In a Senate where the definition of majority is 60 percent, not 50 + 1, the question isn't just whether Republicans will filibuster gun safety legislation, it's what price will Republicans and conservative Democrats demand in order to let it pass. Later this morning, Senators Joe Manchin and Pat Toomey will offer
their answer:
Two U.S. senators reached a bipartisan compromise to expand background checks of gun purchasers that they plan to announce later today, according to a Senate aide. [...] Toomey and Manchin were discussing an expansion of current law to require background checks for gun sales over the Internet and between private parties at gun shows, according to the aide, who asked not to be identified in describing the discussions. Noncommercial person-to-person firearms sales wouldn’t be covered, the aide said.
According to Reuters, the proposal would require record-keeping, without which background checks are a useless exercise:
The plan Manchin and Toomey were discussing would mandate record-keeping of the background checks, according to the aide. That is a Democratic proposal opposed by the NRA, the nation’s largest gun-rights lobby.
Law enforcement officials say records are needed to ensure that the rules are followed and to help trace weapons used in crimes.
It's still an open question whether some Republicans will attempt to lead a filibuster against the legislation, which the Senate will be debating today, but if this deal sticks, it seems likely the background check requirement will pass the Senate. But while filibuster supporters may end up failing to block any progress, by raising the threshold for passage to 60 votes, they've nonetheless succeeded in limiting what progress could be made. So even though there may be cause for celebration if a bill emerges from the Senate, it won't mean the filibuster didn't have an impact.