The Senate failed to pass a bill to expand background checks today.
The Senate delivered a devastating blow to President Obama’s agenda to regulate guns Wednesday by defeating a bipartisan proposal to expand background checks.
It failed by a vote of 54 to 46, with five Democrats voting against it. Only four Republicans supported it.
Democratic Sens. Mark Pryor (Ark.), Max Baucus (Mont.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), Mark Begich (Alaska) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) voted against it. Reid supported the measure but voted against it to preserve his ability to bring the measure up again.
GOP Sens. John McCain (Ariz.), Susan Collins (Maine), Pat Toomey (Pa.) and Mark Kirk (Ill.) voted “yes.”
Not surprisingly, three Republicans voting “yes” have less than stellar NRA grades:
- McCain – B+
- Collins – C+
- Kirk – F
Toomey was graded “A” but got on the bandwagon to expand background checks, offering his own “compromise” with some Trojan Horses. The last senator to abandon their NRA “A” grade was Kristen Gillebrand, who was A-graded while in the House, but became F-graded after attaining the Senate.
Democrats voting “no” were a mixed lot, too:
- Pryor – C-
- Baucus – A+
- Heitkamp – AQ (new candidate who filled out NRA questionnaire correctly)
- Begich – AQ
- Reid – B
Those voting for expanded background checks averaged an NRA grade of D, while those voting against averaged “A-”.
It was a good day for Liberty, but Obama said, this fight is only beginning.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member