The Senate rejected gun-control measures on Monday following the massacre in Orlando, Florida that led to the death of 49 people. Four measures were proposed that aimed to restrict gun sales, and all were rejected.
A group hoped to meet a compromise in the Senate following the worst mass shooting in United States history.
Republicans, allied with the National Rifle Association, stated that Democratic bills were infringing on the constitutional rights of Americans and was too restrictive to pass. Democrats viewed two bills proposed by Republicans as being too weak.
Democratic Senator Bill Nelson of Florida left the meeting distraught following the rejected bills. The senator hoped to have answers for the people of Florida, and Orlando in particular, following the shooting.
“What am I going to tell the community of Orlando?” he asked. “Sadly, what I’m going to tell them is the NRA won again.”
The executive direction of the NRA, Chris Cox, thanked Republicans that voted against all proposals and said, “Today, the American people witnessed an embarrassing display in the United States.”
The NRA is against any form of gun control.
“Republican senators are pursuing real solutions,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. The Republican asserts that the party is looking for ways to “keep Americans safer from the threat of terrorism.”
