Thanks to Senator Murphy’s 15-hour talk-a-thon on the Senate floor last week, Senate Republicans are willing to allow votes on certain gun control proposals. But don’t expect success — in part because 60 votes are needed to break a threatened Republican filibuster.

Nevertheless, here are the four proposals – all submitted as amendments to a Justice Department spending bill……..

The Democratic proposals:

• Brought by Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., it would give the Justice Department the power to stop anyone from purchasing a gun if that person has been on the federal terrorist watch lists sometime in the past five years. This measure would also make it easier for the government to halt a gun purchase, based on “reasonable belief” as opposed to “probable cause” that the individual will use the firearm to commit terrorism. The White House and DOJ backs this measure.
• An amendment by Chris Murphy, D-Conn., would close the “gun show loophole” by requiring every gun purchaser to undergo a background check and to expand the background check database. It would also extend background checks to Internet sales.

The GOP proposals:

• This one from John Cornyn, R-Texas, would require that law enforcement be alerted when anyone on the terrorist watch list attempts to buy a weapon from a licensed dealer. If the buyer has been investigated for terrorism within the past five years, the attorney general could block a sale for up to three days while a court reviews the sale. The government would have to show probable cause that the person is a known or suspected terrorist.
• An amendment by Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, would clarify what it means to be found mentally deficient, and giving people suspected of serious mental illness a process to challenge that determination.  (Democrats argue that the “clarification” would actually permit more mentally deficient people to buy guns)

Again, none are expected to pass.