Didn’t see that one coming

The Senate voted Thursday to proceed with debate on gun control legislation.

Sixty votes were needed to authorize debate and 68 senators voted to proceed.

Tuesday, it looked like the chances of the bill getting to the floor were about as good as a snowballs in Phoenix, but most seem to agree the Newtown families’ presence on Capitol Hill made blocking debate on the bill too politically risky.

Of course, the chances of any significant gun control legislation becoming law are pretty slim. If the Senate passes legislation, the House must concur. Any changes made in the House have to go back to the Senate for approval.

I hope the debate is a robust one.

If you’d like to read the bill as it stands now, it’s posted on West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin’s website.