Manchin, Toomey Float Gun Checks Exemption for Undecided Senators' States

With Senate support for the Manchin-Toomey “compromise” continuing to slide, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) appear willing to revert to gimmicks to try to squeak the bill through.

The numbers on the bill are tight but tending toward those voting against it.

On Tuesday morning, 39 Senators had committed to voting against the bill, and by the end of the day, that number reached the low 40s. Moreover, of the remaining non-committed Senators, some are Republicans in strong pro-gun states or Democrats in red states who face re-election in 2014.

To stop the momentum shift before it is too late, Manchin and Toomey are “considering the possibility of adding language to the bill that would exempt select far-flung communities in Alaska and North Dakota from some background check requirements.” They hope this would win the votes of Sens. Mark Begich (D-AK) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), as well Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND). 

If being exempted from the bill is what makes it attractive enough to vote for, what does that say about the bill?