Senator Elizabeth Warren regrouped the votes on assault weapons and background checks



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Half true
Warren

"54 Senators have said, check the background, eliminate the assault weapons, and with 54 senators, this failed because of the systematic obstruction."

– Elizabeth Warren on Thursday, September 12, 2019 in a Democratic Debate in Houston

By
Amy Sherman

Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Will be speaking on September 12, 2019 during a presidential Democratic primary debate hosted by ABC at Texas Southern University in Houston. (AP)

Senator Elizabeth Warren said that if the majority of Americans wanted tougher firearms control laws relating to the registration or prohibition of assault weapons, that would not be the case. did not produce because Congress was indebted to the firearms industry.

"And unless we want to tackle this hurdle head-on and back down the obstruction, we can not do anything with guns," Warren said during the Houston democracy debate. "I was in the US Senate when 54 senators said: let's check backgrounds, get rid of assault weapons, and with 54 senators, that failed because of systematic obstruction."

All these points are not accurate. His campaign staff told us that Warren wanted to talk only about background checks. Fewer than 50 senators supported the ban on assault weapons.

Vote on arms legislation following Sandy Hook

In April 2013, a few months after the murder of Sandy Hook, lawmakers voted for multi-gun control measures. All failed.

Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, teamed up with Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania on legislation known as the Manchin-Toomey Amendment.

The amendment included expanded controls on gun shows and Internet sales, but did not require family members and friends to give or sell firearms. It was considered a compromise to replace a stricter measure of majority leader Harry Reid.

The compromise amendment was still inconclusive in a largely partisan vote, which was defeated by 54 to 46. Procedurally, the amendment needed 60 votes to pass.

On the same day, a measure to ban assault weapons taken by Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Failed when she garnered 40 votes. Fifteen members of his own Democratic party (plus an independent) voted against the ban.

At the time, Democrats held 53 seats in the Senate, two independent caucuses with Democrats and 45 Senators were Republicans.

A spokeswoman for Warren said that her reference to 54 votes related to this Manchin-Toomey amendment.

In an essay from Medium in August, Warren wrote that the Senate voted against a ban on assault weapons and "rejected a proposal for background checks, although 54 senators from both parties voted for it. because of a filibuster right, minimal steps to take.And six years later, Congress has still done nothing. "

Our decision

Warren said: "54 senators said: let's check background, eliminate assault weapons, and with 54 senators, that failed because of systematic obstruction."

Warren was referring to the votes on the gun control legislation of April 17, 2013. An amendment to the background check failed when 54 senators voted for, which is less than the 60 votes needed to end a threat to filibuster. However, the vote to ban the assault weapons failed with only 40 votes.

We evaluate this statement half-true.

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