While gun-control proponents derided the Senate for failing Wednesday to expand background checks on certain gun sales, a Texas conservative hailed the vote as “a victory for peace and civil liberties.”
Rep. Steve Stockman, a Republican, said the amendment to a firearms bill from Sens. Joe Manchin, West Virginia Democrat, and Patrick J. Toomey, Pennsylvania Republican — which was voted down, 54-46 on Wednesday — was an “anti-gun power grab.”
SEE RELATED:He also needled President Obama for failing to rally supporters of stricter gun laws in the wake of a Dec. 14 school shooting in Newtown, Conn., that left 20 children and six adults dead.
“After spending over $1 billion to claw out a 51% re-election, it’s clear at this point Obama couldn’t pass a stone,” Mr. Stockman said in a news release.
Mr. Stockman said his office, as promised, is ordering U-Haul gift cards for Democratic Sens. Kay Hagan of North Carolina, and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, because they voted for the measure while representing conservative states — the implication being they will not win re-election because of their votes.
“Constitutional rights don’t require permission slips,” Mr. Stockman said. “The language of the Second Amendment is perhaps the starkest and most absolute in the Constitution.”
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