How John Cornyn's historic gun safety bill has become a reelection liability

In the wake of the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde , U.S. Sen. John Cornyn made a risky decision for a Republican anywhere, but especially in Texas.

Moved by the deaths of 19 young school children, Cornyn helped shepherd the nation’s first major legislation on gun safety in decades that sought, among other goals, to enhance background checks for young gun buyers and crack down on illegal gun purchases.

The criticism was immediate.

In short order, the Texas GOP formally rebuked Cornyn, President Donald Trump called him a “RINO,” gun rights groups demanded he apologize for calling party delegates who booed him a “mob” — and the most consequential gun-related legislation the nation has passed in a generation became attached to Cornyn’s legacy .

Now critics are turning up the