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| Another Impasse on Gun Bills, Another Win for Hyperpolitics | Another Impasse on Gun Bills, Another Win for Hyperpolitics |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| WASHINGTON — This week’s failed gun control votes in the Senate encapsulate much of what is wrong with and most frustrating about Congress. | WASHINGTON — This week’s failed gun control votes in the Senate encapsulate much of what is wrong with and most frustrating about Congress. |
| Not one senator in either party believes that someone who presents a serious terrorism risk should be able to waltz into a gun shop and legally buy powerful firearms. Yet partisanship, a reluctance to compromise and the influence of powerful special interests again prevented lawmakers from achieving a consensus objective, as four separate plans went down on Monday to an entirely predictable defeat. | Not one senator in either party believes that someone who presents a serious terrorism risk should be able to waltz into a gun shop and legally buy powerful firearms. Yet partisanship, a reluctance to compromise and the influence of powerful special interests again prevented lawmakers from achieving a consensus objective, as four separate plans went down on Monday to an entirely predictable defeat. |
| It was just the latest instance in which lawmakers agreed that something needed to be done on an issue of national importance, but were unable to find a way to do it in Washington’s hyperpolitical atmosphere. | It was just the latest instance in which lawmakers agreed that something needed to be done on an issue of national importance, but were unable to find a way to do it in Washington’s hyperpolitical atmosphere. |
| Democrats, holding new political leverage after the horrific killings of 49 people by a gunman in Orlando, Fla., were eager to press their advantage and were not about to make it easy for Republicans, pushing broader legislation on background checks, along with the central proposal that would have made it tougher for terrorism suspects to buy guns. | Democrats, holding new political leverage after the horrific killings of 49 people by a gunman in Orlando, Fla., were eager to press their advantage and were not about to make it easy for Republicans, pushing broader legislation on background checks, along with the central proposal that would have made it tougher for terrorism suspects to buy guns. |
| “We are not going to be a cheap date on this one,” Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, said in an interview last week. | “We are not going to be a cheap date on this one,” Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, said in an interview last week. |
| Republicans, with much on the line in this election year, were not willing to cross the National Rifle Association, which endorsed a Republican alternative that Democrats branded unworkable and phony. Democrats say they cannot see themselves voting for any proposal blessed by the gun lobby. | Republicans, with much on the line in this election year, were not willing to cross the National Rifle Association, which endorsed a Republican alternative that Democrats branded unworkable and phony. Democrats say they cannot see themselves voting for any proposal blessed by the gun lobby. |
| Republicans, as the majority party in the Senate, were not about to cede too much authority to Democrats and allow them to set the legislative agenda. Republicans were not amused by a 15-hour Democratic filibuster last week, a maneuver that essentially let the minority party take over the floor for the day. | Republicans, as the majority party in the Senate, were not about to cede too much authority to Democrats and allow them to set the legislative agenda. Republicans were not amused by a 15-hour Democratic filibuster last week, a maneuver that essentially let the minority party take over the floor for the day. |
| To top it all off, the two parties agreed to a filibuster-proof, 60-vote threshold on the gun control proposals, one that Democrats themselves couldn’t meet when they controlled the Senate during the failure of a round of gun votes after the shooting in Newtown, Conn., in December 2012. | To top it all off, the two parties agreed to a filibuster-proof, 60-vote threshold on the gun control proposals, one that Democrats themselves couldn’t meet when they controlled the Senate during the failure of a round of gun votes after the shooting in Newtown, Conn., in December 2012. |
| It was a recipe for failure, leaving a sense of disappointment and anger among both lawmakers and survivors of those lost in an epidemic of mass killings — another instance of dashed hopes that the latest unimaginable slaughter would be the one to finally provoke a compromise. | It was a recipe for failure, leaving a sense of disappointment and anger among both lawmakers and survivors of those lost in an epidemic of mass killings — another instance of dashed hopes that the latest unimaginable slaughter would be the one to finally provoke a compromise. |
| “What am I going to tell 49 grieving families?” an emotional Senator Bill Nelson, Democrat of Florida, asked after the votes. “I am going to tell them the N.R.A. won again.” | “What am I going to tell 49 grieving families?” an emotional Senator Bill Nelson, Democrat of Florida, asked after the votes. “I am going to tell them the N.R.A. won again.” |
| The impasse has gotten to the point where it was seen as something of a victory — one that took concerted efforts by Democrats in last week’s filibuster — to merely force votes on what most agreed would have been a mainly symbolic step toward tighter gun laws. | The impasse has gotten to the point where it was seen as something of a victory — one that took concerted efforts by Democrats in last week’s filibuster — to merely force votes on what most agreed would have been a mainly symbolic step toward tighter gun laws. |
| “We are at least going to get to see where people stand on some pretty simple concepts,” said Senator Christopher S. Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, who led the filibuster and has been a determined advocate of new gun laws since the school shooting in Newtown. | “We are at least going to get to see where people stand on some pretty simple concepts,” said Senator Christopher S. Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, who led the filibuster and has been a determined advocate of new gun laws since the school shooting in Newtown. |
| To Republicans, a central reason for the Democratic push was to gain campaign fodder against vulnerable Republicans, and to shift attention away from Democratic policy on fighting terrorism. Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, accused Democrats of jumping on the Orlando tragedy as “an opportunity to push a partisan agenda or craft the next 30-second campaign ad.” | To Republicans, a central reason for the Democratic push was to gain campaign fodder against vulnerable Republicans, and to shift attention away from Democratic policy on fighting terrorism. Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, accused Democrats of jumping on the Orlando tragedy as “an opportunity to push a partisan agenda or craft the next 30-second campaign ad.” |
| The politics were palpable. Democrats believe that the gun issue could be employed effectively against Republican candidates in swing states like New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania that will decide control of the Senate in November. Minutes before the votes, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee issued a news release attacking Republican arguments against the legislation. Minutes after it failed, the organization issued statements harshly criticizing the votes of Republican contenders in Ohio and New Hampshire. | The politics were palpable. Democrats believe that the gun issue could be employed effectively against Republican candidates in swing states like New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania that will decide control of the Senate in November. Minutes before the votes, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee issued a news release attacking Republican arguments against the legislation. Minutes after it failed, the organization issued statements harshly criticizing the votes of Republican contenders in Ohio and New Hampshire. |
| Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, one of the embattled Republicans, voted for both Democratic and Republican plans on terrorist screening, trying to avoid serious political trouble on the issue. Mr. Reid compared her position to doing yoga on the Senate floor. | Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, one of the embattled Republicans, voted for both Democratic and Republican plans on terrorist screening, trying to avoid serious political trouble on the issue. Mr. Reid compared her position to doing yoga on the Senate floor. |
| Ms. Ayotte is part of a bipartisan group trying to negotiate an agreement on a new alternative first offered by Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine. That proposal would prevent those on the federal no-fly list, and on a second list for added airport screening, from buying guns, but would allow for an appeal. The federal government would be accountable for court costs for people who successfully contest the federal action. | Ms. Ayotte is part of a bipartisan group trying to negotiate an agreement on a new alternative first offered by Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine. That proposal would prevent those on the federal no-fly list, and on a second list for added airport screening, from buying guns, but would allow for an appeal. The federal government would be accountable for court costs for people who successfully contest the federal action. |
| Ms. Collins and other Republican backers hope they can get a vote on the Senate floor. But they would need to attract substantial Republican support even if every Democrat backed the measure, and that was in doubt. Leading Democrats said they had not yet seen the proposal, and noted that Ms. Collins herself often clashes with her party on gun control and other issues. | |
| “It doesn’t have to be this way,” Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania, said about the legislative futility represented in Monday’s tableau. “That is what is so maddening about this.” | “It doesn’t have to be this way,” Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania, said about the legislative futility represented in Monday’s tableau. “That is what is so maddening about this.” |
| It doesn’t have to be that way. But it always seems to be. | It doesn’t have to be that way. But it always seems to be. |