Shortly before a floor vote Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) withdrew his amendment requiring documentation of ammunition and firearm purchases by federal agencies, his office and Democratic leadership confirmed to TPM.
The measure appeared to flirt with a conspiracy theory popularized on fringe blogs that the Obama administration was buying ammunition so that ordinary Americans would have less access to it on the open market. The problem: even the National Rifle Association said the theory was based on fiction.
Coburn’s office told TPM he didn’t buy into the theory, and simply wanted the measure in order to enhance government transparency and combat waste.
Coburn’s other gun amendment to the water resources bill, which would allow people to carry guns in water areas like lakes and camp sites, is still scheduled for a vote at a 60-vote threshold in the afternoon.
