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Under pressure from the gun lobby, especially the National Rifle Association, on April 18, the Senate of the United States failed to pass a law designed to control the sale of guns such as those used in the Newtown massacre. Here are excerpts from the account on Democracy Now. Senate Kills Gun Reform with Defeat of Every Key Measure The Senate has sparked widespread outrage after defeating every major gun reform measure on the table. One by one, proposals unveiled since December’s Newtown shooting massacre failed to reach the 60-vote threshold in a Wednesday vote: a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, a bipartisan compromise on expanding background checks in gun purchases, and new penalties for illegal gun trafficking. Obama Decries "Shameful Day" After Senate Defeat of Gun Control At the White House, President Obama stood with a group of gun violence victims and their families to denounce the senators — including some Democrats — who defeated the proposals. President Obama: "The gun lobby and its allies willfully lied about the bill. A minority in the United States Senate decided it wasn’t worth it. They blocked commonsense gun reforms, even while these families looked on from the Senate gallery." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is expected to pull the overall gun-control bill from the Senate floor later today. Calling the vote a "shameful day" on Capitol Hill, President Obama vowed to redouble his efforts for gun reform. President Obama: "This was a pretty shameful day for Washington. But this effort is not over. I want to make it clear to the American people we can still bring about meaningful changes that reduce gun violence, so long as the American people don’t give up on it. Even without Congress, my administration will keep doing everything it can to protect more of our communities." 4 Dems Join Republicans to Defeat Gun Reforms Senators Max Baucus of Montana, Mark Begich of Alaska, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Mark Pryor of Arkansas were the Democrats to join with Republicans in blocking the gun-control proposals. GOP Bid to Override Concealed Carry Laws Fails In a small victory for gun-control advocates, a Republican proposal that would have allowed gun users with concealed weapons permits in their home state to ignore the laws of other states was barely defeated after attracting 57 votes, three shy of the 60-vote hurdle. Gun Violence Survivor Removed from Senate Gallery After Yelling "Shame on You" A number of gun violence victims and family members watched the vote from the Senate gallery. As the gun-control measures were defeated, Virginia Tech mother Lori Haas and Tucson shooting survivor Patricia Maisch, shouted "shame on you." Vice President Joe Biden: "Who yields time?" Unidentified: "Mr. President —" Patricia Maisch: "Shame on you!" Vice President Joe Biden: "There’ll be order in the Senate." Maisch was removed from the gallery. Maisch survived the 2011 Tucson attack, seizing a gun clip from the shooter when he tried to reload. Giffords Denounces Senate for Blocking Gun Control Former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who suffered serious brain injuries in the Tucson shooting, was among the gun-control advocates to appear with President Obama at the White House. Writing in The New York Times, Giffords denounced the Senate opponents of gun reform, saying: "Our democracy’s history is littered with names we neither remember nor celebrate — people who stood in the way of progress while protecting the powerful. On Wednesday, a number of senators voted to join that list." She added: "I will not rest until we have righted the wrong these senators have done. ... We cannot allow the status quo — desperately protected by the gun lobby so that they can make more money by spreading fear and misinformation — to go on. |