'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Be careful what you wish for, the saying goes, because you might get it. Until recently, gun-fearing Senate Democrats were positively giddy about getting access to the deep pockets of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and his Mayors Against Illegal Guns Action Fund.
Polling suggests many voters viewed last week's Senate gun votes through the lens of Second Amendment rights — findings that show why gun control advocates fell short in their bid to expand background checks on firearms sales despite overwhelming public support.
Expanded background-checks legislation may have been stopped in its tracks, but gun control advocates — led by the families of the Newtown, Conn., victims — are vowing to fight on.
One of the main architects of a gun-control bill that failed in the Senate this week said Friday he will continuing selling his plan on and off Capitol Hill and remains optimistic it one day will become law.
Senate Democrats shelved their gun control bill Thursday, saying that despite passionate pleas from families whose children died in December's Connecticut rampage, they cannot muster enough votes to pass any of the major new restrictions they had hoped for.
Senators dealt a devastating blow to gun control efforts Wednesday, defeating the background check compromise that was the centerpiece of President Obama's post-Newtown push for stiffer laws and leaving advocates struggling to figure out what to do now.
As the Senate opens debate on legislation to expand background checks of gun purchases, President Obama said Tuesday he thinks public sentiment will compel lawmakers to approve the measure.
The deal senators have struck to expand firearm background checks to all Internet and gun show sales will drive up prices for consumers, weapons retailers say.
The sellout by "conservative" Sen. Patrick J. Toomey, Pennsylvania Republican, on gun control opens up a valid question ("Sens. Joe Manchin, Pat Toomey roll out background-check compromise on guns," Web, Wednesday). If we can make arbitrary calls about who can own a gun for home defense, we should also use the same yardstick to determine who can own or have access to the average 4,000-pound American vehicle.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, kicked off Monday's session by saying the victims of December's Connecticut shooting rampage deserve a vote on gun legislation and warning of "unreasonable extremists" who may try to derail or delay the process.
With chances iffy for winning a broad expansion of background checks in the Senate this week, gun control advocates face a tough choice: Hold out for a wide-ranging bill and risk killing it altogether, or find the stomach for a watered-down approach that ensures at least something passes.
The deal senators have struck to expand firearm background checks to all Internet and gun show sales will drive up prices for consumers, weapons retailers say.
A prominent gun-rights advocate claims his group's staff was in the room during the drafting of the recently unveiled proposal to expand gun-purchase background checks and said that "we snookered the other side — they haven't figured it out yet."
Sen. Patrick J. Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican who helped write the background check plan, said Wednesday that one reason why it failed was because he and co-sponsor Sen. Joe Manchin III, West Virginia Democrat, devoted too much time to debunking falsehoods and not enough time to making their own pitches.
Disconnect over expanded checks doomed gun bill; poll shows public deeply divided →
Mr. Toomey said on MSNBC that his office heard from opponents much more than supporters — "several times from each one of them" — and that the vote was partly a product of the increased polarization of politics in general.
Disconnect over expanded checks doomed gun bill; poll shows public deeply divided →
