After renewed calls for action to curb the availability of firearms from Democratic and some Republican senators last week, all four proposed gun control measures failed to pass the Senate Monday night.
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Casey says the bills that were rejected called for more extensive background checks on gun buyers, and they would have made it harder for people on the terrorist watch list to buy guns. Murphy, the Democrat who launched a almost 15-hour filibuster last week to press for new gun restrictions after the Orlando massacre where 49 people were killed, sponsored the proposal.
“Gun violence requires more than moments of silence”. He suggested that Democrats used the day’s votes “to push a partisan agenda or craft the next 30-second campaign ad”. [John] Cornyn and Sen. “They’re approaching this serious topic in a serious, and constitutional, way”.
A second proposal to expand the background check system for those buying guns to require checks at gun shows and for online purchases went down 44-56.
The coalition included Democratic Sens.
Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Granger, might have been one of the few exceptions to that rule. Mark Kirk of IL and Cory Gardner of Colorado.
The proposal, sponsored by Iowa GOP Sen. Last week, Senate Democrats filibustered for 15 hours to demand that lawmakers act on gun control.
“It used to be that you could stay in lockstep with the NRA and get re-elected year after year, even if your constituents disagreed with you”, Murphy said on MSNBC. “I think that’s very important”, Klobuchar said.
Even if her gun control legislation does make its way out of the Senate, it’s unlikely to get a vote in the House, where House Speaker Paul Ryan threw cold water on the idea during his weekly press conference last Thursday.
Citing a fresh CNN/ORC survey showing vast majorities of Americans from all parties backing restrictions that would prevent individuals on terror watch lists from buying guns, Murphy predicted widespread voter anger in November’s congressional contests. While there’s bipartisan support for the broad principle of blocking terrorists from having guns, there’s significant disagreement on the policy details. Sen.
It would let federal prosecutors bar guns for the 81,000 people on the federal no-fly list and the 28,000 people on the government’s selectee list.
Many Republicans said they backed Cornyn’s measure, which would have allowed federal officials to delay gun purchases for three days while they investigate terrorism suspects. That measure failed with 53 yes votes, including two Democrats, and 47 no votes, including three Republicans.
The Collins compromise is more limited than Democrats want. The proposal, spearheaded by Sen.
Susan Collins, a moderate Republican senator from ME, was expected to unveil some kind of compromise legislation, but it also seemed unlikely to pass. The National Rifle Association has offered its support for this measure.
Murphy walked off the floor after the Senate votes and embraced Erica Smegielski, the daughter of Dawn Hochsprung, a Sandy Hook principal killed during the Newtown shooting.
“We need to keep working on this”, the senator said, “and keep the pressure on to finally begin to confront this scourge”. Some 109,000 names appear on the combined no-fly and heightened screening lists, of which only about 2,700 are USA citizens or legal permanent residents.
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The vast majority of Americans favor preventing those on terror watch lists from buying guns – including 90% of Republicans, according to a CNN/ORC poll released on Monday. Exactly what he would support was unclear.
