Conservatives lay off Senate gun negotiations

The next two weeks will determine whether the Senate GOP embraces what would — despite its narrow parameters — be the biggest gun bill in decades. Many conservatives are expected to oppose any final agreement, if one can come to the floor. But until then, some surprising voices in the party say they are open to what’s being discussed.

Referring to the Texas shooting of 19 children and two teachers, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said Republicans have “got to keep the integrity of the Constitution, but we all understand the significance of what happened. And what will happen again.”

That attitude across the aisle is precisely why Senate Democrats are willing to take just about whatever Republicans will give them in small-group talks among Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). The quartet met again on Thursday afternoon and plan to speak again on Friday. Cornyn said Thursday that “there is a possibility we will wrap up our remaining issues, but no guarantee.”

While some conservatives have questioned the talks privately in party meetings, they’re not publicly berating the negotiations. As Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) put it: “We’re going to wait and see what kind of [plan] comes out of the discussions.”

Republicans are mostly open to a gun safety proposal because of how limited the talks are, according to interviews with more than a dozen GOP senators. Big background-checks expansions, raising the minimum age for buying some firearms and a revival of the assault weapons ban are all essentially off the table.

One Republican senator, granted anonymity to speak candidly about the talks, said that “John Cornyn is not going to do anything that won’t go over with his base in Texas.” A second Republican senator estimated the potential base of GOP support as perhaps “a group of about 15 of us. Maybe up to 25, depending on what’s in it.”

Democrats are still skeptical that the…