On Monday, lawmakers in the US Senate voted down four separate measures designed to curb gun violence across the country as voting became deadlocked along party lines. The measures would have expanded the mental health and criminal background checks required for purchasing firearms and would have placed new restrictions on anyone on the US Government’s terrorism ‘watch list’ looking to buying a gun.

Competing proposals

On the Democratic side, lawmakers want to prohibit anyone on the Government’s ‘watch list’ for suspected terrorists from purchasing a gun. However, Republican senators want the all-out ban to be watered down to a 72-hour delay on purchases, arguing that many individuals find themselves on that list without just cause. The waiting period would give the Government time to determine whether there is probable cause to block the sale of a firearm, Republicans argue.

Orlando aftermath

Before the vote, The Guardian reported that it was unlikely that any of the four measures in question would clear the Senate with the neccessary 60-vote majority, as a near-identical legislative attempt in the December aftermath of the deadly San Bernardino shooting in California also failed to yield a result. This time around, the Senate vote came less than a week after an individual claiming allegiance to Islamic State murdered 49 people at an LGBT nightclub in Orlando, Florida on 12 June.

Sources: The Guardian; New York Times; Al Jazeera