BREAKING: Senate Kills Major Gun Legislation

Much of the drama has already dissipated; most of these amendments will fail.  The Toomey/Manchin bipartisan compromise appears to be dead in the water, with Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) pounding home the final legislative nails earlier today. USA Today has a useful primer on what to expect this afternoon and evening, including the items liberals will be watching most carefully:

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– The Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act (Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and three co-sponsors): The compromise background check provision expands background checks to gun shows and Internet sales, but exempts family-to-family and other in-home sales. It also authorizes $400 million to upgrade the national background check database and reduces the turnaround time for background checks from three days to two days; in four years, it would be reduced to one day

– The Assault Weapons Ban (Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and 23 co-sponsors): The amendment bans the sale, transfer and importation of assault rifles, including 157 specifically mentioned in the law — a broader definition than existed from 1994 to 2004. Current lawful owners of assault weapons would be grandfathered.

– The Large-Capacity Magazine Feeding Devices Amendment (Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., and 21 co-sponsors): The measure would ban magazines and other devices holding more than 10 rounds, but exempts .22 caliber rifles. Police officers — both on- and off-duty — would also be exempted. It also authorizes federally funded gun buyback programs to purchase high-capacity magazines.

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None of those three are expected to pass (see update), though some of the other provisions might.  The assault weapons ban and magazine capacity limit will go down hard, a reality that has forced a beleagured Harry Reid to toss a last-minute gesture of lefty solidarity by backing Feinstein’s doomed dream.   Stay tuned for updates…

UPDATE – Toomey/Manchin fails 54-46, with a handful of aisle-crossers in both directions.  The bill’s supporters were six votes short of 60.  Four Republicans joined most Democrats in voting aye: Toomey, McCain, Kirk and Collins.  Dems going the other way: Baucus, Begich, Heitkamp, Pryor, and Reid (for procedural reasons).

UPDATE II – The primary Republican replacement amendment also goes down, 52-48.  Seven Nine Democrats joined nearly every Republican in voting yes, but it wasn’t enough.  Looks like nothing (or close to it) is getting passed tonight.

UPDATE III – I’m sure this statement won’t be demagogic at all:

UPDATE IV – Here’s the roster of Democrats who joined the GOP on their unsuccessful alternate amendment:

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UPDATE V – Leahy/Collins (re: gun-trafficking) is defeated, 58-42.

UPDATE VI – The difficulty of gun legislation, in one tweet:

 

UPDATE VII – Down goes Cornyn’s amendment on concealed-carry reciprocity, 57-43.  That’s an awful lot of votes for the idea, even though it failed.  Chuck Todd points out that more Senators voted to vastly expand gun rights than for the tepid Toomey/Manchin gun control law.  Wow.
UPDATE VIII – Let the lefty machinations begin:
 

UPDATE VII – Surprise:
 

UPDATE XIII – The federal Assault Weapons Ban stays buried. It wasn’t close: 40 yes votes, 60 no.

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UPDATE IX – Great point.  Keep this in mind when you watch the video of President Obama’s furious — and I mean furious — Rose Garden statement:

UPDATE X – The high capacity magazine ban falls 46-54 (majority “no”).  Reid is reportedly pulling the underlying bill.  The Senate will take up two more amendments — which might have a chance — tomorrow.  And that’s all she wrote for tonight.

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