thanks to the damn democrats
The vote was taken in 1958, and congressional records are only available online from 1789-1875 and 1989-present day, so unless you're posting from a federal depository library and have a copy of the congressional record from the 85th congress you don't have a clue what you're talking about.
About all I can tell you is that the 85th Congress was composed of 49 Democrats and 47 Republicans at the end. That's 96 senators, Hawaii and Alaska weren't states yet. On August 12 1958, there were 47 Democrats and 48 Republicans (John D. Hoblitzell, Jr. (R) was appointed January 25, 1958 – November 4, 1958 to replace Matthew M. Neely (D), who died January 18, 1958). It would require 49 votes to pass the bill, 58 votes to break a filibuster and 64 votes to overturn a presidential veto. New York Times articles from the time state that the bill was signed by President Eisenhower, who was a Republican. He did not attempt to veto it, and if it were solely a Democratic bill, he would have had no problem vetoing it because there were not enough Democrats to override the veto. The only information I could find on Eisenhower and weapons control was that he served as chairman of a commission that published a report advocating gun control as a method to decrease violence and that he enjoyed hunting and fishing as a child.
You can't piece much together from that, but it would have had to require the support of some Republicans.
