But while the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history has
spurred quick action in Congress, none of the bills is expected to
achieve the 60 votes needed for passage in the 100-seat chamber, as
Republicans and Democrats have not been able to reach consensus on the
extent of any new restrictions.
U.S. Senate votes on gun curbs in swift response to Orlando shooting
The U.S. Senate will make its strongest push in years to tighten gun controls on Monday, voting on four proposals a week after the Orlando shooting massacre prompted new calls to keep firearms away from people on terrorism watch lists.
But
while the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history has
spurred quick action in Congress, none of the bills is expected to
achieve the 60 votes needed for passage in the 100-seat chamber, as
Republicans and Democrats have not been able to reach consensus on the
extent of any new restrictions.
The proposals
aimed at strengthening background checks for gun purchases will come as
amendments to a Justice Department spending bill.
While similar bills failed after mass shootings at a school in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012 and a conference center in San Bernardino, California
in 2015, some senators insist that the politics over gun control are
shifting, with national security looming larger in the debate.
The Orlando gunman, Omar Mateen, pledged allegiance to the militant group Islamic State, or ISIS, as he killed 49 people in a gay nightclub, authorities say.
"I
admit that the background checks bill is going to be tough to get 60
votes on, but we still have hope that we can get Republicans to support
the bill, stopping terrorists from getting weapons," Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.
In
the Republican-controlled Senate, Murphy led fellow Democrats in 15
straight hours of floor debate last week to demand action on gun
control, a move he said "helped galvanize an entire country around this
issue."
A Reuters/Ipsos poll also conducted last
week found that 71 percent of Americans favor at least moderate
regulations and restrictions on gun sales, including eight of 10
Democrats and six of 10 Republicans. That compares to 60 percent in late
2013 and late 2014.
Congress has not passed new
gun restrictions since a 2007 expansion of the government's automatic
background check database to include individuals with a history of
mental illness and felons. The United States has more than 310 million weapons, about one for every citizen.
NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE
Following
the Orlando shooting, Democrats have been pushing a new tactic to try
to shift the gun control debate to a national security issue, in part to
make new restrictions more appealing to Republicans.
Senator Dianne Feinstein,
who is pushing a major Democratic proposal to give the federal
government broad latitude to deny gun purchases to those under suspicion
of terrorism links, said her plan "would have picked up Omar Mateen,"
who had once been on a watch list.
Some Republicans said, however, that the plan goes too far and may trample on constitutional rights of those wrongly suspected.
"Republicans
and Democrats should be looking at the rise of ISIS and its ability to
communicate with and influence disturbed individuals domestically, which
is a national security issue that has not gotten the attention it
deserves," said Republican political strategist Rory Cooper.
Likewise, Democrats said that Republican Senator John Cornyn's
proposal to require court approval within three days for the government
to ban an individual's attempt to buy a gun over terrorism suspicions
doesn't go far enough. A similar bill failed last December, but Cornyn
has said he expects to pick up more Democratic votes because this
version does not include provisions to punish so-called "sanctuary cities" accused of not enforcing U.S. immigration laws.
National Rifle Association executive vice president Wayne LaPierre,
who has opposed nearly every gun control proposal in recent years, has
said he supports Cornyn's plan because it "codifies" current practices
on terrorism suspicions.
Two other proposals will
get votes on Monday, including Murphy's plan to expand background checks
to online sales and those at gun shows, and Republican Senator Charles
Grassley's plan to boost funding for the National Instant Criminal
Background Check System and add mental health considerations to the
checks.
Some Republican pinned hopes on a
compromise proposal that Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, is
working on. Her plan would restrict gun purchases to a narrower group of
suspects, including those on a "no-fly" list or a "selectee" list of people who require additional screening at airports. .
Senator Jeff Sessions, a conservative Republican from Alabama, said he is willing to consider Collins' plan.
"I am open to the details," Sessions told CNN. "I agree that, somehow, some way, we should be able to make this work."
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