Dianne Feinstein’s assault weapons ban dies in Senate

Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told Sen. Dianne Feinstein Monday night that he would drop her assault weapons ban from the package of gun control legislation he intends to bring to the Senate floor.

From the outset of her quest to re-enact a version of her 1994 assault weapons ban in the wake of the mass murder of school children in Newtown, Ct., the California Democrat had acknowledged that she faced long odds. Her original ban was passed by a bare majority in 1994, only because it included a sunset date. It expired in 2004.

The new version faced opposition not only from Republicans but from a number of conservative Democrats in rural states such as Arkansas and Montana where gun ownership is popular and voters are keenly sensitive to any efforts to restrict it. Without solid Democratic support, there was virtually no chance of getting the 60 vote supermajority now required to pass anything in the Senate. This despite pleas from law enforcement, injured former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and others in a series of hearings.

Reid said that there were fewer than 40 votes for Feinstein’s ban “using the most optimistic numbers.”

Feinstein, who clashed with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on the issue, said she “gave it my best” and was “very disappointed” by the leader’s decision. But said she is not giving up yet.

She promised to offer her bill as an amendment to the remaining legislation to bolster background checks, ban gun trafficking and extend grants to schools to enhance security. She indicated that she would propose the entire assault weapons ban as an amendment, and also break off the portion of her bill that limits the capacity of gun magazines to no more than 10 bullets.

Whether limits on the size of gun magazines have more support than the broader assault weapon ban remains to be seen. High-capacity magazines have been used in several recent mass shootings. Giffords’ husband Mark Kelly testified that banning high-capacity magazines would unquestionably save lives in incidents like the one that severely wounded his wife. In Arizona and the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Co., shooters were stopped only when they were forced to reload.

Like Feinstein’s assault weapons ban, other pieces of gun legislation were approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on mostly party line votes, with the exception of Sen. Barbara Boxer’s bill to bolster a grant program to help schools secure entrances, buy surveillance equipment, install tip lines and the like. Still, Feinstein’s piece was considered the most controversial.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein fails in quest to renew assault weapons ban

Carolyn Lochhead