The Hill’s Morning Report — Will Congress act on guns?

Grief consumed Texas and the country on Wednesday following a gunman’s spree that killed 19 schoolchildren and two teachers in the town of Uvalde on Tuesday. In Washington, lawmakers debated legislating to strengthen gun background checks, “red flag” laws and other steps to respond to Americans’ fury and impatience. 

President Biden said Wednesday he will travel to the 16,000-person town “in the coming days” in an attempt to comfort residents as he pleaded with lawmakers to take action on gun control measures in the near future. 

“We must ask when in God’s name will we do what needs to be done to, if not completely stop, fundamentally change the amount of the carnage that goes on in this country,” Biden said at the White House before signing an executive order on policing. 

“The Second Amendment is not absolute. … You couldn’t own a cannon. You couldn’t own certain kinds of weapons. There’s always been limitations,” Biden added(CBS News).

The president’s remarks came as the gun debate intensified on Capitol Hill despite the possibility that nothing will ultimately overcome the 60-vote threshold in the upper chamber, a story that has played out repeatedly over the past decade. As The Hill’s Alexander Bolton notes, the leading proposal is a bill to deal with “red flag” laws with the intention to keep firearms out of the hands of potentially dangerous people. 

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced that the House will vote after the Memorial Day recess on a bill that would nationalize those laws. The legislation would also empower courts to bar individuals from buying or possessing firearms if a judge deems them to be a threat to themselves or others (The Hill).

Across the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Wednesday that senators would have the chance to vote on amendments on gun measures if the Senate GOP agrees to debate on the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act that is set for a vote this week. However, that possibility is exceedingly remote, as Republicans have vowed to block the bill, which garnered only one House Republican vote (The Hill).  

The New York Democrat’s remarks came a day after he told lawmakers that he was not planning to bring any gun-related legislation to the floor and would, instead, wait for a possible bipartisan compromise proposal that could garner the requisite 60 votes (The Hill). Among those expected to hold discussions are Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.),Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a centrist, and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), who is retiring. 

■ Emily Brooks and Mike Lillis, The Hill: Here are the gun bills stalled in Congress.

■ Dan Balz: America’s new norm: “Why are we willing to live with this carnage?”

■ Politico: Biden’s presidency has been colored by crises. It now faces the grimmest one yet. 

■ The New York Times: A timeline of failed attempts to address U.S. gun violence.

© Associated Press / Alex Brandon | Flags fly over the White House at half-staff on Wednesday. 

In Texas, state and local officials offered information on Wednesday about the…