The Senate Republican leadership is offering the latest victims of a gun massacre a moment of silence. Senate Democrats are going to try for just a little bit more, including renewing their effort to get the simplest, most common sense gun measure—preventing people on the terrorist watch list from buying guns—considered.
It's a reprise of an effort that saw a procedural vote last December on an amendment offered by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif . That amendment would block individuals on a consolidated terror watch list from legally purchasing firearms.
The amendment fell when senators voted 45-54 in favor of a motion to waive the budget rules, short of the 60 votes needed.
The Senate will continue debate on the defense authorization bill, as well as other spending measures in the remaining few weeks of work before recessing for the national conventions. That gives Democrats plenty of opportunities and vehicles for the effort. But with Mitch McConnell in charge, don't hold your breath that it actually happens.
In addition to this bill, Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) will introduce legislation to block individuals who have been convicted of a hate crime from buying guns. Because people who have been convicted of hate crimes currently aren't banned from buying guns. Because America.