[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9882]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       COMPROMISE GUN LEGISLATION

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, the Collins vote, which just took place a 
few minutes ago, was a vote that was, for lack of a better description, 
just a show vote. The Collins supporters won. That was their victory, 
and it is the first time since the historic vote of Senator Feinstein 
in 1993 dealing with assault weapons that the NRA has been in a 
situation where they can't declare a victory. They lost this one.
  But I would hope now the Republican leader will bring the Collins 
compromise to a vote here on the floor--a real vote. Today's vote was 
kind of like heads I win, tails you lose, because for the supporters of 
the Collins amendment, that was it with them because it guaranteed that 
even if Collins supporters won the vote, it wouldn't advance. But we 
did. We won the vote. Collins won that vote.
  It is really too bad that the Republican leader worked so hard to 
defeat the bipartisan compromise put forward by the brave senior 
Senator from Maine. But despite the efforts of the majority, now the 
Republican leadership has a responsibility to bring the Collins bill to 
this floor for a real vote, not a fake vote--a vote that provides the 
bill a real chance to advance. I sure hope we have that opportunity. It 
is the right thing for the country. The country agrees that something 
has to be done.
  Even though it wasn't a big victory, it was a victory. I hope the NRA 
will step back and do what they have said they would do 15 years ago, 
and that is work to close loopholes, especially the gun show loophole. 
It is disappointing that they have taken a new tack and are against 
anything for more gun safety.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland.

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