John McCain rewarded with roses for gun control bill vote
While his Republican partner from New Hampshire, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, has been getting lambasted for voting against the background check gun bill, Arizona Sen. John McCain was given 19 roses for voting for the Manchin-Toomey bill.
According to a Salon.com report, survivors of the Tucson shooting massacre presented McCain with 19 roses at a Oro Valley, Ariz. event.
Each flower represented the 13 individuals killed and six wounded in the 2011 massacre, including former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
McCain stood as one of only four Republicans to support the measure, with Toomey included. The bill failed to reach the 60-vote bar for escape from a filibuster, with only 54 senators voting yes.
When CNN’s Jake Tapper asked McCain last month about his Republican colleagues votes, the Senator responded, “I don’t know, Jake. You’ll have to ask them. I’ve heard various statements about their concerns about the bill, but I think you’ll have to have them on to tell you that.”