Pat Toomey, Susan Collins and John Cornyn - could be open to passing red flag laws or strengthening background checks. While Murphy's odds of success are dim given that a solid majority of Republicans would never consider any additional gun regulation, it is possible a handful - including Sens.
Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat and fierce advocate of stricter gun policy, to determine what measures could win the support of 10 Republicans. Schumer has thus far leaned on the negotiating powers of Sen. While Democrats also hope to craft separate legislation that would tighten gun background checks or so-called red flag laws, the bill before the Senate on Thursday would have responded specifically to the threat of racist killings. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, pleaded with his Republican colleagues on Wednesday to consider the bill in the wake of May's second mass shooting carried out by a teenager: The killing of 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.īut without the necessary 60 votes to circumvent a GOP filibuster, the domestic terrorism bill has little chance of becoming law. The legislation lawmakers considered Thursday, known as the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, would create three offices in the FBI, as well as in the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, to track and examine cases of potential domestic terrorism. It failed to advance in a 47-47 vote, short of the 60 necessary to break a filibuster in the chamber. But Republicans, who contend that there are plenty of laws to prosecute domestic terrorism and opposed giving more power to federal law enforcement, prevented the bill's progress.