Remember how our government pledged to do something about the gun violence that resulted in 20 elementary school children getting killed? Well, it's been 4 months and here's what happened when the Senate -- which took the lead -- finally had a vote:
As expected, the watered-down Manchin-Toomey amendment to extend background checks on guy buyers to some private sales collided in the Senate with a Republican filibuster Wednesday afternoon.
The vote was 54-46, four short of the magic number needed to pass it under the rules. Thus did a minority reject a move that 86 percent of Americans said they support in the most recent poll.
Five Democrats voted against the amendment: Mark Pryor of Arkansas; Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota; Mark Begich of Alaska; and Max Baucus of Montana. Reid voted against for procedural reasons, so he can bring the proposla up in the future. Four Republicans who voted for: Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania; Mark Kirk of Illinois; Susan Collins of Maine; John McCain of Arizona.
In the gallery to watch the vote unfold were some families of the victims of the Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school massacre of December 14.
And the other amendments being offered up right now are being shot down one by one...
Having defeated the Manchin-Toomey background-check bill, the Senate shot down three other amendments to the gun bill in quick succession Wednesday. With 60 votes needed to win:
Introduced at the last minute, the Grassley substitute amendment for Manchin-Toomey failed 52-48. It would have provided more money for school safety, for stepped-up prosecution of felons, and for mental health; easing of the interstate transport of guns by private citizens.
Leahy-Collins amendment failed 58-42. It would have imposed tougher penalties on gun trafficking and for straw purchasers (those who buy guns for individuals barred from legally owning firearms).
Cornyn amendment failed 57-43. It would federalize interstate reciprocity for concealed-carry permits. Currently, states have bilateral reciprocity agreements with each other which vary widely. Thus a person with an easily obtained Florida concealed-carry permit could carry a hidden firearm in California, where such permits are far more difficult to come by.
god bless America... disgusting... and god bless the stupid filibuster that has bills failing despite having majority 57-43 support.
Two other amendments—which would ban assault weapons and limit the capacity of ammunition magazines—have been DOA since they were introduced. Reid said in March that he could not even gather 40 votes for the assault weapons ban, something he has, in the past, opposed. But in a floor speech Wednesday, Reid surprisingly favored that proposal:
I will vote for Senator Dianne Feinstein’s assault weapons ban because we must strike a better balance between the right to defend ourselves and the right of every child in America to grow up safe from gun violence.
I chose to vote my conscience, not only as Harry Reid, United States Senator, but also as a husband, a father, a grandfather and a friend. I choose to vote my conscience because, if tragedy strikes again—if innocents are gunned down in a classroom or a theater or a restaurant—I could not live with myself as a father, as a husband, as a grandfather or as a friend knowing that I didn’t do everything in my power to prevent it.
