Expanded background checks for gun sales fails in Senate, delivering blow to Newtown families and Obama
WASHINGTON – Compromise legislation to expand mandatory background checks for gun sales -- a key element of the federal response to the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Conn. – failed Wednesday afternoon in the US Senate.
The inability of President Obama and Democratic leaders to round up the required 60 votes in favor of enhanced background checks dealt a striking defeat to a major initiative of the president’s second term, falling short despite numerous pleas and trips to Washington by families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School victims, whose children were murdered five months ago by a lone gunman with a semi-automatic assault rifle.
The Senate voted Wednesday afternoon to block the first of nine amendments to Obama’s gun control bill, a compromise forged between senators Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, and Pat Toomey, a Republican from Pennsylvania to expand background checks for gun buyers.
Despite the bipartisan negotiations, the amendment failed when only 54 senators voted to proceed, falling six votes short. All New England senators voted yes except for Senator Kelly Ayotte, a Republican from New Hampshire.
Erica Lafferty, 27, the daughter of Dawn Hochsprung, principal of Sandy Hook who lost her life in the shooting, said she was disappointed by the vote “but the fact that it got to the floor is good.”
“I’m confident that it will be back, and I also know that I will be here when it does come back,” Lafferty said. “We’re not going away.”
Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican, praised Manchin and Toomey for their efforts during the debate preceding the series of votes.
“You did the right thing,” McCain said. “What they have tried to do today I think is an act that should be appreciated by those of us who many times avoid taking the tough decisions.”
Senator Christopher Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat in favor of gun control, spoke out against the outsized influence of the gun lobby.
“The longer that I’ve spent in this place, the more I’m convinced that there are people who actually do believe that we should just go back to the days of the wild, wild west,” Murphy said, “that we should usher in a new era of gun control Darwinism in which the good guys have guns, the bad guns, and we just hope that the good guys shoot the bad guys.”
Because of senate procedural rules, a 60-vote threshhold was required for each of the nine amendments to proceed. The other amendments include an assault weapons ban and limits on high capacity magazines.
The gun debate has been marked by intense lobbying on both sides, big-spending influence campaigns targeting individual senators, and some vitriolic attacks, particularly by some groups opposed to firearms restrictions.
Groups beyond the National Rifle Association, the traditional representative of the gun lobby, have played a major role in the debate. The National Association for Gun Rights used email alerts, online videos, and a Facebook page to convey mocking imagery that targeted individual senators.
In a series of Facebook posts, the group showed Obama as a puppeteer, controlling the strings of Toomey. Stamped in red ink is, “Toomey Sold Out Your Gun Rights.”
The gun rights group similarly depicted all 16 Republicans who voted last week to prevent a GOP filibuster and move forward on the gun legislation debate. The 16 also are shown with their faces on sticks, tagged by Facebook users with unfriendly names. Senator Lamar Alexander, of Tennessee, is “Socialist.” Senator Tom Coburn, of Oklahoma, is “communist #9.” Senator John Hoeven, of South Dakota, is “Judas Bastard.”
Senator Kelly Ayotte, of New Hampshire, is “liberal [expletive] 1” while Senator Susan Collins, of Maine, is “liberal [expletive] 2.”
Polls show that nearly 90 percent of Americans support a strong system of background checks for gun purchases. But the looming failure of gun-control legislation illustrates how vocal minorities are exerting strong influence on congressional debates by targeting individual senators with outside pressure, channeled through Internet organizing.
Few have experienced as much heat as Collins, a Maine Republican who has built a reputation for being moderate and open to compromise. A host of groups in recent days have taken out ads in Maine trying to win her over, including groups supporting gun-control legislation.
Organizing for Action, an offshoot of President Obama’s campaign network, ran an ad Friday on the Bangor Daily News website with this message: “Tell Senator Collins: It’s time to close background check loopholes.” That ad came a day after a full-page ad from the National Rifle Association that asked, “Will Obama’s gun control proposals actually work? His own experts say, ‘No.’”
The group on Monday posted a doctored and unflattering photo of Collins with her eyes bulging as if she were a zombie. Within an hour, 5,413 people liked it on Facebook and 490 people had commented on it.
Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, Wednesday morning criticized the president for using the Newtown, Conn., families “as props.”
At a breakfast with reporters sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, he said the legislation would not have prevented the Sandy Hook shootings, and he criticized the vote as being mostly for show.
“A lot of things in Washington are window dressing, it’s a dog and pony show, it’s a parade, it’s theatrics, it’s histrionics, all to show people that something bad happened — which it did. Something terribly tragic happened,” he said.
I did too but felt it wouldn't make it in the House anyway. Glad to see Obama exasperated and defeated on this, but I doubt it will stop him from using EO's.
Also, there was a vote on national CCW reciprocity. Unfortunately it didn't pass, but got got 57 votes for, 43 against. It got more votes than the Toomey/Manchin bill. In other words, more Senators voted to expand gun rights than take them away.
There wouldn't have been the votes in the House anyway. It was a bad bill that the federal govt had not authority to even consider. The Constitution is NOT for sale either.
Eventually they will convince a stupid public that it is better to take rights away from law abiding citizens than actually punishing criminals that use guns to commit crime.
"President Obama lashes out at lawmakers who failed a bill supported by most Americans, and vows to continue the gun control fight."
Red Dead is the only Rockstar game that even appeals to me, it's also the only series that is console only. They don't need my money, haha.
It will probably be on PC eventually but who knows how long that will be. Could be a year out. I don’t think I could wait that long. Haven’t been this pumped for a game since high school.
So I read a preview on another forum that was translated...can't even believe it lol...here's some snippets...
"In play, and on the scripted missions, we can see Arthur Morgan begin to unbutton his jacket and then open it completely once the heat is felt.We can also access Arthur Morgan's statistics in the options to know the body temperature level, knowing that if our cowboy is too hot or too cold, his health nucleus will be altered and will empty accordingly. For the sake of efficiency, but while keeping this coherent and organic side, know that Arthur can change his outfit on the camp, in a hotel room, at the tailor, but also while standing in front of his horse, which allows access to the options offered via the saddle. "
"Either he tries to catch the witness, beats him or scares him enough to keep quiet (L2 + Triangle to threaten a witness and to keep him silent, but some NPCs are not impressed), either he can negotiate with the police if the crime remains minor, or he disguises himself by changing his clothes so as not to be recognized (knowing that when one is pursued by the police, he is impossible to be served by a trader who will then ask Arthur Morgan to leave his house), or he will go to one of the bus stations to pay his debt".
"For example, we tried to cross a river with a strong current on our horse and we ended up drowned, our kernels of endurance and health having been emptied ... Otherwise, know that Arthur Morgan can sit everywhere from when there is a chair. And sitting next to the NPC allows you to listen to conversations, get information, anecdotes that could have missed if we had missed."
"Otherwise, sitting next to the campfire, Arthur Morgan has access to a whole craft system of incredible richness. Our cowboy can indeed make all kinds of objects such as weapons, special ammunition, tonics, care for his horse, improved equipment, tools for hunting, lures for fishing, provided by cons to have the raw materials necessary for making.
For example, combining animal fat with alcohol creates an incendiary bottle. It is the same with ammunition that can be mounted for example to obtain more powerful bullets or more perforating. Ideal for shooting down enemies more easily, or eliminating a big predator (bear type) in just a few shots. But that's not all ! In addition to being a fine craftsman, Arthur Morgan is also an outstanding cook, since he is able to make his own cuisine from meat, fish and other venison that he has recovered from the dead animals. he will have hunted beforehand.
Just like Zelda's Breath of the Wild, it is up to the player to create his own recipes, trying on combinations with herbs that he has picked up in the wild. Thyme, mint, oregano and other aromatic plants can be picked by Arthur Morgan, knowing that according to the shaped recipes, the benefits are not the same. It is up to the player to search for recipes or diagrams that increase the possibilities.A drop-down menu will allow you to see the statistics obtained according to the mix, with improvements that vary according to health, endurance or even the Dead Eye. But where Red Dead 2 goes further than Zelda Breath of the Wild is in the quality of the meat. As I have already told you in my previous previews, depending on the method chosen to slaughter an animal, the quality of the meat obtained differs.
And a meat of poor quality can not be seasoned, forcing Arthur to consume raw. Know also that eating a meat - or a fish - prepared (so cooked) will have more fortifying effects than to hit a piece of raw meat. On screen, these Top Chef moments translate into an Arthur Morgan who plants his piece of meat (or fish) at the end of his knife and then leaves it over the fire for cooking. We also take the opportunity to tell you that after cooking a food, it is possible to keep in his bag to eat later."
Bout ****ing time i can hardly wait and going have a nice week off the 26th through November 5th. Gonna log some playing time.
Since I'm now an old ****, I'll have to wait until all of this shit goes on sale after Christmas. Responsibilities...
If you're getting this game and plan on upgrading to a pro or just need a ps4 in general it can come bundled with the PS4 Pro so you get it free when you buy the console.