Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he will not bring existing gun control bills to the floor for votes.

Instead, Schumer will encourage members of his caucus to work on a bipartisan compromise with Republicans to have a chance at securing the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.

It’s a surprising take from Schumer, who has been supportive of so-called accountability votes that have no chance to pass but force Senators to take a public stance on the issue at hand.

“I’m sympathetic to that, and I believe that accountability votes are important,” he said from the Senate floor. “Sadly, this isn’t a case of the American people now knowing where their senators stand. They know. They know because my Republican colleagues are perfectly clear on this issue.”

One bill with potential for bipartisan support is “red flag” legislation authored by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and co-sponsored by Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Susan Collins (R-ME). The bill would establish and authorize procedures for removing firearms from people deemed a threat to themselves or others.

There have also been attempts to revive a bill negotiated between Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) in 2013. The legislation would expand background checks and require federal authorities to alert state and local law enforcement within 24 hours when an ineligible person attempts to purchase a firearm and fails the background check.

(Visited 11,511 times, 1 visits today)