Families of the Newtown massacre victims were interviewed on 60 Minutes segment ahead of efforts to push for new gun control legislation in Washington, D.C.
Lawmaker Recommends Bullet Proof Vests
Arizona state Rep. Bob Thorpe (R) sent an email to colleagues “inviting them to an event at the State Capitol to learn about tactical vests,” KNXV-TV reports.
Thorpe wrote that the purpose of the event is “to inform our members about the costs and options for those wishing to purchase a vest for personal use, for example at town halls, parades and other events.”
The NRA Wins Again
Washington Post: “The NRA’s recent successes on Capitol Hill — as well as a string of victories in state legislatures across the country — demonstrate the effectiveness of the group’s strategy to overcome a post-Newtown tilt toward gun control. The organization has drafted and circulated legislation, mobilized its members and continued to put pressure on politically vulnerable lawmakers. At the same time, groups attempting to promote stricter gun- control measures have faltered.”
“New restrictions that a couple of months ago seemed possible, even likely, such as bans on assault weapons and universal background checks on gun purchases, are now in doubt.”
Meanwhile, Politico reports Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) “threat to filibuster any new gun restrictions is
gathering steam, as a dozen of his Republican colleagues have now signed
onto his plan.”
Pro-Gun Laws Gain Ground
President Obama “made another push Wednesday to build support for gun-control laws in the wake of December’s mass school shooting in Connecticut. But since then, states have passed more measures expanding rather than restricting the right to carry firearms,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Arkansas eliminated prohibitions on carrying firearms in churches and on college campuses. South Dakota authorized school boards to arm teachers. Tennessee passed a law allowing workers to bring guns to work and store them in their vehicles, even if their employer objects. Kentucky shortened the process for obtaining licenses to carry a concealed gun.”
However, the Hartford Courant reports Connecticut passed last night the most restrictive gun law in the nation.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I will tell you these are ammunition, they’re bullets, so the people
who have those now they’re going to shoot them, so if you ban them in
the future, the number of these high capacity magazines is going to
decrease dramatically over time because the bullets will have been shot
and there won’t be any more available.”
— Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), quoted by the Denver Post, apparently not understanding that a gun magazine can be reloaded.
Public Still Supports Gun Control
First Read: “In the past few weeks, two narratives have surfaced in the gun debate. One, it’s going to be difficult for Congress to pass any major gun-control legislation this year. And two, public opinion for gun-control measures is beginning to slip months after the Newtown, CT shooting tragedy. The first narrative is definitely true. The second? Not according to a brand-new Morning Joe/Marist poll. Six in 10 Americans believe that the laws covering gun sales should be stricter. That figure is virtually unchanged from the 61% who backed stricter gun laws when a NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll asked the same question in February, even though at least one other national survey has found waning support for gun-control laws after Newtown. What’s more, the Morning Joe/Marist survey finds that a whopping 87% of Americans support background checks for private gun sales and sales at gun shows, and 59% favor legislation that would ban the sale of assault weapons.”
Quote of the Day
“No one has done more for gun ownership than Barack Obama. If you look at the number of people who have bought guns since he became president, he has been the most successful salesman for people having the right to bear arms in modern history.”
— Newt Gingrich, in an interview with Newsmax.
Town Mandates Gun Ownership
The City Council in Nelson, Georgia voted unanimously to require every household to have a gun and ammunition, unless the residents of the household opt out, WXIA-TV reports.
Connecticut Ready to Pass Toughest Gun Control in Nation
Connecticut lawmakers “said they had met the solemn challenge presented by the Sandy Hook school massacre with a bipartisan agreement for the nation’s strongest gun control bill,” the Hartford Courant reports.
“Easy passage of the legislative response to the Dec. 14 killings is expected in House and Senate votes scheduled for Wednesday, leaders of both the Democratic majority and Republican minority said after completing weeks of negotiations on the bill.”
New York Times: “It would require new state-issued eligibility certificates for the purchase of any rifle, shotgun or ammunition; mandate that offenders convicted of any of more than 40 weapons offenses register with the state; require universal background checks for the sale of all firearms; and substantially expand the state’s existing ban on assault weapons.”
How Hard Will Reid Push Gun Control?
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) “evolution from a proponent of gun rights to the shepherd of legislation that would expand background checks, among other gun control measures, emerges from a complex web of political calculations that have come to define his leadership style over the last decade,” the New York Times reports.
“How tenacious Mr. Reid is willing to be — and whether he will extract votes one by one as he has for other big pieces of legislation — may well determine the fate of the measures.”
Quote of the Day
“It is saddening to see the president today, once again, try to take advantage of this tragic murder to promote an agenda that will do nothing to stop violent crime, but will undermine the constitutional rights of all law-abiding Americans. I am committed to… use any procedural means necessary to protect those fundamental rights.”
— Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), quoted by the Huffington Post.
Gun Control Poised to Fail Yet Again
Stu Rothenberg: “Whether you are a staunch supporter of the National Rifle Association or an enthusiastic backer of the effort by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein for stronger gun control laws, it now should be clear who is winning — indeed, who has won — the latest skirmish in the gun control wars.”
Support Fades for Tougher Gun Laws
A new CBS News poll finds support for stricter gun control laws overall “has dropped since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School from 57% then to 47% now.”
Gun Control Faces Uphill Fight in the Senate
Roll Call: “A little-noticed Senate vote just before 4 in the morning on March 23 — amid the chamber’s 13-hour vote-a-rama on a fiscal 2014 budget resolution — suggests trouble for President Barack Obama’s gun control agenda.”
GOP Senators Threaten to Filibuster Gun Bill
Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT) “are threatening to filibuster gun-control legislation, according to a letter they plan to hand-deliver to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s office on Tuesday,” Politico reports.
“Reid plans to bring up a gun-control measure that focuses on broadening background checks and cracking down on interstate gun-trafficking after the current Senate recess. Conservatives are concerned that once that bill reaches the floor, amendments could stiffen restrictions on gun control.”
Congress Moves Focus to Immigration and Guns
“After the Senate passed its budget this weekend, Congress is expected to pivot to issues such as immigration and guns before attempting a broader deal on taxes, spending and the national debt later this year,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Capitol Hill fell quiet as lawmakers headed home for a two-week spring recess, the longest pause in the Capitol Hill budget wars in months. Before leaving town, the Senate early Saturday morning and the House last week passed nonbinding budget blueprints that laid out the parties’ competing fiscal priorities.”
President Obama “is expected to release his own fiscal 2014 budget in early April–months late and almost an afterthought now that Senate passed a Democratic budget in sync with White House priorities.”
Bloomberg Plans Anti-Gun Blitz
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Monday “will begin bankrolling a $12 million national advertising campaign that focuses on senators who he believes might be persuaded to support a pending package of federal regulations to curb gun violence,” the New York Times reports.
“The ads, in 13 states, will blanket those senators’ districts during an Easter Congressional recess that is to be followed by debate over the legislation… The mayor’s advertising blitz, which will saturate television screens in states including Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Arizona, represents by far the biggest escalation of Mr. Bloomberg’s attempts to become a one-man counterweight to the National Rifle Association in the political clash over guns.”
Congress Turns to Immigration and Guns
USA Today: “A brief reprieve in the fiscal battles between President Obama and a divided Congress will allow two contentious and politically divisive domestic issues — guns and immigration — to take center stage in the national debate this spring.”
“The ability for Washington to find solutions to either issue will require the kind of bipartisan cooperation and common ground the president and congressional leaders have been unable to find on the budget. In other words: It won’t be easy.”
First Read: “Gun legislation lacking bipartisan support, immigration lacking actual legislation.”
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