Federal Policy Hall of Shame On April 17, 2013—barely four months after the Newtown massacre—the United States Senate shamefully put political calculations over the will of the American people. The Senate voted down a package of common sense gun violence prevention measures designed to help prevent future tragedies and the everyday gun violence that saturates the lives of children in America. Despite the support of the majority of Americans and the majority of Senators, the Senate failed to pass a new requirement for background checks. The Senate also defeated a ban of certain kinds of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
Public Support and Senate Vote Tallies for Selected Gun Violence Prevention Measures Considered by the U.S. Senate in April 2013 Proposed Measure
Percent of American Public Supporting (April 11-14)
Background Checks at Gun Shows and Online
86%
Assault Weapons Ban
56%
High-Capacity Magazines Ban
56%
Final Senate Vote (Needed 60 votes to pass*) 55 Yes – 45 No** Failed 40 Yes – 60 No Failed 46 Yes – 54 No Failed
* To avoid the threat of filibusters, the Democrats and Republicans agreed that all amendments to the gun violence prevention package would need 60 votes for passage. ** Senate Majority Leader Reid voted “Yes” and than changed his vote to “No” so he could bring the legislation up again in the summer or fall 2013. The recorded Senate vote for this amendment is 54 Yes – 46 No. Source: The Washington Post, 2013, “April 2013 Post-ABC Poll – Economy, Gun Control, and Immigration Issues,” Nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons, nationwide ban on high-capacity ammunition clips, and law requiring background checks on people buying guns at guns shows or online. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/polling/april-2013-postabc-poll-economygun/2013/ 05/04/e156bdee-a681-11e2-9e1c-bb0fb0c2edd9_page.html
This Senate vote was made even more shameful by the fact that several proposals to weaken existing gun violence prevention measures received more ‘Yes’ votes than the background checks provision. They included a concealed carry reciprocity proposal and a provision to prevent veterans who are mentally incapacitated from losing their right to own a gun without a court hearing. However, none of them received the required 60 votes. In addition to public votes like these, certain members of Congress have worked for years behind the scenes with the NRA and other pro-gun groups to use the appropriations process to weaken enforcement of gun laws and limit research into the prevention of gun deaths and injuries. In March 2013, just three months after the Newtown shooting, Congress continued this shameful process by including provisions in the fiscal year 2013 continuing resolution that limit the use of gun trace data in certain legal proceedings, prohibit the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from requiring gun dealers to inventory their stocks, limit the operational flexibility and efficiency of the ATF, and limit the ability of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health to research ways to prevent gun injuries and fatalities.1
Protect Children, Not Guns 2013
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