51.   Senate Democrats said Thursday that they would test that commitment by forcing votes on the Senate floor.

52.   Senators then turned to a motion by Democrats to end debate and force a vote on the bill itself.

53.   Supporters of the legislation attempted several times then to force a vote by attaching the measure to other legislation.

54.   Technically, the Democrats are virtually powerless to force a vote.

55.   Ten states have enacted laws that prohibit committee chairmen from pocketing bills, and many have longstanding laws to force votes on appointments.

56.   The bill has repeatedly been blocked by Republican filibusters, but McCain has said he has enough votes to force a vote on the proposal this year.

57.   The battle is scheduled to end Thursday when Republican leaders force a vote on their measure.

58.   The Democrats are now trying to force additional votes on the background check measure in order to close new loopholes that they insist have been written into the measure.

59.   The Democrats were trying to force a vote on the Senate-passed bill before mid-June even as the House was adjourning last week for its Memorial Day recess.

60.   The hearing almost failed to get under way when Democrats demanded that Freeh and Reno appear together, forcing a vote that the Democrats lost.