‘Shame On You!’ Disappointment Follows As Senate Kills Gun Bill

‘Shame On You!’ can be heard on the floor as a woman yelled in the Senate when the background-check proposal for guns bought off the internet or at gun shows, failed by a vote of 54-46 on Wednesday. Vice President Joe Biden was quick to ask for order.

The one who shouted the words, Patricia Maisch, a survivor of the mass shooting in Tucson, told reporters “I could not stay still. They should be ashamed of themselves … if it had been a yes vote, I wouldn’t have said anything. It was spontaneous—but I was prepared to do that.”

Polls show that 90 percent of Americans favor background checks on firearm purchases.

Four Democrats voted against the bill, they are Max Baucus (Mont.), Mark Begich (Alaska), Mark Pryor (Ark.) and Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.). Four Republicans voted in favor: Susan Collins (Maine), Mark Kirk (Ill.), John McCain (Ariz.) and Pat Toomey (Pa.).

Mark Barden, whose 7-year-old son Daniel, died at Newton’s Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, issued the following statement expressing his disappointment:

Two weeks ago, twelve of us from Newtown came to meet with U.S. Senators and have a conversation about how to bring common sense solutions to the issue of gun violence. We came with a sense of hope, optimistic that a real conversation could begin that would ultimately save the lives of so many Americans.

We met with dozens of Democrats and Republicans, and shared with them pictures of our children, spouses and parents, who lost their lives on December 14th. Expanded background checks wouldn’t have saved our loved ones but still we came to support a bi-partisan proposal […] – a common sense proposal supported by 90% of Americans.

We return home for now, disappointed but not defeated. We return home with a determination that change will happen, maybe not today but soon.

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