Washington (CNN) -- In a major defeat for supporters of tougher gun laws, the U.S. Senate on Wednesday defeated a compromise plan to expand background checks on firearms sales as well as a proposal to ban some semi-automatic weapons modeled after military assault weapons.
The votes were on a series of amendments to a broad package of gun laws pushed by President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders in the aftermath of the Newtown school massacre in December.
However, fierce opposition by the powerful National Rifle Association led a backlash by conservative Republicans and some Democrats from pro-gun states that doomed some of the major proposals in the gun package.
Obama, in remarks at the White House, sharply criticized the outcome, but said the effort to toughen gun control was not over.
Supporters of stronger gun laws said the votes showed that powerful lobby groups could influence Congress to defy the wishes of the American people.
"The next time there's a mass shooting and they're asked what they did to prevent it, they're going to have to say nothing," said Erica Lafferty, the daughter of the principal of the Newtown, Connecticut, school who was killed along with 20 first-graders and five other educators in December's attack.
A statement by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was disabled by a shooting attack, and her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, said the Senate had "ignored the will of the American people."
Citing polls that showed around 90% support for expanded background checks, the statement said "senators voting against the measure chose "to obey the leaders of the powerful corporate gun lobby, instead of their constituents."
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