Senate

Senate Dems claim momentum in gun control fight

by Jordain Carney - 06/16/16 12:53 PM ET

Senate Democrats on Thursday appeared bullish about a looming fight over gun control despite pushback from GOP lawmakers.

“Every senator is now going to have to say if they’re for terrorists getting guns or against terrorists getting guns,” Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is expected to be the next Senate Democratic leader, told reporters. “Our Republican colleagues are feeling the heat for the first time.”

{mosads}Senate Democrats, along with family members of recent shooting victims, held a press conference hours after Democrats — led by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) — took over the Senate floor for a nearly 15-hour protest of Congress’s inaction on gun control.

Democrats say they will get a vote on expanding background checks and blocking suspected terrorists from buying a gun as part of the Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations bill.

Though the Democratic talkathon failed to spark a bipartisan deal on guns, Murphy said that, because of the marathon speech, “we believe we’re on a path to get folks on the record, and that’s a start.”

Democrats still have an uphill fight to pass a proposal from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) that would allow the attorney general to block the sale of a gun if there is a “reasonable suspicion” that an individual has participated in or will participate in a terrorist attack.

GOP lawmakers have shown little sign they would support it, arguing that it’s too broad and would negatively impact Americans not tied to terrorism.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Thursday said Democrats used the Senate floor as a “campaign studio” and held a “campaign talkathon.”

“Now is the time for Democrats to finally join with us in pursuing serious solutions that can actually make a difference,” he added.

Republicans also argue that they were planning to allow for amendment votes to the appropriations bill before Democrats hijacked the Senate floor, though Murphy disputed that on Thursday.

McConnell, instead, pushed Democrats to support a proposal from Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), backed by most Republicans, that would allow the attorney general to force suspected terrorists to wait up to 72 hours to get a gun, giving officials time to try to get a court to approve blocking the sale.

Cornyn said Thursday he thinks he’ll be able to pick up Democratic support for his proposal because he’s dropping a provision in his original legislation that would have defunded cities that don’t comply with federal immigration law.

The Senate battle comes days after a gunman killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, sparking a growing push in Congress for tougher gun laws.

Tags Chris Murphy Chuck Schumer Dianne Feinstein John Cornyn Mitch McConnell