Democrats always called for gun laws that help lower the number of mass shootings in America. Most notably, Congress tried to enact a compromise bill to broaden background checks in 2013, months after the devastating shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. That bill declined to overcome a Senate filibuster, as most Republicans and a handful of Democrats opposed the legislation.

The house has already passed bills to improve background checks for all firearm sales or transfers and close the so-called “Charleston loophole”. That loophole, which would improve the amount of time that licensed gun sellers must wait to obtain a finalized background check before switching a gun to an unlicensed buyer, allowed a white shooter to target a historically Black church in Charleston in 2015.

We all know the feeble chances of the bills to become coming to an evenly divided senate. Republican senators are known for their pro-gun stance and are likely to filibuster any proposed gun-control legislation, and Democrats do not have the 60 votes necessary to advance those bills. The Democratic senator Joe Manchin also made it clear on Tuesday that he would not favour amending the filibuster to pass a gun-control bill, meaning Democrats do not have the votes to create a carveout to the rule.

Acknowledging this reality, the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, said on Wednesday that it was unlikely the upper chamber would soon vote on the House-passed bills. “I believe that accountability votes are important,” Schumer said, “But sadly, this isn’t a case of the American people not knowing where their senators stand. They know.”

That doesn’t mean Democrats are giving up on their endeavour to strengthen gun laws. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who represents the Sandy Hook community and has fiercely criticized congressional inaction on gun control, said voters have a chance in November to oust Republicans who oppose reform.
“I’m going to try all day today to try to find some compromise, but this is ultimately up to voters,” Murphy told CNN on Wednesday. “If [candidates] support the current law, if they don’t support reform [instead], then don’t send them back to Congress.”