"It is time to disarm hate:" 14-hour gun control filibuster a success for Senate Democrats
MILWAUKEE -- Democrats in the Senate say their 14-hour filibuster was a success. They say there is now a commitment to hold a vote on laws to keep people on terror watch lists from buying guns, and to expand background checks.
A number of conservatives from House Speaker Paul Ryan to local gun advocates, say they've got some serious concerns.
Those opposed to the gun laws say the only people impacted by them would be those who actually follow the law. Gun rights activists also question whether the government could use the new laws to harass critics.
"It is time to disarm hate," said Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin.
Senator Tammy Baldwin is among those who helped Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy hold the Senate floor for nearly 15 hours from Wednesday into early Thursday.
"Our focus right now is on getting a vote to close the terror gap, getting a vote on making sure background checks with regard to every purchase," said Baldwin.
Nik Clark, President of Wisconsin Carry, says he's worried officials would abuse a law prohibiting those on a terror watch list from buying guns.
"This is a concern people should have when you've got government officials who want to be able to make a phone call and prohibit someone from their second amendment rights," said Clark.
Nik Clark
In his remarks Thursday, House Speaker Paul Ryan echoes Clark's comments.
"As we look at how to proceed, we also want to make sure we aren't infringing upon people's legitimate constitutional rights. That's important. We also want to make sure someone who's not supposed to get a gun doesn't get a gun so we've got to figure out how that works," said Ryan.
Senate Democrats also secure a vote on expanding background checks to private gun sales, something Clark opposes as well.
"Clearly, if the FBI can investigate you twice and determine you're not a threat, no background check is going to solve that problem yet here we are talking about it," said Clark.
Baldwin says it's clearly too easy for those with evil intentions to legally buy guns.
"We have decided that our silence, our moments of silence, our thoughts and prayers, are not enough," said Baldwin.
FOX6's attempts to speak with Senator Ron Johnson on Thursday were unsuccessful. However, he did say earlier this week he worries the so-called "no fly, no buy" gun law could tip off a suspect that he's on the terror watch list.