An attempt to update firearms rules to cover weapons made using 3D printers was blocked on Monday night as a fresh row over gun control erupted in the Senate.

Existing legislation requires all plastic weapons made or carried in the US contain some metal parts so they can be picked up by security detectors.

The law, dating back to the 1980s, was due to expire on December 9 but was extended by both the House and Senate with only hours to spare.

Democrats, led by New York senator Chuck Schumer, also attempted to introduce an amendment to close a loophole that they claimed will become a growing security risk now that individuals can produce homemade plastic weapons using 3D printers.

Their amendment sought to criminalise designs that include metal pins that can be temporarily removed to evade security checks in airports and other sensitive locations.

Instead it would have required all plastic weapons to include metal parts that are integral to the design and cannot be removed without compromising the gun.

But this was blocked by Republican senator Chuck Grassley, who refused to give unanimous consent to the amendment, arguing more time was needed to consider the risk of such technology.

The opposition, though expected, was seized upon by some Democrats who claimed it was an example of how Republicans were unwilling to contemplate any gun reform.

“This is yet another expression of a Washington that is wracked by extremism,” said senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island. “Nobody can justify opposing this. We are so far away from the second amendment at the moment that it is astounding.”

But Schumer said he was still hopeful that Republicans would agree to reconsider the amendment at a later date and played down suggestions of personal animosity between the parties.

“I think this is an ideological issue,” he told The Guardian. “This is not a bad blood issue and that gives me some hope.”

"The good news is we passed the extension," he added. "The bad news is it didn't fix the loophole."

This latest setback to gun control efforts in Congress came just days before the first anniversary of the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, which campaigners had once hoped would encourage far wider reform such as background checks and an assault weapons ban.

Speaking earlier, Connecticut senator Chris Murphy criticised continued Republican refusal to contemplate any revisions to gun law.

“This new technology called 3D printing has made it really easy to make firearms that comply with the existing law but are still effectively undetectable,” he said.

“It is a pretty simple update that we have to make here but we are having a hard time getting a common sense measure passed.”

Republicans have opposed most gun control measures attempted in recent years, although a small number of senators crossed the aisle to support enhanced background checks.

Increased rancour in the Senate is also frustrating attempts to seek bipartisan consensus as Republicans are increasingly unwilling to co-operate with a Democratic leadership they accuse of abusing the rights of the minority party.

Democrats will attempt on Tuesday the first use of new rules designed to circumvent the filibustering of judicial nominees, voting to ratify a controversial Obama appointment for the Washington circuit appeal court, Patricia Millet.

What little bipartisan goodwill remains is largely concentrated on finalising a budget deal before Friday's deadline for avoiding another government shutdown.

The chief negotiators – Democratic senator Patty Murray and representative Paul Ryan – are thought to be close to a deal that would set a new two-year federal budget of around $1tn.

However, they are not expected to have found enough consensus to address wider tax and revenue issues needed to reduce the deficit and are aiming at only limited relief from the so-called sequester cuts, introduced after the collapse of earlier negotiations.