First, the good news. The Manchin/Toomey amendment to S. 649 was defeated in the Senate by a 54-46 vote. The only way the bill was ever going to have a chance at passage was with that amendment, so it’s safe to say it’s dead.
John McCain voted “yea.” Harry Reid waited until the very end to cast a “nay” vote. Some lady shouted “shame on you” from the rafters, and the President is calling the NRA liars (epic meltdown here). So, business as usual.
A look at the votes for various amendments is interesting. Feinstein’s Assault Weapons Ban 2.0 failed, but only by a 60-40 margin. That means the issue isn’t quite dead yet. On the other hand, the Cornyn amendment to enact nationwide CCW reciprocity won by a 57-43 margin.
The margin on the Manchin amendment is better than I expected, but still short of what I’d have liked to see. Continued...