Washington (CNN) – Four months after the massacre at a Connecticut elementary school, the gun-control proposal with arguably the best chance of passing through Congress went down to defeat. And in this case, a powerful gun lobby, coupled with 2014 campaign politics, trumped public opinion.
A bipartisan yet controversial proposal that would have extended current background checks for gun buyers to include gun shows and internet sales Wednesday fell six votes shy of the 60 needed in the Senate to advance through the chamber. The amendment by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania went down in defeat even though just about every national poll conducted the past couple of months indicated that the vast majority of Americans supported tougher background checks.
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(CNN) – President Barack Obama lashed out Wednesday at those in the U.S. Senate who voted against a compromise proposal to expand background checks on firearms sales, saying those who defeated the legislation "decided it wasn't worth it."
He blamed the defeat of the deal on "the gun lobby and its allies," saying those against the legislation "willfully lied" about its provisions.
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(CNN) – The U.S. Senate on Wednesday defeated a proposed ban on semi-automatic guns modeled after military assault weapons, dealing another blow to the package of tougher firearms laws sought by President Barack Obama in the aftermath of the Newtown school massacre.
(CNN) – Proponents of the failed Senate amendment that called for expanding the background check system reacted with sharp disappointment Wednesday after the Senate defeated the measure in a 54-46 vote.
Meanwhile, those who opposed the amendment expressed satisfaction and pride, claiming victory for voting down a provision they claimed would infringe on Second Amendment rights.
Check out a range of the reactions after the jump.
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(CNN) – In a major defeat for supporters of tougher gun laws, the Senate on Wednesday defeated a compromise proposal to expand background checks on firearms sales.
The bipartisan compromise was championed by Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and backed by President Barack Obama in his push for a package of gun laws in the aftermath of the Newtown school massacre.
"On this vote, the yays are 54, the nays are 46. Under the previous order requiring 60 votes for the adoption of this amendment, the amendment is not agreed to," said Vice President Joe Biden, who presided over the vote in his role as president of the Senate.
(CNN) - Vice President Joe Biden, in his role as president of the Senate, presided over Wednesday's big vote on a a controversial amendment to the package pushed by President Barack Obama in the aftermath of the Newtown school massacre.
"I hope to God that there are 60 people up there that have the courage to stand up," Biden said during a Google+ Hangout Wednesday afternoon, before the vote.
However, the amendment, a bipartisan compromise that expands the background check system, was defeated in a 54-46 vote.
"This is going to be a close vote," he said earlier. "But I assure you one thing: If we don't get it today, we're going to get it eventually."
Washington (CNN) - Even though polls indicate it's supported by the vast majority of Americans, the gun-control proposal with arguably the best chance of Senate passage may very well go down to defeat on Wednesday.
The Senate is scheduled to begin voting Wednesday afternoon on a number of proposals to reduce gun violence, including a bipartisan yet controversial agreement on expanding background checks proposed by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, and Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pennsylvania. Their proposal would extend current background checks for gun buyers to include gun shows and internet sales.
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Washington (CNN) - Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky argued Wednesday morning President Obama is using the families of victims from the Newtown elementary school shooting for political purposes and compared them to "props" in the ongoing gun control debate.
His comments later elicited a fiery response from Obama after the Senate voted down a proposal to expand background checks on firearm purchases.
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(CNN) – On the day the Senate begins votes on new gun control measures, the National Rifle Association said they were launching web ad casting President Barack Obama's proposals as detached from the reality faced by America's law enforcement officers.
The 30-second spot, which the NRA says it will spend $500,000 to place on websites like the Drudge Report, the Washington Post, and Hulu, uses polls of police officers showing little support for increasing background checks and banning assault weapons.
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(CNN) – The U.S. Senate will begin voting on amendments to gun legislation on Wednesday, including the leading proposals for tighter restrictions spurred by the Connecticut school massacre in December.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the list of first votes would include the bipartisan yet controversial agreement on expanding background checks proposed by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, and Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pennsylvania.
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