Let’s hope they stay short of votes, but there are several Republicans voting for it and it could grow a little more. But remember, this is just one amendment, not the entire gun-control bill. But they sure are making a fuss over this one amendment:
POLITICO – The White House and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are shy of the 60 votes they need to move the bipartisan compromise bill on background checks for gun sales.
Vice President Joe Biden has been personally calling senators to urge them to support the measure, Democratic aides say.
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Reid is likely to lose three of his 55 Senate Democrats — Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.). All three Democrats said on Monday that they were still reviewing the proposal and would not commit to backing it.
Several other Democratic swing votes include Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), Mary Landrieu (La.), and Joe Donnelly (Ind.).
Reid did get some good news on Monday as 89-year-old Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), a longtime gun-control proponent who has been out for several weeks with serious health problems, is expected to return to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Democrats said.
Democratic Sens. Kay Hagan (N.C.) and Jon Tester (Mont.), who had been swing votes, also came out in favor of the proposal on Monday, giving it another boost.
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However, only four Republicans are considered “Yes” votes at this time. They include Toomey and Sens. Mark Kirk (Ill.), Susan Collins (Maine) and John McCain (Ariz.).
Other Republicans are on the fence and undecided, such as Sens. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.) and Dean Heller (Nev.). Democrats believe they will pick up some of these Republicans.
Heller said that he was still unsure of how he would come down on the Manchin-Toomey bill.