last month told The Sun News that he “absolutely” supported expanding background checks, part of the legislation.
Expanded background checks are a measure Rice has supported for years, he explained in May, and he’s sponsored legislation in the House to do so. His bill, though it’s never been enacted, would allow law enforcement to search three databases — the third being the FBI’s National Data Exchange — when conducting background checks, rather than two. The third database wasn’t created until after the 1993 Brady Act, which first mandated background checks for firearm purchases.
“If they have interacted with the police, this bill would block them from being able to buy a gun,” Rice said of his bill.
Rice’s comments in May came after one gunman killed shoppers at a grocery store in Buffalo, NY and another gunman killed children and teachers at a school in Uvalde, Texas.
This story was originally published June 24, 2022 at 4:41 PM.
