Interesting MSNBC (yeah I know) piece about the last Senate passed Assault Weapons Ban in 1994.
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“The original ban was championed in the Senate by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, who pushed the policy as an amendment to a larger criminal justice package. On Nov. 17, 1993, it passed
56 to 43, fueled in part by 10 Republican votes.
Some readers are probably thinking, “Wait, how could the measure have passed with only 56 votes? Didn’t it need 60?” The answer is, no, it didn’t need 60 — and therein lies the point of this stroll down memory lane.
In 2022, filibusters requiring supermajorities are the norm for every bill in which the tactic can be applied, but what often goes overlooked, even by some sitting senators who apparently don’t know better, is that
the Senate didn’t used to work this way. The routinization of the 60-vote threshold is
a modern invention wholly at odds with the institution’s historical norms.
Indeed, Feinstein’s assault weapons ban was approved by a simple majority because it wasn’t filibustered. As recently as 1994, most bills were considered on majority-rule votes.
Consider the relevant data: In the first two years of Clinton’s presidency, there were 46 cloture votes — and by historical standards up until that time, that was a fairly large number. So far in the current Congress — which still has several months remaining — there have been
262 cloture votes.
Taking a look back at the way in which the original assault weapons ban passed is like looking through a window at an unrecognizable political landscape: Not only were there 10 Republican senators willing to help pass a worthwhile gun bill intended to save lives, but the Senate itself was willing to consider the legislation as if were still a majority-rule institution.
When opponents of Senate reforms insist that the status quo must be maintained, it’s important to remember that they’re protecting
abuses, not
norms. The current system too often fails to meet the nation’s needs, not because of design flaws in the Senate, but because the Senate itself no longer resembles the chamber it once was.”
It was close, but the House passed an assault weapons ban. What about the Senate? It's worth considering what happened with the original ban in 1993.
www.msnbc.com