Senate Democrats voted on a joint resolution Thursday that seeks to block a rule by the Biden administration that strengthens gun regulations with stabilizing braces.
The 49-50 party-line vote on the Republican-backed measure, which passed the House but faces a veto threat from President Joe Biden, was the latest clash between GOP lawmakers. and the administration about efforts to address gun violence and mass shootings.
Regulators cracked down on brace-equipped firearms after the devices were used in mass shootings. Democrats say the regulation is needed to prevent more deaths and the rule will help protect the public from dangerous weapons that are more concealable than long guns.
Republicans argue that the regulation violates Second Amendment rights and exposes unwitting gun owners to criminal liability. They also argue that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has given conflicting messages in the past on the subject.
Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana broke the rules during a debate Thursday and even displayed a pistol brace on the floor of the Senate to make his point, saying the device was made to help people with disabilities. The pistol brace rule is just a way to subject pistols to more regulations, he said.
