US Senate to vote on gun control on Thursday

The US Senate is set to hold a crunch vote on Thursday on
whether to debate a gun control law, as a conservative
blockade of the bill began to splinter.
Majority Leader Harry Reid said it was unclear if they could get
the 60 votes needed to overcome a procedural stalling tactic
known as a filibuster.
But at least seven Republicans said they would back a debate of
the bill.
President Barack Obama has been campaigning for gun controls
since a massacre at a school in Connecticut.
Thursday's vote is not about passing the bill, but simply to decide
whether it should even be allowed to the Senate floor for debate.
'Responsibility to kids'
The legislation to be considered on Thursday would expand the
existing system of background checks on gun buyers, make gun
trafficking a federal crime and set aside $40m (£26m) of federal
funding for enhanced school security.
"We're going to vote on this anyway," Mr Reid said. "The
American people deserve a vote on this legislation."
A ban on assault weapons and limits on the size of ammunition
magazines was dropped from the bill amid a lack of political
support.
Mr Reid has said he would organise a vote on those measures as
amendments to the main bill, although they are viewed as
legislative long shots.
Speaking on the floor of the Senate, Mr Reid added: "We have a
responsibility to safeguard these little kids. And unless we do
something more than what's the law today, we have failed."
On Tuesday, Republican Senators Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire,
Susan Collins of Maine, Johnny Isakson of Georgia, Tom Coburn
of Oklahoma, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Saxby Chambliss
of Georgia and John McCain of Arizona indicated they would
support bringing the legislation to the floor of the chamber.
Tom Coburn said: "There's not very much ambivalence on Capitol
Hill about the gun issue. You're on one side or the other, so
there's no reason not to go ahead and vote."
But 13 Republican senators said they would use a filibuster to
block the attempt to bring the bill up for debate.
In a letter to Mr Reid on Monday, they said the bill infringed the
US Constitution's second amendment right to bear arms.
Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate, joined the
move for a filibuster.
Obama calling lawmakers
Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who also backs the filibuster, said the
bill under consideration placed "burdens on law-abiding citizens
exercising a constitutional right".
If Democrats can secure the 60 votes needed to break the
filibuster, the eventual debate on the gun bill is expected to be
emotionally charged.
Families of the 20 children slain in Newtown, Connecticut, in
December have been meeting undecided senators to lobby them
to debate the legislation.
"We bring a face to this tragedy," said Mark Barden, whose seven-
year-old son, Daniel, died in the massacre.
"It's not just about our tragedy. Lots of kids are killed every day
in this nation. We have to help lead the change."
Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia and
Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania were working on
a bipartisan gun measure designed to appeal to a broader range
of lawmakers than the current proposal.
Their plan would expand the requirement for federal background
checks for more gun purchases, say Senate aides.
On Monday, Mr Obama urged Americans to demand action from
Congress in an impassioned speech in Connecticut, just an hour
from the scene of the Newtown school shooting.
He was calling lawmakers on Tuesday to ask for their support in
Thursday's vote, the White House said.
Opinion polls have consistently shown most Americans support
more gun control measures, but the firearms lobby exerts a
powerful influence over lawmakers.