Even the most popular gun control measures seem to be going nowhere in the Senate.
Despite a concerted push from President Obama, Democratic leaders see no clear path to securing the 60 votes needed to break a promised Republican filibuster and ensure passage of legislation mandating background checks for gun purchases. Along with getting no help from Republicans, numerous Democrats facing re-election next year are skittish.Twenty-one Democratic seats are being contested in the 2014 elections — many of them in red states where the National Rifle Association, which opposes background checks, is a force to be reckoned with. Among them are Sens. Kay Hagan (NC), Mark Pryor (AR), Mary Landrieu (LA) and Max Baucus (MT), who aren’t prepared to support gun checks.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=90618