In Washington, it ain’t over until it’s over.  Two weeks ago, US Sen. Dianne Feinstein (CA) and US Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV), publicly discussed the end of the road for Senate Bill 150, the “Assault Weapons Ban of 2013.”  This Bill was Sen. Feinstein’s effort to ban future sale, manufacture, transport, and importation of 157 specific firearms and magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition. A week later, on March 22, 2013, US Sen. Rand Paul (KY) sent a letter to Sen. Reid, threatening that he and a group of Republican Senators would filibuster any bill that would impose on the American people’s rights under the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. But, then, on March 31, 2013, US Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC) said that he would only join the Republican-led filibuster if Senators are denied the right to offer amendments. What’s going on? For the past few months, we’ve seen a number of Bills bouncing around the halls of Congress.  While the House of Representatives generally takes the legislative lead, its strong Republican majority makes the prospect of legislation like the 1994 assault weapons ban an unlikely scenario.  The smaller, 100 member United States Senate, has a tight Democratic lead, but when it comes to Second Amendment issues, there is party cross-over, as well as a few moderates. What’s happened in this time is that several Bills have passed the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Given the composition of members on the Committee, it doesn’t come as a surprise.  However, Democratic Majority Leader Reid is a veteran politician, serving the US Senate since 1987, the US House of Representatives, and as Governor of Nevada.  He knows well the importance of rounding up a solid block of votes before putting a Bill on the floor and facing the legendary filibuster. Instead, it appears Sen. Reid is attempting to take bits and pieces of various Bills and combine them into either one new Bill or use them as Amendments onto another Bill or the budget.  It’s called “progress” in Washington, where one is trying to secure what “yea” votes are available in the hopes that additional provisions will follow over time as the easier reforms are assimilated into our society and the tide of public opinion sways. Stay tuned as US Sen. Reid says he hopes to bring the package to the floor for a vote of the full Senate in early April.