CHARLESTON, W.Va. — What’s being billed as a possible compromise proposal on additional gun control measures in the aftermath of the Orlando, Florida nightclub massacre could be taken up in the U.S. Senate before the close of the week.
Attention shifted to a proposal from U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Monday night after the Senate rejected four amendments that, in general, were written to keep people on the federal terrorism watch list from buying guns while strengthening existing federal background check laws.
“There’s a lot of Democrats, as myself, who would be supportive of Collins. I just hope there would be enough Republicans,” said U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).
On Tuesday afternoon, Collins was scheduled to detail the compromise proposal on Capitol Hill alongside other supporters.
According to early reports, the Collins compromise would bar the sale of guns to terrorism suspects who are on either the federal government’s no-fly list or a separate “selectee” list prompting additional scrutiny at airports.
About 109,000 people, including more than 2,700 American citizens, currently make those lists, according to Collins’ office.
With the legislation, law enforcement officers would be notified if anyone on those lists during the past five years attempt to purchase a guns.
Omar Mateen, the Orlando shooter who killed 49 people and injured 53 others on June 12, was on the FBI’s terrorist watch list when he was questioned about potential terrorist ties in 2013 and 2014. His name was removed when the investigations were closed, federal investigators have said.
Those on the lists would be provided more accessible ways for law-abiding citizens to be removed from the lists through an appeals process with the Collins plan. Attorney fees would be paid in cases of successful appeals.
The proposal is not as broad as the amendment from U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) that failed Monday after originally being proposed following the December shootings in San Bernardino, Ca.
Manchin voted for the Feinstein measure, along with a proposed amendment from U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) that would have alerted law enforcement officers when a person being investigated as a terrorist attempted to purchase a gun and block the buy for three days, pending review.
Of those votes for both Republican and Democrat proposals, “I think we’ve go to move forward on preventing terrorists from being able to go out and do a mass killing like they’ve done or harm to Americans,” Manchin said.
All four of the measures that fell short of the 60 needed votes Monday had been taken up in some form and rejected in the U.S. Senate previously.
During an appearance last week on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Manchin said the following of the ongoing gun control debate, “The problem we have, and really the firewall we have right now, is due process. It’s all due process,” he said. “So we can all say we want the same thing, but how do we get there?”
He clarified those comments on Tuesday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
“I’m all in on protecting the 5th Amendment, due process, everything that we do, but there’s got to be a way that we can protect the rest of the American citizens in this great country of ours from people that are intent to do harm,” Manchin said.