U.S. Senate Shoots Down Background Check Amendment, Pro-Gun Amendments Scuttled, Feinstein Amendment Goes Down In Flames

FINAL UPDATE 6:34 p.m. ET – After the Manchin-Toomey proposal failed to clear the U.S. Senate, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, co-chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, released the following statement:

Today's vote is a damning indictment of the stranglehold that special interests have on Washington. More than 40 U.S. senators would rather turn their backs on the 90 percent of Americans who support comprehensive background checks than buck the increasingly extremist wing of the gun lobby.

Democrats – who are so quick to blame Republicans for our broken gun laws – could not stand united. And Republicans – who are so quick to blame Democrats for not being tough enough on crime – handed criminals a huge victory, by preserving their ability to buy guns illegally at gun shows and online and keeping the illegal trafficking market well-fed.

UPDATE 6:23 p.m. ET -- With only 46 votes in favor, the Lautenberg-Blumenthal amendment calling for the ban of “high-capacity ammunition magazines” fails to pass the senate.

The senate will continue debating gun control on Thursday.

UPDATE 6:01 p.m. ET -- The Burr amendment, which would require a court to decide whether a veteran, who is deemed mentally incompetent, can own a gun, does not clear the U.S. Senate.

The final vote is 56-44.

UPDATE 5:42 p.m. ET -- The Feinstein amendment, which would ban the future manufacture, possession, and sale of 157 semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines, fails to clear the senate. Only 40 senators voted in favor of the amendment. Sixty voted against it.

UPDATE 5:19 p.m. ET -- The Cornyn amendment, which would have allowed concealed-carry permits issued in one state to be valid in all other states, fails with only 57 votes.

UPDATE 5:03 p.m. ET -- The Leahy-Collins amendment fails to clear the senate.

"The Leahy-Collins amendment clarified language on lawfully buying a gun from a licensed dealer as a gift so that was not viewed as straw purchasing under the law," The Hill explains.

Fifty-eight senators voted in favor of the proposal.

UPDATE 4:48 p.m. ET -- With only 52 votes in favor, the Cruz-Grassley amendment fails to clear the senate.

The amendment sought to "reauthorize and improve the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), increase resources for prosecutions of gun crime, address mental illness in the criminal justice system, and strengthen criminal law by including straw purchasing and illegal firearm trafficking statutes."

UPDATE 4:20 p.m. ET  -- Following the Manchin-Toomey vote, the National Rifle Association released the following statement:

Today, the misguided Manchin-Toomey-Schumer proposal failed in the U.S. Senate. This amendment would have criminalized certain private transfers of firearms between honest citizens, requiring lifelong friends, neighbors and some family members to get federal government permission to exercise a fundamental right or face prosecution. As we have noted previously, expanding background checks, at gun shows or elsewhere, will not reduce violent crime or keep our kids safe in their schools.

The NRA will continue to work with Republicans and Democrats who are committed to protecting our children in schools, prosecuting violent criminals to the fullest extent of the law, and fixing our broken mental health system. We are grateful for the hard work and leadership of those Senators who chose to pursue meaningful solutions to our nation’s most pressing problems.

--

The Manchin-Toomey background check amendment, one of nine proposed changes to a gun control bill currently being debated in the U.S. Senate, on Wednesday failed to get the 60 votes required for passage.

Fifty-four U.S. Senators voted "aye" and 46 voted "nay."

The proposal, named for Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) and Patrick Toomey (R-Pa.), would have expanded existing background checks on gun buyers to cover firearms sold at gun shows and via the Internet.

Senate Majoirty Leader Harry Reid voted against the proposal. He was joined by Democrat Sens. Baucus, Begich, Heitkamp, Pryor.

"Reid voted no for procedural reasons," CBS News' Major Garrett explains. "As Majority Leader, a 'no' vote allows him to bring the amendment up again."

Arizona Republican John McCain voted in favor of the bill. He was joined by Republican Sens. Collins, Kirk, and Toomey.

Here's a breakdown of the vote on the background checks amendment:

Follow Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) on Twitter

Featured image Getty Images.