We’ll cover the one amendment vote. Blumenthal is up on the stage emotionally blackmailing the Senate and American public by standing on the graves of dead children. He’s also saying they won’t give up. They will keep pushing for gun control laws that would have done nothing to prevent Newtown. He’s thanking a lot of people for their efforts, but he pretty clearly is acting like he’s been beaten. We have to keep beating these people. Now is not the time to go back to sleep.
Vote on the Barrasso Amendment
This is the amendment that would make information private. Looks like a carrot and stick approach with federal funding. From Thomas.gov: “To withhold 5 percent of Community Oriented Policing Services program Federal funding from States and local governments that release sensitive and confidential information on law-abiding gun owners and victims of domestic violence.”
Wow, Pat Leahy is suddenly a federalist.
Barrassoo Amendment, by 67-30, is Agreed To
Vote on the Harkin Amendment
Tom Harkin (D-IA) is speaking for his amendment, noting it would reauthorize certain Department of Education programs in regards to mental health services, intervention, and suicide prevention.
Lamar Alexander (R-TN) notes that this bill was unanimous in committee, and urges a yes vote.
Harkin Amendment, by 95-2, is Agreed To
The Senate is now in recess. This concludes our coverage. I should note that I don’t think either of these amendments were replacement amendments, meaning they are still attached to a gun control bill that doesn’t really have a chance of passing.
Holy crap! Klobuchar voted aye for the Barrasso ammendment!
I just want to thank you for the running live blog today and yesterday on the Senate. Even when I couldn’t see it live, I could read your blog to see where we were.
What exactly is the Harkin amendment and how badly does it screw us? (Harkin is a D so I’m assuming its gonna screw us…)
Yes somebody do tell. My google-fu is weak on this one…
No, it’s uncontroversial.
It’s about Department of Education mental health programs. Not even gun related.
O_o
You sure?
But that might actually prevent a columbine type mass shooting!
Are you sure they passed it? I thought democrats were doing their best to make sure another shooting happened again so they could bring this all back up in a few months…
That’s gonna be awesome if Barrasso is the only one that passes. Turn a gun control bill into a pro-gun only bill…
What’s to stop the Senate from just passing S.649? It may not contain the AWB, the standard capacity mag ban, or any of the proposed Amendments to the background check sections, but it looks like it still requires a background check for all private transfers.
This is what I’m worried about too.
The fact that they need 60 votes to pass it and don’t have those votes. Remember, S.649 is Schumer’s private transfer ban. That is assuming one of these two amendments is not a replacement, which I don’t think they are.
So if these amendments are not substitutes, these votes are essentially meaningless, since the underlying Schumer bill is unlikely to pass? I doubt that the Barrasso Amendment is enough good to outweigh the terrible bad of Schumer’s bill.
That’s exactly how I understand it. Doesn’t have the votes and all of the amendments at this point are just for going on record. Hopefully S.649 dies a horrible death.
The purpose is to get Democrats on record. No votes on Barrasso, you’d be able to spin it as these people supporting something like what happened in New York.
I was told that Harkin had a gun registration clause. Has that since been removed?
guys they are beaten. LETS FINISH EM!
never give a political any sort of political victory to your enemies or they will come back for more.
give them nothing take from them everything!
We’re basically now at the point where we were two weeks ago before the Toomey news broke.
That is to say that the original text of S.649 is now the only “gun control bill” moving through congress. The two amendments that passed today have nothing to do with gun control.
Did Reid pull the bill completely now?
Yes…. so it can still come back later.