As out-of-touch with U.S. public opinion as ever, the Republican-led Senate rejected a series of gun safety measures proposed after the latest mass shooting at an Orlando gay and lesbian club last week. Despite 71 percent of Americans wanting some moderate gun safety regulations, the Senate voted down amendments along party lines that would have banned sales of weapons to people on the "no-fly" list, and that would have expanded background checks for gun buyers. Two of the four proposals offered by Rethugs would have made no impact on the proliferation of military assault-style rifles in the hands of dangerous individuals, and were offered to provide cover for them with the voters, who have become increasingly supportive of efforts to restrict sales of highly lethal, military-style weapons.
Dems are promising to make Rethuglican opposition to common-sense gun safety legislation a major issue for November. As long as the NRA's coin-operated legislators don't feel threatened at the ballot box, the NRA will continue to pull their strings. The 2016 election needs to cut some of those strings.
UPDATE: The front page of this morning's New York Daily News says it all:
