Republicans - the same ones who say President Obama is soft on terrorism - voted down Senator Dianne Feinstein’s clear cut amendment to stop terror suspects from purchasing firearms without background checks.
The amendment would have given the Attorney General the power to decide if a suspected terrorist on a government watch-list could obtain a firearm or not, and would allow people who feel they were wrongfully denied purchasing power to appeal to the federal government.
The bill failed by a vote of 45-54. All but one Democrats voted in favor, all Republicans but one voted against it. Take a wild guess how many of the Republicans that voted it down got expenditures from the NRA? Every single one.
In the 2014 election cycle, the NRA spent a whopping $30 million on the members of this Republican controlled Senate to ensure legislation like this wouldn’t pass.
Igor Volsky, Director of Video and Contributing Editor at Think Progress, compiled a list of the members who voted against Feinstein’s amendment and how much each of them got from the NRA.
Here they are. Members of the highest legislative body in the world who put their money from the NRA above the safety of the American people:
Lamar Alexander, Tennessee, $5,857 from the NRA
Kelly Ayotte, New Hampshire, $4000
Roy Blunt, Missouri, $755,816
John Boozman, Montana, $24,618
Richard Burr, North Carolina, $32,792
Shelley Moore-Capito, West Virginia, $94,261
Bill Cassidy, Louisiana, $247,629
Dan Coates, Indiana, $17,917
Thad Cochran, Mississippi, $9,944
Bob Corker, Tennessee, $5,929
John Cornyn, Texas, $15,909
Tom Cotton, Arkansas, $2,581,794
Mike Crapo, Idaho, $2,949
Ted Cruz, Texas, $65,300
Steve Daines, Montana, $35,810
Mike Enzi, Wyoming, $2,024
Joni Ernst, Iowa, $259,402
Deb Fischer, Nebraska, $8,359
Jeff Flake, Arizona, $321,709
Cory Gardner, Colorado, $1,544,783
Chuck Grassley, Iowa, $55,592
Orrin Hatch, Utah, $97,484
Dean Heller, Nevada, $27,887
John Hoeven, North Dakota, $3,099
Jim Inhofe, Oklahoma, $3,795
Johnny Isakson, Georgia, $1,262
Mike Lee, Utah, $2,117
Mitch McConnell, Kentucky, $922,000
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska, $4,780
David Perdue, Georgia, $279,173
Rob Portman, Wisconsin, $596,489
Pat Roberts, Kansas, $322,453
Mike Rounds, South Dakota, $82,040
Ben Sasse, Nebraska, $87,827
John Thune, South Dakota, $92,202
Thom Tillis, North Carolina, $2,459,881
Roger Wicker, Mississippi, $44,601
Senators not accounted for were Senators Barrasso, Collins, Graham, Heitkamp, Lankford, Moran, Paul, Risch, Rubio, Scott, Sessions, Shelby, Sullivan, and Vitter.
Some Senators have taken less than three thousand dollars from NRA. I guess we know the price of life within the GOP.
Senator Feinstein said it best after the vote:
If you need proof that Congress is a hostage to the gun lobby, look no further than today’s vote blocking a bill to prevent known or suspected terrorists from buying guns and explosives. Congress has been paralyzed by the gun lobby for years, while more and more Americans are killed in mass shootings. The carnage won’t stop until Congress finds the courage to stand up to the gun lobby and protect the nation.
Remember people, the price the Republicans in Congress put on your lives is anywhere between $1,500 and $2.8 million.
Featured image via Wikipedia
Rob Portman is a senator from Ohio, not Wisconsin.
[So my previous reply just vanished. Forgive me if it shows up twice…]
I was just saying that they also mistakenly listed Boozman’s state. He’s from Arkansas. And I know they simply made these errors by copying and pasting text from a spreadsheet and probably got their line-breaks out of whack by doing that. But that goes to show you how little effort they put into these columns…
Wow, 30 WHOLE million dollars on 37 different representatives? No way!!!
To put this into a bit of context, Hillary’s campaign has raised and spent $100,000,000 so far, and we still have a really long way to go.
I hope you libturds aren’t suggesting that the paltry sums spent by the NRA to support a large number of senators is in any way comparable to the exact same thing that Hillary and the rest of the dems do, because that would be really, really stupid.
Hillary and the Dems are on The NRA Payroll ?
ahhh… there are democrats in the NRA too…
And (as a former History Teacher) I particularly like the articles on Historic Weapons.
What are you talking about???
It’s very simple:
1. Your ilk claim that the “NRA’s money” has an undue influence in politics.
2. I point out that Hillary alone has raised over three times the amount the NRA spent during the last entire election season ALREADY, and we’re not even to the primaries yet.
The NRA’s money is not what’s making the difference, it’s the information they provide to VOTERS, who do not want our gun rights taken away.
How misleading can you get? lol
Bunch
of garbage. You cannot “ban criminals from having guns,” you can only
take guns from law-abiding citizens. Really, its looking like we all
need to be armed now, for our own protection!
YES YOU CAN!!! Democrats say so! LOL
Misleading is the bread and butter of this little hack site.
Clearly can see why Tom Cotton is in the pocket of NRA!!
“In the pocket”? You do realize how small those “pockets” really are, right? The NRA spends hardly anything at all on campaigning compared to most other lobbies and major candidates. Their true power comes from the VOTERS, who are very passionate about defending their rights.
This is why Super Pacs need to be dissolved and lobbyists need to be regulated to max “donation”
Completely agreed. Citizens United was a terrible SCOTUS ruling, and it needs overturned for sure. Luckily, the NRA will be entirely unaffected.
No, those pockets are not small. The NRA spends a great deal of money to keep their minions in line. You talk about power coming from the voters…the bills that might affect the NRA are constructed and voted for or against in Congress. This is why they spend the money where it is most effective!!
Yes, their pockets are most certainly small, especially when compared with nearly every other major lobby in Washington. The NRA isn’t even on the top 100 list of campaign contributors.
The list of top 20 lobbying spenders is made up of companies you’ve never heard of, and they’ve spent between $133,000,000 and $533,000,000 lobbying congress between 1998-2015. The NRA? They don’t come anywhere near to these amounts. Their true power comes from their ability to clearly show the voters how each candidate feels about gun rights, which is why their rating system has been so effective. I would NEVER vote for a candidate with below a B rating from the NRA.
http://www.opensecrets.Org/lobby/top.php?indexType=l&showYear=a
The NRA has no need to spend on campaigning for their interests. They already own, body and soul, all the votes they require to accomplish any legislation they desire. As to some of the bought and paid for legislators, I wonder just what the NRA has in mind for the services of Tom Cotton (note amount of contribution of small fortune) It was more than apparent that he had heavy-handed backing when he pulled his sedition stunt. Watch for developments in the career of this GOPT pawn
This is the way our government is designed to work. Our representatives are supposed to do what their constituencies ask them. All the NRA does is to make crystal clear how each candidate votes on gun rights. By giving them a ” grade,” it provides an easy way for voters to see how they are doing on gun rights, and, if the voters don’t like what they see, to vote them out.
I have to wonder if you apply this same logic to those representatives that vote for issues you agree with. Would you also call them “bought and paid for” by those that finance THEIR campaigns?
Why are they allowing known and suspected terrorists into the country?
Many of them are American citizens, that’s why.
Can American citizens be prohibited from having guns based on government suspicion?
no
same rights as Mentally Unstable without a diagnosis, Christian Extremist would hate abortions or Billy Bob caught his wife cheating and wished to set it straight. but you know, second amendment and all.. these people hardly sound like a ” well trained militia ” - by the way, the real well trained Militia is the National Guard, not Joe the Plumber
So then Republicans didn’t prevent anything from happening. Also the National Guard is distinct from the Militia.
Toomey )PA) ?
She passed a DHS background check when she filed for her visa. Neither of them were on any terrorist watch list and yet they still shot up San Bernadino. The weapons, as far as I know, we’re legally purchased, into the state of California. No laws were broken in obtaining the weapons.
So how is keeping potential terrorists from getting weapons through a legal process going to keep this from happening again? What would have this law done to prevent these two from doing what they did?
There is a saying, A lock only keeps out an honest man. Making laws to prevent people from acquiring weapons only keeps law abiding people from getting them. France has extremely stringent gun laws, but Paris was shot up by AK47s. You think any of them applied for the weapons they used? You think they went by the laws in place? Of course not. Only the people that were unarmed in the establishments that were shot and killed followed the laws of France and were slaughtered for doing so.
Taking away my car because someone else is drunk driving is not going to prevent accidents and deaths related to drunk driving.
We can all agree, insurance fraud should be prosecuted, and there is no
statue of limitations when murder is involved. Yet when the federal
government stands to make the greatest expansion in a century, the
noble lie is created. Unlike all the hype surrounding subjective
material, the LAWS OF PHYSICS are objective and can not be broken.
MSM is generated north of the Mason Dixon line,
and they have managed to brainwash the general public into believing
things that only happen in cartoons. Many people resist through
cognitive dissonance, not even realizing the truth is more than they
are willing to grasp. It comes down to this basic statement:
Aluminum in free space can NOT penetrate a larger piece of rigid structural steel at subsonic speed (STP@SL).
Prof of concept can be seen in history, as a B-25 Mitchell struck the
Empire State building July 28th, 1945. The facade of the ESB is
granite, and masonry has negligible tensile strength(<1Ksi).
Tensile strength is what keeps a material from being pulled apart
(Kevlar in protective vest) and structural steel can withstand over 88Ksi (THE strongest tensile strength building material used in quantity, even
today). The aircraft punched a 18ft x 20ft hole in the facade, yet
the wing span is over 67 feet. Many publication try to avoid
discussing the air frame, as it fell to a lower roof terrace and the
street level.
To arrive at a contradiction is to confess an error in one's thinking;
to maintain a contradiction is to abdicate one's mind and to evict
oneself from the realm of reality.~ Ayn Rand
The crisis of today is the joke of tomorrow.~ H. G. Wells
Having once shot a steel car rim with a handgun, this is
a clear example of how penetration is not possible. The bullet is
10x the density of water and travels at the speed of sound (just
under 1200ft/sec, for STP@SL). But we are expected to believe an
aluminum projectile that floats on water (Sully's airliner in the
Hudson river, indicating .2 mass density compared to water) and can
only travel about 500ft/sec, is able to perpetuate over 126 feet
through steel without stopping. This is absurd, as it would only
takes a constant force of 50g to stop any projectile moving
500ft/sec, in 63 feet. Formula 1 cars have recorded survived impacts
from 85-140+g, crumpling the car body less than 2ft, in 200mph crashes.
As the kinematic equation shows, 1/2 Mass(Velocity
squared), the velocity is exponential compared to mass, a linear
function. From the standpoint of metallurgy, the shear modules of
aluminum is 25 Gpa, where as basic steel is 70 Gpa. Even the
construction technique of using sheet metal to fabricate planes,
lends itself to the dissipation of energy through crumpling.
Examples can be seen in uni-body construction of cars to meet impact
safety requirements, a practice started before 1980.
In conclusion, the carppetbagger's hoax that commercial
airliners hit the WTC, can easily be disproved by observation of
physics and metallurgy. Even basic math shows the energy needed
would be one thousand times greater than a commercial airliner could
generate, that's three orders of magnitude. NOT PHYSICALLY
POSSIBLE! So how does this affect the average person?
Whoever controls the media, controls the mind.~ Jim Morrison
Like Morrison, you should lay off the drugs.
Too bad you dropped out of HS, you would actually comprehend the real world of physics.
Truth is often unbelievable to the ignorant and uneducated!
Question.. why did Sanders vote with the republicans???
Because he believes in gun rights. I’m a staunch conservative, but I’d vote for him on this one issue alone if it came down to it.
NRA = Nazis Rule America.
And who “rules” the NRA? Here’s a hint, the American VOTER. Did know that a very solid majority of Americans hold a favorable view of the NRA, despite what the lapdog media would have you believe?
Where do you get your information? Define a “solid majority of Americans.” I think you are so rabid in your defense you’re confabulating information!
That would be Gallup, the most respected polling institution in the country.
That “solid majority” is 58%, more people that support Obama, Hillary, or any of the Republican candidates.
http://www.gallup.Com/poll/186284/despite-criticism-nra-enjoys-majority-support.aspx
I’m not “rabid” or “confabulating” anything, you’re just ignorant.
Apparently, you’re having some difficulty reading the stats of the most recent Gallup Poll. As of Oct. 7-11, 2015, 55% of Americans felt gun laws should be more strict.
You mentioned you are young and your arrogance is obvious!
Now you’re changing the subject. Why are you doing that? I claimed that a solid majority of the country holds a favorable view of the NRA, then I proved it by citing Gallup. Your response? To change the subject. One can both approve of the NRA and also want more strict gun laws you know. Where is YOUR citation btw?
Gallup, the most respected polling institution in the country!
You didn’t provide it, and you’re changing the subject. Talk about weak.
You just HATE that so many Americans agree with the NRA, so much so that you can’t bring yourself to admit it, now can you? Pathetic.
I don’t have a problem admitting many Americans may share favorable views toward the NRA, but also want stricter gun laws. Responsible gun owners are not in favor of the recent NRA’s position and their strong arming politicians to stay in line. Further, your need to type in caps also is indicative of your age. You mocked someone earlier when they made a comment about your name calling, but apparently you’re not above that either.
Question: If you believe so strongly about the NRA and your gun rights, why do you choose to hide behind a fictitious name and icon on your sight?
You admitted it. Very good. Your ad hominem attack is entirely unnecessary, and quite childish in its own right btw. Move along old lady, and leave my gun rights alone.
You feel vindicated now? My comments about your childish behavior is not unnecessary, but obviously hit a nerve. Thin skinned are you?? I’ll move along when I choose since I have a right to freedom of speech…hear of it??
Awwww, you’re a sweet old lady, huh?
Again…if your beliefs are so strong for gun rights, and that is fine, why do you choose to hide behind a fictitious heading and icon? People with strong values and beliefs are not afraid to stand up for them.
Yea … no, not playing your little game, sorry.
And what little game is that?? You were asked a reasonable question. Is it because you have no substantive answer and feel safe remaining anonymous?
It’s not a “reasonable” question when the majority of Disqus users choose some sort of anonymous handle. You’re just picking a fight. What good will that do? Desperate for a little vindication after I proved your wrinkled old butt wrong?
You keep telling yourself that! Asking a question is not picking a fight unless you feel threatened in some way. If you recall, I’m the one that agreed to the Gallup poll regarding support of the NRA. I don’t need vindication. Resorting to name calling again shows your weakness!
Yes, you clearly feel threatened (I probably would too if I had my a s s handed to me the way you just did), and yes, you are indeed picking a fight. Like I said, I’m not playing your sad little game, sorry.
Sorry, I don’t feel threatened. Think you’re having a hard time with comprehension…I asked if you felt threatened by my question. You still haven’t told me what “little game” I’m playing.
Uh huh. The NRA helped to stop a universal background check bill from passing after Sandy Hook. However, all these shooters are ALREADY passing background checks. So tell me, even IF the NRA didn’t exist, and this bill had passed, and we now had universal background checks, would this shooting still have happened??
YES, it would have.
So why don’t you stop your b*tching and whining and pull your head out of your behind?
Let’s talk facts shall we. Every single democrate also voted in FAVOR of the most recent UN resolution allowing confiscation of all firearms held by US citizens. Fortunately it failed, but by a slim margin
France has incredibly strict gun laws, and yet they keep having terrorist attacks involving guns.
Mr and Mrs ISIS followed followed the strict gun laws of California, so no gun control proposal would have prevented the San Bernardino attack.
You can’t have Islamist terrorism without Islamists. That’s why Rand Paul has introduced legislation to ban visa entry from Islamist Supremicist countries. This proposal would stop attacks like San Bernardino and the Boston Marathon bombing.
‘they’ have no common sense of responsible governing…its embarrassing.
Now that was fun. 🙂
Author bio note of “Living Blue in a Red State” says all we need to know about the slant here. Govt No Fly list includes Steve Hayes, (author and Fox News contributor - so that pretty much sums up WHY he’s on the list) and has for some time after having been made aware of the issue, ….the woman in SB (all we need to find out about her background to make her a complete “victim” in the narrative is that she is an orphan) was “vetted” per existing govt regulations - so, feel better about this? How about this for “common sense” legislation - FIX the “vetting” process before we import any more of these people from anywhere - THEN talk to me about MORE gun control.
It does not matter how many people die each day or why,or inalienable right to keep and carry modern firearms will never ever go away ! Thanks NRA for fighting for our civil rights!
The Terrorist watch list is a joke and was never intended for Law Enforcement use.There is NO EVIDENCE of any criminal activity on anyone on the list.Just one unverified “TIP” will put you on the list with no chance to confront your accuser or correct the data until; it is too late.
This was a bad law that would never pass Constitutional muster.The NRA and Republicans were correct to shoot this down!!!The Democrats should be ashamed of even suggesting such unlawful legislation!!!
Wow, Thom Tillis and Richard Burr actually did something right for a change? How bizarre is that?
It’s called the Second Amendment. If you don’t like it, get it repealed. “The right of THE PEOPLE to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
I am sure some Democrats get NRA money too.