The U.S. Senate voted against strengthening gun measures on Thursday, and three legislative body's three Latino senators explained their votes.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., had introduced a gun measure that would deny individuals on the federal terrorism watch list from purchasing a gun. The bill failed, 45-54, mostly along political party lines. Democrat Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota sided with the majority of Republicans and voted against the bill. Republican Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois voted with Democrats in favor of the measure.

Senators also voted on a bipartisan amendment from Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Republican Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania that focused on requiring background checks on gun sales from the Internet or gun shows. The measure would have also enhanced information sharing among states. The measure also failed, 48-50.

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who co-sponsored Feinstein's S.Amdt.2910, defended his amendment votes in favor enhancing gun regulation. On Thursday, Menendez said the 24 hours following the San Bernardino shooting saw dozens of politicians offering their "thoughts and prayers" but have not provided action.

"While my heart breaks for the victims and their families, we need less talk and more action from those of us in Washington. As of today, there have been more mass shootings than there have been days in the year. Let's stop pretending that this level of carnage is something we must live with. Let's stop pretending this is inevitable. And let's stop just pretending we can't do anything about it," said Menendez.

Menendez said, currently, it is too easy for an individual to obtain an assault weapon. He added that Thursday's gun amendments were "common sense" measures but yet Republicans voted against it.

According to Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., stricter gun laws will not prevent violence or terrorism. During an interview on "CBS This Morning," Rubio said individuals such as the San Bernardino shooters would have passed expanded background checks, citing that the shooters lived in California.

"This terrorist that was able to access these weapons is not someone that would have wound up in any database and this is one of the risks of home-grown violent extremism," said Rubio on Friday morning. "These are not people that have done anything before who suddenly become radicalized and within months are taking action."

Rubio said the problem within the U.S. is violence, not just gun violence but also non-gun violence, which he noted is due to a combination of cultural changes and mental health issues.

"I think background checks that are properly conducted, like in Florida for example, you already have to undergo a background check. I have a concealed weapon's permit so that means that my background check is done by telephone, not a three-day wait period and so forth. But what they are trying to do now it would not solve any of these problems, and in fact, would impede the Second Amendment right of a large number of Americans," Rubio said.

Rubio claimed background checks for online and gun show sales would place "an incredible burden on people."

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said any gun control legislation would be an attack on the Second Amendment. Cruz said President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton have been working to weaken the constitutional rights of American citizens, notably the Second Amendment.

The gun control push illustrates the misguided priorities of President Obama and Hillary Clinton," Cruz told Brietbart News on Thursday. "They refuse to stand up and do what is necessary to defeat radical Islamic terrorism, to defeat ISIS, to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Instead, they remain obsessed with disarming the American citizenry, of stripping us of our fundamental right to protect our homes, our lives, and our families."

He later added, "I would note that the calls from liberals for more and more gun controls in the wake of the San Bernardino shootings ignores the fact that California already has some of the strictest gun control laws in the country-so their policies and solutions have already been implemented in California. And to the surprise of no one, the laws failed to prevent this horrific attack."

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