Four gun-control bills failed to clear the Senate Monday, falling short of the 60-vote threshold needed to pass the upper house.
The bills were put forth in response to the mass killing in Orlando, Florida, last week that left 50 people dead (including the shooter) and another 53 wounded.
Coming from both sides of the aisle, two from the Democrats and two from the Republicans, the bills mainly addressed background checks for private buyers and gun sales for those on the terrorist watchlist.
Here is a breakdown:
- Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) put forth an amendment that would require universal background checks for all gun sales, including those between private buyers and sellers made over the Internet and at gun shows.
- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) put forth an amendment that would prohibit the sale of firearms and explosives for those on the terrorist watchlist. She introduced a similar version of the bill back in December, following the mass killing in San Bernardino, CA. It also failed to clear the Senate.
- Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) put forth an amendment that would increase funding for NICS, the FBI’s system for running background checks on prospective gun purchasers, to ensure the information is up to date and accurate. The bill would also seek to clarify language regarding the mental health disqualifications for gun purchasers.
- Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) put forth an amendment that would give the government the power to deny the sale of a firearm to a suspected terrorist for a period of 72 hours after which time prosecutors would have to go to court to show probable cause on why the sale should be blocked, permanently. This bill was backed by the NRA. It also failed to clear the Senate in December.
Undoubtedly, the gridlock was frustrating for both sides. It didn’t take long for advocacy groups to weigh in on the matter. Dan Gross, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, voiced his ire.
“Shame on every single senator who voted against these life-saving amendments and protected the rights of terrorists and other dangerous people to buy guns,” he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Chris Cox, the executive director of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA), accused Democrats of “playing politics” and failing to address the “threat of radical Islamic terrorism.”
“We all agree that terrorists should not be allowed to purchase or possess firearms. We should all agree that law-abiding Americans who are wrongly put on a secret government list should not be denied their constitutional right to due process. These are not mutually exclusive ideas. It is shocking that the safety of the American people is taking a backseat to political theatre,” said Cox.
“We thank the majority of the senators for rejecting the gun control proposals of Senators Feinstein and Murphy. We applaud Senators Cornyn and Grassley for securing majorities for their common-sense proposals. We look forward to working with those interested in real solutions to keep the American people safe, including their right to defend themselves in the face of government failure,” he concluded.
Bottom line: nothing’s changed.
how stupid can we get??? lets leave the gates to the country wide open, and then disarm or restrict all the legal honest citizens guns rights….and then complain because terrorists, gang bangers, and the insane will wont follow the rules . these groups of people will ALWAYS find ways to get weapons will we try to severely limit those that could stop them or protect themselves.
All anyone has to do is look back to what Hitler did to more than ten thousand innocent people mostly Jews just because he didn’t like them.Those evil guns are the only thing standing between criminals walking into your house and doing anything they want to you and your wife and your children while all you can do is watch or be killed.They are also the only thing standing between the smooth talking person that got elected as your president only to find out your comander and chief is another Hitler.It could just like that and knife and spear won’t last very long.The bad guys will always have guns,gun control only affects honest people.Watch the news evil is out there.If someone wants to kill someone they will find a way.
It wasn’t 10 thousand. It was 16 million. And that pales to Pol Pot, Stalin, etc., etc.
It is disturbing to see the depth of the commitment of the media to Oligarchy.
It is time that the Republicans started doing the job that they were put in office to do Hold back the insane Democrats that are only in that job for their own interest and financial security. It is clear that most are in these positions because the have no other skills and need to feed of working useful people. They have become so FAT off others that they now think that they are all powerful and can dominate the rest of America. Dictating their thinking on to the rest of us as if we had not been given a brain and can not reason for ourselves. Do we need our national perverts wife as President? Can not take care of her wifely homework.Takes a village to raise one child because she could not do the job of a mother. It goes on and on for her failures. All should be called Dumbocrats.
Dennis Hastert was a pervert and a convicted liar and felon NOT Bill Clinton. Bill was a heterosexual Philanderer.
How many people died last year through vehicle accidents? Crickets….this a knee jerk response from the “Libs”, take guns away, it solves nothing! The entire issue is with those who come to do us harm, they go unchecked, but take guns away from those who are responsible, yeah, that’s an easier target….I’ll be waiting to hear what those idiots in Washington will do next, they get paid for what? They’re self-serving blowhards looking to do what it takes to make themselves feel good about their idiot selves. Everytime they pass a bill to thwart honest gun owners from having a gun, they makes us the criminals, and the real criminals are laughing the whole time.
Let’s ban those assault vehicles!
GREAT! It appears that we may have finally put enough logical thinking sane people in to Congress to stop all these touchy feely leftist & leftist inspired bills from passing. Congratulations, America. Now, let’s hit them with another batch of freedom loving American Conservatives this November.
Thank goodness! The hypocrisy underlying this entire fiasco is one for the books!
Is anyone really surprised by the uproar that comes at the end of events such as this? the terrorist clan infecting the US is of no surprise to many of us, and they will continue if no one is willing (or able) to stop their destruction upon the US. Take away our guns, ammo, who will protect us and you government officials when the hammer falls. If you cut the head off a snake, it dies. I for one and I hope the rest of you are with me on this. Don’t give any thing away, not for the sake of some Politian that only needs his her name in print for their own sake. Don’t try to take my rights by force or any other means, I will not go calmly into the night!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope more people feel the same way.Young people don’t remember the death camps Hitler had sending thousands of lnocent people mostly Jews to die in gas chambers just because he didn’t like them.When they get our guns we’re at completely at the mercy of our government and any criminal that wants what we have they’ll ways have a gun. Just some things to think about,,,[email protected]
I contacted my senators and let them know my position against gun “control” and how I expect them to vote. It is pretty easy to throw back at the dems – everything Omar Mateen did, for over a decade, did not land him on the terrorist no fly list (due to PC BS). It would be laughable, if not for radical islamic extremism being such a serious issue facing the world. If you can’t name the enemy (current presidential administration), then what good would this “list” serve? Oh wait he does identify his enemy – conservative, christian, gun-toting american citizens. Now they might end up on the list…………
Well ginger you ask if there was any there gun control law we would agree with. Well that would be hold the gun firmly with both hands, aim, fire repeat if needed. I will be the one shooting back at the terrorist to save your butt. I garrantee those people in Orlando would have given anything to have someone there who was a lisenced concealed carry with a gun to shoot back maybe some lives would have been saved. Those terrorist are the real cowards.
Just think, the only reason that Obama, the greatest danger to the people of the United States, does not wind up on a terrorist suspect list is because he is protected due to position and he only flys on the people’s plane, Air Force One.
So tell me, all you fine gentlemen, is there a single gun control measure you would endorse? Any idea whatsoever? Or does your definition of being a big fat PATRIOT mean you won’t even consider even using your teeny weeny brains for 5 minutes even if it means saving some lives?
I mean, c’mon – that’s not a lot effort considering how incredibly small your brains must be considering most of the comments here. Seriously – do you really think that being completely intransigent on the issue of gun control is really going to mean that you are taken seriously by anybody? And that if and when that day does come when gun control gets passed, it is going to be more draconic than it could have been if you had actually behaved like adults instead of posturing preening adolescents?
Take your meds Ginger…….Now……Tell us what law ever written……name ONE…….that has stopped a “Criminal” from committing a crime?
Now……Tell us how many laws already exist that deal with the: purchase of Firearms, restrictions/regulations on the sale of firearms, restrictions/regulations on what constitutes a legal firearm?
And, finally tell us all how any new laws will actually affect the behavior patterns of criminals and not infringe on the 2nd Amendment rights of everyone else?
Crickets……….
ginger I’m glad you weren’t in charge during WW II or we would all be speaking German or Japanese. Small mind indeed !
Yes. There is a measure I’d be willing to take. The ones that survive the shootout, should be hanged in front of the courthouse, so that ppl can see this is not a video game and to show them the panic and fear on the coward killer’s faces, right before they die. Need to show them pissing their pants and crying out for mommy, just before their neck is snapped. The gun is NOT the problem. If they don’t have guns, which the criminals will, then they’ll use bombs, or poison. If you can’t see that this is a concerted effort by the Feds and the World Govt, to take away our RIGHT to protect ourselves against Tyranny and to keep us from being turned into slaves, then YOU, not us, are the one with the “teeny weeny brain!” How someone could be so dammed blind w/ ignorance, is FAR beyond my comprehension, Fool!
I AM the God fearing gun toting flag waving rightwing extremist the government warned you about. In the US of A we are born free and with that freedom comes great responsibility and one is protecting ourselves even if it means from overbearing controlling government and when they control who can have a gun who do you think will have on? Well it won’t be you and me it will be the government only and he who has the gun in a knife fight well you know how that ends. I thank the good Lord for men who stand up for our right to keep AND BEAR ARMS and yes that means walking around with a gun at my side if I feel I need too and I feel I need too. If more people would stop believing the government will protect us from terrorist and start bearing arms to protect themselves terrorist would think twice about attacking people that will shoot back. Why do you think they pick the places they do, they know that no one will be shooting back. People Isis is a real threat to our safety and its real clear our government is not going to protect us. Its up to us as a free people to act on our second amendment right and protect ourselves. Thank you
ISIS is twelve guys with facial hair and no money riding around in a ratty pickup truck in some sweltering Arab backwater about 4000 miles away on the other side of the ocean. And a big gun totin’ SOB like you is afraid of them? What a dumbass coward you are.
Haven’t you ever heard of the word “propaganda”?!? It’s a machine that exists to make you waste your time and your vote because of one stupid FEAR or another and it has worked a fracking charm on you. ISIS schmISIS. It’s why you vote Republican, while all they do is ruin your wages, benefits and any hopes for the future. You are the poster child for stupid.
your hero Obama is at this minute spending Billions to defeat those 12 bearded ruffians.
so the Orlando shooter wanted to be # 13?
As a former Marine, I gave a oath to protect this Country from Foreign and Domestic terrorists. Lets roll!
Gingerbake – 2 of those Bills were Republican sponsored common sense attempts of keeping people safe. The other 2 were Democrat Bills that were knee jerk reactions that paid lip service to public safety but were more about gun control and less about preserving our Freedoms. The NRA specifically states it has no problem with terrorist watch list members being on a no buy list, but wants due process to be written into any law so that names erroneously placed on the list, would have the ability to fight the error in a Court of Law. What’s wrong with that?
Do you really believe a truck full of 12 beared guys is all that ISIS is – do you not watch CNN or listen to the Director of the CIA’s statements? They have taken over Syria and have a foothold in many countries throughout the world. The evil Mateen was a mosque buddy of a suicide bomber, and he was in contact with ISIS according to the FBI, as well as swearing allegiance to them with a 911 operator – these ae all facts distributed across the media, not conservative groups or the NRA.
I also don’t get how insults have to be thrown out to complete strangers who have a different opinion to yours? Even though I don’t agree with your comments, I see no reason to post insults calling you ‘stupid’ – that’s non-productive behavior. The target we all have is to keep our families safe.
Gingerbaker, it’s really hard to believe that stupidity like yours exists !
Believe it. And they vote. I read all of Gingerbaker’s responses and I think she is a Soros shill or equivalent.
GingerBaker or whoever you are, your comments are the ones we have come to expect from brainwashed uninformed, and incurably liberals. So I guess you still think that ISIS is the “JV team”, and millions of law abiding, responsible gun owners are more dangerous than ISIS, and Iran, and N. Korea with the ability to build and deploy nuclear weapons. By they way, it is the liberal Democrats that have ruined wages and the ability to get a decent job by enforcing unreasonable requirement upon the business owners of America. They have also caused hundreds of thousands of citizens to lose their benefits because of Obamacare and have driven many more into despair because of their failed social experiments. I coul;d go on and on but I have a feeling facts and reason is not what your looking for. So please don’t eat up anymore valuable internet bandwidth with your perverted PROPAGANDA.
Obama’s bringing them onto our shores, you total imbecilic fool! You have NO IDEA what’s heading our way and that we’re going to need EVERY GUN/BULLET WE HAVE IN OUR ARSENAL. I’D DARE TO SAY THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE A WIFE AND CHILDREN, BUT IF YOU DO AND DON’T SEE THE NEED TO PROTECT THEM, IF NOTHING G ELSE, IN A NATION FILLED WITH METH-HEADS, FOR THE LEAST EXAMPLE, THEN YOU HAVE BEEN DRINKING THE KOOL-AID. I’LL BET YOU WOULDN’T CALL ME A COWARD TO MY FACE, BUT YOU KNOW YOUR SAFE BEHIND YOUR KEYBOARD AND YOU KNOW IT. LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION…..DO YOU NOT THINK ANOTHER NAZI GERMANY, OR ANY ONE OF THE MASS ATROCITIES THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN THE NOT SO DISTANT PAST, COULDN’T HAPPEN AGAIN?! Oh, but we’re too civilized for that, here in America, right? WRONG! One thing that will NEVER change, is the burning desire for some wicked idiot to rule the World. There’s NOTHING to stop this from happening here. No, we’re going to keep a gun behind EVERY blade of grass, to keep our Enimies at bay and you’re just going to have to sit down, shut up and LIKE IT. IF YOU INSIST ON TAKING WHAT THE FRAMERS OF THIS NATION GIFTED US, THEN YOU WILL, FOR A FACT, START THE BLOODIEST WAR THIS NATION HAS EVER SEEN. THERE’S MORE PPL KILLED BY DRUNK DRIVERS THAN AR-15S, SO LIKE I SAY, STFU, COWARD, because your cowardess sickens me, yet you have the nerve to call others “coward” When it’s actually YOU that are afraid of an inanimate object, that has saved our Nation and innocent lives time and time again. Just remember this COWARD, WHEN SECONDS COUNT, THE POLICE WILL BE THERE IN MINUTES. I’M NOT GOING TO RISK MY FAMILIES LIFE, BECAUSE I HAVEN’T A GUN, WHEN I NEED ONE AND THAT GOES FOR WHATEVER GUN ‘I CHOOSE.’ NOW, GET LOST COWARD!
The local news just reported that due to the murders of 49 people in Orlando, the Coast Guard is going to stop selling “AR” style firearms in the Coast Guard Exchanges in Alaska! What a slap in the face of the US military! Now we can’t trust our military with these “assault weapons”. As a licensed firearms dealer in Alaska, I’ll be happy to sell them to any US military person for cost. This is ridiculous.
Frustration at the gridlock? Nonsense. Everyone knew in advance what the result would be. Both sides are playing political games for the November elections and were looking for ammunition to throw at the other side. In the end, the Republicans won on the no fly no buy bills, since the NRA bill sought to protect civil liberties while accomplishing the goal supposedly sought by the Dems, and thus are able to argue, quite forcefully and accurately, that the dems just want to deprive citizens of their seco9nd amendment rights by security agencies acting in secret and without judicial recourse. Personally, I find it incomprehensible that the Dems would float such a bill. (I understand why Feinstein would, since she wants to ban civilian ownership of firearms, I am just surprised she got most of the rest to go along.) I don’t think that will play well to the general electorate, even if it plays well to the Brady Bunch and the Bloomberg Moms Needing More Action (in bed).
Shame on Dan Gross, of the Brady Campaign. If you do not use “Due Process…” to protect everyone’s inalienable heritage to a specific right, then you might as well get rid of all of our inalienable rights. Maybe Mr. Gross you do not know that we are born with our rights, they are not given to us by the government, or maybe you don’t care. Try reading the Declaration of Independence, the Preamble, and the Constitution you might learn something. If you have trouble understanding them, give me a ring and I’ll explain them to you.
Retired Social Science Teacher
*shrieking with laughter*