This proposed law would simply have required background checks at gun shows as well as for guns sold online. You still would have been able to sell a gun to anybody on the street with no paperwork whatsoever. This was very basic, common sense gun legislation that 92% of the American people wanted.
This law would have required background checks, to make it harder for a dangerous person to buy a gun. This includes convicted felons, people convicted of domestic violence, and people with a severe mental illness. Apparently these Regressives believe felons, the mentally ill, and the violent deserve to go out and buy guns, no questions asked.
There was nothing controversial about this bill. It had nothing to do with limiting gigantic clips that mass murderers choose to take on their rampages. It had nothing to do with banning military style assault weapons that should be used in war zones, but not on city streets.
There is not one police department in America that I'm aware of that is in favor of gigantic clips and high powered, rapid fire weapons of war being in the hands of the public. No cop wants to be outgunned by a criminal or a rampaging murderer on the street. But this bill was not even about that. It had nothing to do with clips or assault weapons. It would simply have required background checks at gun shows and online gun sellers.
But no. The cowardly senators, who are completely owned by the NRA and the gun manufacturers they represent, refused to pass a simple law that 92% of Americans have been demanding. They stood with gun manufacturers instead of the people who elected them and pay their salaries.
The vote on the amendment was 54 to 46 against. Sounds like it should have passed, right? No. These days, thanks to the Regressives and their constant filibuster threats, 60 votes were needed for the amendment to be adopted.
Every Regressive republican senator voted against this bill, except for John McCain of Arizona, Susan Collins of Maine, Mark Kirk of Illinois, and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.
And four spineless, cowardly Democrats joined the rest of the Regressives in voting against the bill: Max Baucus of Montana, Mark Begich of Alaska, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, and Mark Pryor of Arkansas.
Progressive Change Campaign Committee co-founder Stephanie Taylor slammed the four defectors. "Today, the Senate voted against the 92% of Americans who support background checks to stop gun violence," she said. "We'll be holding accountable Democrats who voted against their constituents by running ads in their states, featuring some of the 23,000 gun owners who have joined our campaign for common sense gun reform."
Of course, the blowhards from the NRA continued repeating their well-established lie that this amendment would have "infringed on the Second Amendment, and on the rights of gun owners."
That's a blatant lie and every one of them knows it. The Supreme Court has stated many times over the years that Congress can indeed regulate which guns can and cannot be owned by individuals. Already you cannot own a machine gun, a rocket launcher, a cannon, etc.
Even the farthest rightwing nutjob on the Supreme Court, Fat Tony, back in July 2012, stated that there are "undoubtedly" limits to a person's right to bear arms under the Second Amendment, but that future court cases will have to decide where to draw the line. “So yes, there are some limitations that can be imposed," Scalia said.
And if you read the Second Amendment, it starts out with these words: "A well-regulated militia..." See? The word REGULATION is right there in the Second Amendment.
President Obama said this was a shameful day for Washington. In this clip he explains very clearly what was in the law. And I have yet to hear a single rational reason to have voted against it.
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