WASHINGTON – Supporters of U.S. gun control suffered another
setback on Thursday when they failed to win enough backing in the Senate.

for a plan to ban firearms sales to people being monitored for
links to terrorism in the wake of the Orlando massacre.

A few hours after Democrats in the House concluded a daylong
sit-in in their chamber over guns, Senate Republican leaders ended a protracted
debate over gun control, at least for the time being. It became clear that
Senate proponents of gun restrictions did not have the 60 votes needed to
advance a bill, according to lawmakers and aides.

That ended hopes that a compromise effort spearheaded by Susan
Collins, a Republican from Maine, could progress soon. Her plan forbids gun sales
to anyone on the U.S. government’s “No Fly List” of terrorism
suspects or the “Selectee List” of people who receive extra screening
at airports.

Collins’ plan did clear one procedural hurdle in voting on
Thursday by collecting a slim majority of the Senate – 52 votes – against an
attempt to outright kill it.

Senator John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, told
reporters he did not expect any more votes on gun control in the Senate in the
near future.

“(Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell) says we’re done
with that, for now,” Cornyn said.

That decision marked a major victory for the National Rifle
Association in its campaign to fend off new restrictions on gun purchases.

The Senate now will begin debating bills to combat the spreading
Zika virus and helping Puerto Rico navigate a debt crisis, before starting a
short July 4 recess next week.

Earlier on Thursday, Democratic lawmakers ended a daylong sit-in
occupation of the floor of the House to protest the lack of action on gun
control after the shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, this month
that killed 40 people.

Democratic members had taken control of the House chamber on
Wednesday and dozens of them stayed all night, at times bursting into the civil
rights anthem “We Shall Overcome.”

Fueled by Chinese food and pizzas, the Democrats took turns
occupying the chamber after raucous scenes that nearly erupted into a fistfight
with the majority Republicans.

After the House television cameras were turned off, the
Democrats switched to social media to stream their protest via Facebook Live
and Periscope.

Dramatic
protests by legislators are rare in the U.S. Capitol and the sit-in underscored
how sensitive the gun control issue has become after a gunman pledging
allegiance to Islamic State shot dead 49 people in Orlando.