8 Days After the Deadliest Mass Shooting in Modern US History, Republicans Killed Gun Control Bills Again. Here’s How Every Senator Voted.
Monday evening the U.S. Senate voted on four gun control bills. Two were reasonable measures that the vast majority of Americans support by overwhelming numbers, and two were mediocre bills, one of which actually could have made it easier for people with mental health issues to access guns. The first two, wide supported by most Americans, were sponsored by Democrats, the second two were sponsored by Republicans. All four bills were killed, thanks to Republicans.
A bill to ban anyone who has been on the terrorist watch list for the past five years from being able to purchase a gun, or anyone who “reasonably” could be believed by the U.S. Attorney General of being a potential terrorist failed, 47-53. 60 votes were needed to advance the bill, which was sponsored by California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein.Â
Another bill, this one to close the gun show loophole and expand background checks to all gun sales, also failed, 44-56. That bill was sponsored by Senator Chris Murphy, who last week stood on the Senate floor for nearly 15 hours to force the GOP to allow votes on these bills.
Almost all Senators voted by party line on the two bills, with few exceptions.Â
Senator Mark Kirk, Republican of Illinois, voted for both bills.Â
Senator Kelly Ayotte, Republican of New Hampshire, voted for the terror watch list bill but against the background checks bill.
Senator Heidi Heitkamp, Democrat of North Dakota, voted against the terror watch list bill and the background checks bill.
Senator John Tester of Montana, and Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, both Democrats, both voted against the background checks bill.
The votes on the bills come just eight days after the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, the deadliest and worst anti-LGBT hate crime in modern American history, and the deadliest terror attack since 9/11. 49 people slaughtered and another 53 injured in an Orlando gay nightclub was insufficient to move the hearts and minds of the GOP. But neither were 20 first grade children at Sandy Hook Elementary, nor were the six school officials, nor were the dead at San Bernardino, nor at any other mass shooting.
Here’s the full list of the terror watch list bill votes. “YEA” means they voted to keep suspected terrorists from being able to purchase guns.
| YEAs —47 | ||
| Ayotte (R-NH) Baldwin (D-WI) Bennet (D-CO) Blumenthal (D-CT) Booker (D-NJ) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Coons (D-DE) Donnelly (D-IN) Durbin (D-IL) Feinstein (D-CA) Franken (D-MN) |
Gillibrand (D-NY) Heinrich (D-NM) Hirono (D-HI) Kaine (D-VA) King (I-ME) Kirk (R-IL) Klobuchar (D-MN) Leahy (D-VT) Manchin (D-WV) Markey (D-MA) McCaskill (D-MO) Menendez (D-NJ) Merkley (D-OR) Mikulski (D-MD) Murphy (D-CT) Murray (D-WA) |
Nelson (D-FL) Peters (D-MI) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Sanders (I-VT) Schatz (D-HI) Schumer (D-NY) Shaheen (D-NH) Stabenow (D-MI) Tester (D-MT) Udall (D-NM) Warner (D-VA) Warren (D-MA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR) |
| NAYs —53 | ||
| Alexander (R-TN) Barrasso (R-WY) Blunt (R-MO) Boozman (R-AR) Burr (R-NC) Capito (R-WV) Cassidy (R-LA) Coats (R-IN) Cochran (R-MS) Collins (R-ME) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX) Cotton (R-AR) Crapo (R-ID) Cruz (R-TX) Daines (R-MT) Enzi (R-WY) Ernst (R-IA) |
Fischer (R-NE) Flake (R-AZ) Gardner (R-CO) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Hatch (R-UT) Heitkamp (D-ND) Heller (R-NV) Hoeven (R-ND) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Johnson (R-WI) Lankford (R-OK) Lee (R-UT) McCain (R-AZ) McConnell (R-KY) Moran (R-KS) Murkowski (R-AK) |
Paul (R-KY) Perdue (R-GA) Portman (R-OH) Risch (R-ID) Roberts (R-KS) Rounds (R-SD) Rubio (R-FL) Sasse (R-NE) Scott (R-SC) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Sullivan (R-AK) Thune (R-SD) Tillis (R-NC) Toomey (R-PA) Vitter (R-LA) Wicker (R-MS) |
Here’s the full list of the background checks bill votes. “YEA” means they voted to expand background checks on gun purchases.
| YEAs —44 | ||
| Baldwin (D-WI) Bennet (D-CO) Blumenthal (D-CT) Booker (D-NJ) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Coons (D-DE) Donnelly (D-IN) Durbin (D-IL) Feinstein (D-CA) Franken (D-MN) |
Gillibrand (D-NY) Heinrich (D-NM) Hirono (D-HI) Kaine (D-VA) King (I-ME) Kirk (R-IL) Klobuchar (D-MN) Leahy (D-VT) Markey (D-MA) McCaskill (D-MO) Menendez (D-NJ) Merkley (D-OR) Mikulski (D-MD) Murphy (D-CT) Murray (D-WA) |
Nelson (D-FL) Peters (D-MI) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Sanders (I-VT) Schatz (D-HI) Schumer (D-NY) Shaheen (D-NH) Stabenow (D-MI) Udall (D-NM) Warner (D-VA) Warren (D-MA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR) |
| NAYs —56 | ||
| Alexander (R-TN) Ayotte (R-NH) Barrasso (R-WY) Blunt (R-MO) Boozman (R-AR) Burr (R-NC) Capito (R-WV) Cassidy (R-LA) Coats (R-IN) Cochran (R-MS) Collins (R-ME) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX) Cotton (R-AR) Crapo (R-ID) Cruz (R-TX) Daines (R-MT) Enzi (R-WY) Ernst (R-IA) |
Fischer (R-NE) Flake (R-AZ) Gardner (R-CO) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Hatch (R-UT) Heitkamp (D-ND) Heller (R-NV) Hoeven (R-ND) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Johnson (R-WI) Lankford (R-OK) Lee (R-UT) Manchin (D-WV) McCain (R-AZ) McConnell (R-KY) Moran (R-KS) Murkowski (R-AK) |
Paul (R-KY) Perdue (R-GA) Portman (R-OH) Risch (R-ID) Roberts (R-KS) Rounds (R-SD) Rubio (R-FL) Sasse (R-NE) Scott (R-SC) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Sullivan (R-AK) Tester (D-MT) Thune (R-SD) Tillis (R-NC) Toomey (R-PA) Vitter (R-LA) Wicker (R-MS) |
You can – and should – call your Senator to tell them how you feel about their votes. Here’s a simple list. You can also tweet them, but while that’s a great thing to do, actually picking up the phone and calling to register your thanks or anger is what actually counts.
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Image: Screenshot via C-SPAN