Coburn placed a hold on final Senate consideration of a measure passed by the House in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings to improve state performance in checking the federal watch list of gun buyers . However , after the Sandy Hook massacre in December 2012 , Coburn ( who had already announced he would not run for re-election ) reversed himself and came out in support of universal background checks . Coburn partnered with Democratic members of the Senate such as Charles Schumer and Joe Manchin ( to whose re-election campaign Coburn donated money ) to determine what a universal background check measure should look like . However , these talks ultimately broke down , and in April 2013 , Coburn was one of 46 senators to vote against the amendment in its final form , defeating its passage
Sandy Hook massacre
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
Tom Coburn