Washington: The US Senate has rejected a White House-backed strong gun control bill, with President Barack Obama slamming the decision as “shameful” and accusing the lawmakers of surrendering to the powerful firearms lobby.
The legislation failed by a vote of 54-46 yesterday. A minimum of 60 was required for its passage. A handful of Senators from his own Democratic Party voted against it, while the White House-backed bill could get the support of only four Republican Senator. If passed by the Congress and signed into law by the US President, the legislation would have expanded checks to cover all firearm sales at gun shows and over the Internet, with exemptions for sales between friends and acquaintances outside of commercial venues.
The legislation would have banned the possession, importation, manufacture, or transfer of any magazine that has the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Half of the mass shootings since 1982 have involved high-capacity magazines.
In addition to the Newtown and Tucson tragedies, high-capacity magazines were used in mass shootings at Fort Hood, Virginia Tech, Aurora, and Oak Creek. “All in all, this was a pretty shameful day for Washington,” a visibly angry and upset Obama said in his remarks in the Rose Garden of the White House. The defeat of the bill on the Senate floor is said to be a major upset for Obama presidency, a victory for the strong gun-control lobby supported by the National Rifle association. “But this effort is not over,” Obama said. “I want to make it clear to the American people we can still bring about meaningful changes that reduce gun violence, so long as the American people don’t give up on it. Even without Congress, my administration will keep doing everything it can to protect more of our communities. (PTI)