April 17th, 2013
04:29 PM ET
10 years ago
Breaking: Senate defeats gun background check proposal
(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.
From CNN Politics
- Biden zeroes in on the newly powerful House GOP as a threat to the rebounding economy
- 10 Cards Charging 0% Interest Until 2024
- Untitled
- These benefits will disappear when Biden ends the Covid national and public health emergencies in May
- Century-old train tunnels in Baltimore and New York to get funding from Biden's infrastructure law
- Biden's message to McCarthy ahead of critical White House meeting: Show me your plan
maybe congress can stop wasting time now and do something useful
A watered down version to make it even more broadly accepted than the over 90% that already supported expanding background checks. If something supported by over 90% of Americans can't overcome a Republican filibuster, then we can almost give up hope of anything every passing again. Why it is so important to protect felons over victims of gun violence is inconceivable. Even members of the NRA support expanding background checks with over 80%. So here again, congressional Democrats are on the side of the American people and the congressional Republicans don't, in fact here they don't even represent a majority of their own party.
Wow. When will America ever learn.
Apparently these elected officials do NOT care AT ALL about our kids. Why is everyone so polarized when we ought to be meeting in the middle with a plan that could help protect our precious children?! Are more background checks really THAT much of an inconvenience? Seriously. This is NOT an all-or-nothing issue. I think what we really need is background checks on the sanity of our elected officials.
There is absolutely not one shred of hard evidence to even remotely support the notion that, if it had been in existence for that past 20 years, this amendment would have prevented even one shooting. My Senators both voted "nay" on this bit of good-hearted, wrong-headed nonsense, and they'll be sure to get my vote again.
For the record: I don't own any firearms, and have no plans to do so. I voted for Obama the first time around, but soon realized he is as much a grandstanding, crony-loving buffoon as George W. Bush.
Four Republicans voted for the amendment, but five Democrats voted against it. One of those Democrats was Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid - who only switched his vote to oppose it because doing so allows Democrats to call up the measure again. Other Democrats who voted against the measure for non-procedural reasons were Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Sen. Mark Begich of Alaska, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Sen. Max Baucus of Montana.
I think that musilim plot citzien are keep out of u.s cause musilims citzien plot are hide with terroist.
These idiots were SOLD OUT to NRA thugs. Hold your heads. 2014 Neck these idiots out–democracy.
NRA win = GOP loss
Enjoy it while you can, Teatrolls. You won zero votes with this crap and lost many, but you're just too stupid to realize it.
Let's make schools safer. From now on, all GOP/Teatroll/NRA/gun nut children must be paired with a chld of like age from a liberal/Dem household and sent with them to school so that in the event of a shooting, said GOP/Teatroll child can be used to shield the other child. You want "school shields"...you got 'em.
Out of all the massacres we've had in the U.S. recently, how many involved guns that were bought legally?
When a small minority can thwart the will of 90% of the people, we no longer live in a Democracy.
We already know who the two Repubs who crossed the aisle and voted with the Dems. Who were the three Dems who voted with the Repubs.
Here we go again. Republicans give input, go along, go along, go along, string it out, then BAM!!!!! NO
Just like the past 5 years.
@donna,you fit the last part of your post. Just ask the murderer in Newtown's mother how well that worked out for her. Crazy son, mother not crazy!
Donna, yes crazy people like.you who fail to recognize the rights of all.
America: Where guns are Sacred and life is Worthless.
What a disgrace!! Getting really tired of conservatives whether they are republicans or democrats.
We need to get rid of this really stupid 60 vote rule in the Senate. Nothing is being accomplished and it is not democratic.
Congress, do something worthwhile for a change.
At least that way, we the taxpayers can feel more comfortable about having to pay your salaries.
BTW, there are a lot of people that cannot legally own or use guns, because of draconian laws about marijuana and all the other pointless "war on drugs" legislation. But we can thank our worthless leadership for being more concerned about pot plants than the American taxpayers.
Any nation that is so obsessed with armed citizens is a nation that is too violent to endure. I'm embarrassed by this.
It is time to replace Harry Reid as Senate Majority Leader. He has obviously be purchased by the gun lobby. Democrats need to start pressuring their leaders to get into line with the party. Shame on you Harry Reid for voting against expanded and comprehensive background checks for gun sales.
This is how idiotic some people are. You're already required to show an permit at a gun show... which requires a background check... if they're not even doing that, and it's already against the law, what in the world is requiring a background check going to accomplish?? Enforce current laws and get off my law-abiding backside.
A perfect example of how what the people want has no bearing on Republican politicians or the NRA. Political threats and bullying, gerrymandering, lying, and spending millions on false propaganda...they don't stop at anything to try to prove to themselves that their radical, minority views are best for America. What they have done is insure that Al-Queda and drug cartels can join with psychos and home-grown criminals in buying as many guns as they want without a check of any kind, and often without a name even being given or a receipt written. Basically, they are De Facto accomplices to more murder and crime. And, the most extreme try to convince themselves and others that they are true Americans instead of macho paranoid cowards that are afraid of something and need guns to prove their manhood. They have just assured their own cowardly politicians of looming defeat at the polls.
Where in the world do you people even come up with a 90% number? It's hilarious how you just reciprocate the garbage that gets spewed out of the left's politicians. Think critically for a change and pay attention to the facts.
I expect that Republicans will be firing their guns into the air to celebrate. Who knows, some of them might be hit by falling bullets and miss the next election.