After a filibuster and four failed bills trying to deal with gun violence, the Senate may have found a way forward, reports The Hill.
Senate Republicans, led by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), plan to bring forward a bipartisan bill that would block people on two different terrorist watch lists from buying guns, the so-called "NoFlyNoBuy" proposal. While it names only those on the "no-fly" and "selectee" lists and not the entire federal terrorist screening database named in the Democrats' proposal that failed on Monday, the NRA is opposed to the bill.
"Keeping guns from terrorists while protecting the due process rights of law-abiding citizens are not mutually exclusive," NRA Executive Director Chris W. Cox said in a statement to CNN. "Unfortunately, Senator Collins and others are focusing their efforts on unconstitutional proposals that would not have prevented the Orlando terrorist attack."
The gun rights organization has pressured Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to keep Senate Republicans from supporting it, but sources say McConnell is pushing back.
Sources in both parties on Tuesday said the Collins legislation is gaining momentum — a sign that doing nothing to prevent terrorism suspects from obtaining guns is a problem for vulnerable Republicans in the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting.
…The Senate Democrat who launched last week’s filibuster on gun control depicted a vote on the Collins measure as a pivotal moment for the Senate, which on Monday rejected four other gun control bills.
“I think you’re seeing in real time the vice grip of the NRA loosening in this place,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). “This is a watershed moment whether this gets to the finish line or not. You have Republicans scrambling to try to find a way to remedy their no votes [Monday] night.”
According to estimates, about 10 Republicans are on board with Collins’ bill, and even more are leaning toward supporting it, including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
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