Bipartisan gun proposal advances in the Senate
The Senate on Thursday voted against tabling a bipartisan proposal aimed at keeping suspected terrorists from purchasing guns, meaning the measure will advance further in the Senate.
First, the Senate voted 46-52 against setting aside the bipartisan proposal from Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, which would prevent individuals on the federal no-fly list from purchasing guns. The proposal will now advance after winning a simple majority, though it's worth noting it will eventually need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.
Collins' proposal was put together after two similar competing measures, one from Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, and another from Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, failed in the Senate Monday night.
Seven other Republicans joined Collins in voting against tabling the amendment: Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee; Kelly Ayotte, R-New Hampshire; Dan Coats, R-Indiana; Jeff Flake, R-Arizona; Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina; Mark Kirk, R-Illinois; and Pat Toomey, R-Pennsylvania.
The second vote Thursday was on an alternative proposal from Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin. His measure was designed to authorize the U.S. Attorney General to delay or deny the purchase of firearms to suspected terrorists; it was tabled by a 67-31 vote.
Thursday's votes come shortly after House Democrats ended their nearly 26-hour sit-in on the House floor demanding action on gun control legislation and the week after Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, launched a nearly 15-hour filibuster on the Senate floor. On Monday night, the Senate voted on four gun-related proposals, all of which failed.
CBS News' John Nolen contributed to this story.
