By BERNIE BECKER and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Published: July 22, 2009

 
WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Wednesday turned aside the latest attempt by gun advocates to expand the rights of gun owners, narrowly voting down a provision that would have allowed gun owners with valid permits from one state to carry concealed weapons in other states as well.

A group comprising mostly Republicans, along with some influential Democrats, had tried to attach the gun amendment to the annual defense authorization bill, a must-pass piece of legislation. But the provision got only 58 votes, two short of the 6o votes needed for passage under Senate rules.

Two Republicans, Senators Richard Lugar of Indiana and George Voinovich of Ohio, joined with 37 Democrats to reject the amendment, which was bitterly opposed by a number of big-city mayors, including Michael R. Bloomberg of New York. “Lives have been saved with the defeat of this amendment. The passage of this amendment would have done more to threaten the safety of New Yorkers than anything since the repeal of the assault weapons ban,” Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York and a leading opponent of the amendment, said in a statement.

The provision was pushed by Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, but was co-sponsored by several Democrats from states where gun rights are broadly supported, like Montana, where Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester both favored it. The Senate’s majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada —  who is up for re-election in 2010 — also supported the amendment.

Going into Wednesday’s vote, gun rights supporters seemed to have the momentum in the Senate, with a group of Democrats looking to block the amendment but acknowledging the vote would be close. Under a parliamentary agreement, proponents needed 60 votes for passage.

This was the latest attempt by gun advocates to push new firearms rights through Congress, where they hold increasing sway.

In May, Congress approved a measure that allowed gun-owners with proper permits to carry their loaded and concealed weapons into national parks. And Mr. Thune, Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and other pro-gun lawmakers had said they intended to bring many provisions expanding gun rights to the Senate floor over the rest of this year.

The amendment would have let a gun owner carrying a valid permit from a state that allows concealed weapons to take guns into other states that allow concealed weapons, without a separate permit, as long as any local gun control restrictions were obeyed.

After the vote, Mr. Thune signaled his disappointment: "Today, overheated rhetoric and fear mongering overcame common sense,” he said.. “My amendment would allow responsible firearms owners to protect themselves while obeying the firearms laws of the states they visit. The individual right to self-defense should not end at the state line.”

The gun provision prompted impassioned debate on the Senate floor on both sides before the vote.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York, and generally a supporter of gun rights, said she opposed Mr. Thune’s amendment because it infringed on states and cities. “The Thune amendment would invite chaos in our cities,” she said. Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, as well as Mr. Schumer, also took the floor with speeches railing against the amendment.

Senator David Vitter, Republican of Louisiana, countered that the provision would not undermine state and local laws. And he quoted a letter from a constituent who said she felt safer carrying her concealed weapon when she goes out at night with her family.

“Specific state laws must be followed by the visiting individual,” Mr. Vitter said.

Mr. Vitter dismissed assertions that the provision would aid criminals. “At the end of the day, this is really again a fundamental debate in terms of what is the problem in terms of violent crime,” he said. “Is the problem law abiding citizens who follow the law and take all the time and all the trouble need to get conceal and carry permits?”

Or, he asked, is the problem criminals who will violate all laws to obtain weapons.