WASHINGTON — The Senate on Wednesday narrowly defeated an effort to allow gun owners to carry their concealed weapons across state lines.
The 58-39 vote, short of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster, once again highlighted divisions within the Democratic Party over the gun issue. Twenty Democrats, including Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, joined 38 Republicans in supporting the measure.
The legislation would have allowed people who have concealed-weapon permits in their home states to take their firearms into other states -- including California and others that currently prohibit the practice.
"An individual should be able to exercise their 2nd Amendment constitutional right and be able to travel through individual states," said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the chief sponsor. He added that under the bill, a gun owner would have been required to abide by the laws of the host state, including following any restrictions on where concealed weapons can be carried.
The National Rifle Assn., which has vowed to work to bring the legislation back, said that "the right to self-defense does not end at state lines."
Gun rights advocates had been hopeful the measure would pass after a string of surprising victories in the Democratic-controlled Congress.
Earlier this year, lawmakers voted to allow visitors to carry loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refuges. The Senate voted to limit Washington, D.C.'s gun control laws, and a House committee voted to prevent public housing projects from restricting legally owned guns.
But Wednesday's vote, said Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.), is evidence that the gun lobby's "grip on Congress is beginning to slip."
Opponents of the measure -- including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police and the mayors of Los Angeles and New York, among others -- called it an assault on states' rights and warned that it would increase gun violence.
"This is a grave threat to public safety," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). "Concealed-weapons laws that work in rural states may not be suitable in urban areas. What's good for Iowa or Alaska may not be good for California or New York."
Feinstein was joined by fellow California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer in voting against the measure.
