The four proposals aimed to restrict suspected terrorists’ access to buying guns and imposing greater scrutiny for background checks. None of the proposals received the 60 votes required to clear the Senate, according to the report.
However, lawmakers visibly frustrated over the Senate’s inability to pass any legislative response to the Orlando shooting said they are still working to reach a partisan agreement. An effort led by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) to compromise on how to prevent suspected terrorists from buying firearms has gained support among both Democrats and Republicans, according to the report.
Sen. Collins’ proposal would bar the sale of guns to suspected terrorists who appear on either the government’s no-fly list or on a separate “selectee list,” which requires additional screening at airports. Effected individuals would be allowed to appeal the decision and be awarded attorneys’ fees if successful, according to the report. Additionally, if anyone on the government’s terror watch lists over the prior five years purchases a gun, the FBI would be notified and allowed to put the person under surveillance.
It remains to be seen if Sen. Collins’ proposal will get enough votes to clear the Senate. Some lawmakers remain skeptical about whether the chamber will respond to the Orlando shooting any differently than it did to the December 2012 massacre at Sandy HookElementary School in Newton, Conn., or the 2015 shooting in San Bernardino, Calif.
“I wish I could say I’m surprised we’re here again, but sadly I’m not,” Tina Meins, whose father was killed in the San Bernardino shooting, said late last week at a news conference, according to The Wall Street Journal. “We will continue to be here again and again if our elected officials fail to take action that prevents dangerous and hateful people from getting their hands on deadly weapons.”
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