Marianne Levine is reporting at Politico [dot] com Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York August 7, warned Republicans against trying to pass modest legislation promoting so-called red flag laws as their only response to the most recent mass shootings. Schumer said Democrats would try to require any red flag measure that comes to the Senate floor be paired with a vote on legislation establishing universal background checks. “The notion that passing a tepid version of [a red flag] bill — alone — is even close to getting the job done in addressing rampant gun violence in the U.S. is wrong and would be an ineffective cop out,” Schumer said in a statement. “We Democrats are not going to settle for half-measures so Republicans can feel better and try to push the issue of gun violence off to the side.” Schumer argues that red flag bills alone would be insufficient without universal background checks. Red flag laws, which allow the police or a family member to petition a court to temporarily restrict access to firearms for anyone who may be a threat to others or to themselves, have been adopted in 17 states, including New York. Read the full story at Politico [dot] com.