Colorado’s U.S. senators went in mostly opposite directions on four gun control measures that failed in the Senate on Monday.
Republican Cory Gardner voted against a Democratic effort sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, and supported by the Justice Department, to ban gun sales to anyone who was on the terrorist watch list in the past five years. The vote was 47-53.
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Democrat Michael Bennet opposed a similar GOP measure that would have denied a gun sale to a known or suspected terrorist — but only if prosecutors could convince a judge within three days that the would-be buyer was involved in terrorism.
The National Rifle Association supported that legislation, sponsored by Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas. The vote was 53-47, short of the 60 votes needed to move forward.
The votes on all four measures followed roughly party lines, with only a few senators from each party crossing over each time.
Bennet supported and Gardner opposed an amendment that sought to expand background checks to purchase guns online and at gun shows, and even to many private gun transactions. Colorado lawmakers passed a similar law in 2013.
The measure was sponsored by Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who waged a nearly 15-hour filibuster last week to push for votes after the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida.
The vote halting his measure’s advance was 44-56.
Gardner broke with most of the rest of the his party and joined Bennet to block a Republican-led measure to bolster background checks. That measure failed 53-47.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley sponsored the amendment to increase money for the background check system. It would have prodded states to send more records to the FBI of felons and others barred from buying guns. The FBI operates the background check system.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
