The U.S. Senate voted 68-31 on Thursday to cut off a filibuster by a group of far-right Republicans and allow debate on a new gun safety measure aimed at preventing the kind of tragedies that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. According to USA Today, 16 Republican Senators voted with Democrats to stop the filibuster, which was led by Tea Party favorites like Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Lee (R-UT) and Ted Cruz (R-TX).
