The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State …
Seems they are considering it, according to Salon. What purpose would this serve? Do they think they can get a better deal on guns from an Arkansas Republican? The fact is Toomey was about the only Senator they could conceivably hoodwink scare into accepting a deal. Helping Toomey ruin his relationship with an important GOP … Continue reading “Bloomberg Targeting Mark Pryor?”
Chris from Alaska has an analysis. I really question whether they actually wanted something to pass. There was certainly a path forward for some kind of bill, even if the pot had to be sweetened over what Manchin-Toomey tried to do. It’s been quite telling that each time this issue has gotten hot, they’ve had … Continue reading “Senate Rules and the Gun Control Vote”
It’s just another Manic Monday. Wish it were Sunday. That’s my fun day. But since it’s Monday, a news dump: Governor Cuomo’s numbers continue to be disappointing. But I thought gun control was popular? The bomb suspects did not have a gun permit. This is a shock to no one, except the AP, apparently. The … Continue reading “Monday News Dump”
CBS News: 2014 The Next Frontier in the Gun Control Battle: As Democratic legislators search for a path forward, however, gun advocacy groups are zeroing in on the next phase of their campaign: Getting the gun bill “no” votes voted out of office in 2014. “You wait until the next November,” warned New York City … Continue reading “We Can’t Go Back to Sleep”
Politico: How the NRA won. When the Senate voted down a bipartisan bill to expand background checks Wednesday, it was a stark reminder that big money groups are still no match for the NRA’s ability to get what it wants by playing retail politics — or delivering payback. The big money, at this point in … Continue reading “More Reactions from the Senate Vote”
OFA sponsored a broadcast conference call to supporters of gun control today, and they focused on trying to rally the troops into not admitting defeat. Their strategy really is best summed up as a never-ending campaign for office instead of policy campaigns. Whereas there was quite a bit of commentary yesterday about the tone of … Continue reading “OFA’s Post-Vote Call to Action”
Professor Adam Winkler has a pretty good analysis. Let me quote a bit: Focusing on assault weapons played right into the hands of the NRA, which has for years been saying that Obama wanted to ban guns. Gun control advocates ridiculed that idea—then proposed to ban the most popular rifle in America. Gun control advocates … Continue reading “More Opinions on the Gun Control Failure”
The Senator from West Virginia notes: “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.†Getting the facts out … Continue reading “Manchin on Failed Gun Control Effort”
The Hill is reporting that the votes on the Toomey-Manchin Amendment still aren’t there. Let’s hope that holds until the votes. 10:41AM: Grassley, Cruz, and Graham announced a substitute amendment to the gun bill, which does not appear to contain any expansion of NICS requirements. It still has a number of measures we’ll like. It … Continue reading “Live Coverage: The Senate Vote (Hopefully)”
The Senate is in recess currently, but will return at 2:15 to resume debate, which should happen until 3:30 or so. We’ll be doing live updates here when that begins. 2:15PM: The Senate is now returning. 2:16PM: Harry Reid is speaking to the media. So far it’s about the Second Boston Massacre. He says they … Continue reading “Live: The Continuing Senate Debate”
