An amendment proposed by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) to require background checks for commercial gun sales (but not for sales between “friends and neighbors”) was shot down Wednesday afternoon in a 54-46 vote, failing to capture the 60 votes it needed to advance. The bill would have been a modest victory for gun control advocates, while ceding numerous concessions to the gun lobby (the NRA initially called it a “positive development.”) Nevertheless, only four Republicans voted for the proposal, with 41 voting against it. Five Democrats rejected the proposal as well (Reid was a special case; see below). Standing with families of Sandy Hook victims, President Obama said that “there was no coherent argument for why we wouldn’t do this. It came down to politics.”
Here’s a list so you can see how your senator voted:
Republicans Who Voted for the Proposal
- Susan Collins (R-Maine)
- Mark Kirk (R-Ill.)
- John McCain (R-Ariz.)
- Pat Toomey (R-Pa.)
Democrats Who Voted Against the Proposal
- Max Baucus (D-Mont.)
- Mark Begich (D-Alaska)
- Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.)
- Mark Pryor (D-Ark.)
- Harry Reid (D-Nev.) (Voted “no” as a procedural move to preserve option to reintroduce the bill.)
Republicans Who Voted Against the Proposal
- Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.)
- Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.)
- John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)
- Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)
- John Boozman (R-Ark.)
- Richard Burr (R-N.C.)
- Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.)
- Dan Coats (R-Ind.)
- Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)
- Thad Cochran (R-Miss.)
- Bob Corker (R-Tenn.)
- John Cornyn (R-Texas)
- Mike Crapo (R-Idaho)
- Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
- Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.)
- Deb Fischer (R-Neb.)
- Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.)
- Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
- Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)
- Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)
- Dean Heller (R-Nev.)
- John Hoeven (R-N.D.)
- Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.)
- Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.)
- Mike Johanns (R-Neb.)
- Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)
- Mike Lee (R-Utah)
- Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
- Jerry Moran (R-Kan.)
- Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
- Rand Paul (R-Ky.)
- Rob Portman (R-Ohio)
- James Risch (R-Idaho)
- Pat Roberts (R-Kan.)
- Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)
- Timothy Scott (R-S.C.)
- Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.)
- Richard Shelby (R-Ala.)
- John Thune (R-S.D.)
- David Vitter (R-La.)
- Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)
Democrats Who Voted for the Proposal
- Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.)
- Michael Bennet (D-Colo.)
- Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.)
- Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)
- Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)
- Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.)
- Ben Cardin (D-Md.)
- Thomas Carper (D-Del.)
- Bob Casey (D-Pa.)
- Christopher Coons (D-Del.)
- William “Mo” Cowan (D-Mass.)
- Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.)
- Richard Durbin (D-Ill.)
- Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)
- Al Franken (D-Minn.)
- Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)
- Kay Hagan (D-N.C.)
- Tom Harkin (D-Iowa)
- Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.)
- Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii)
- Tim Johnson (D-S.D.)
- Timothy Kaine (D-Va.)
- Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)
- Mary Landrieu (D-La.)
- Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.)
- Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)
- Carl Levin (D-Mich.)
- Joe Manchin (D-W.V.)
- Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.)
- Robert Menendez (D-N.J.)
- Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)
- Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.)
- Christopher Murphy (D-Conn.)
- Patty Murray (D-Wash.)
- Bill Nelson (D-Fla.)
- John Reed (D-R.I.)
- Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.)
- Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii)
- Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)
- Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)
- Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.)
- Jon Tester (D-Mont.)
- Mark Udall (D-Colo.)
- Tom Udall (D-N.M.)
- Mark Warner (D-Va.)
- Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
- Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.)
- Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)
Independents
- Angus King (I-Maine): Yea
- Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.): Yea
