Hopefully the voters in West Virginia will blame him for pushing unnecessary gun laws when he comes up for re-election.

Via The Hill:

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Thursday said he should be blamed for the Senate’s stinging defeat of expanded background checks for gun purchases, not President Obama.

“If people want to blame, I guess you blame me,” Manchin told reporters at a Wall Street Journal breakfast. “I just never knew how hard it was to get the facts out. I think there is a lot more I can do to get the facts out.”

Manchin’s background checks bill, co-sponsored by GOP Sen. Pat Toomey (Pa.), earned 54 votes on Wednesday, falling short of the 60 needed for passage. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) switched his vote from yes to no in a procedural move that allows him to bring the bill up for another vote in the future.

A series of other gun control amendments also fell, likely ending for now debate on the issue in Congress.

The Manchin-Toomey bill was seen as the issue’s “sweet spot,” and its defeat is a bitter loss for gun control advocates. Manchin prior to this week had an A rating from the National Rifle Association, and advocates hoped his support for tougher background checks would give other members political cover.