From The Washington Post:
Senate Democrats are scrambling to produce 40 votes — or a mere two-thirds of their caucus — to defeat a GOP-led push to override state gun laws.
Republicans have twice this year scored significant pro-gun victories with substantial moderate Democratic support. The minority party lured away a whopping 27 swing-state Democrats to support looser rules on guns in national parks. And a similar coalition has stalled the District of Columbia’s quest for House voting representation, by adding language to the Senate version to ease D.C. firearm restrictions.
The latest measure, offered by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), has far greater reach. Offered today as an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill, it would allow individuals to carry concealed firearms across state lines if they “have a valid permit or if, under their state of residence, they are entitled to do so,” Thune explained in a statement.
The Rethugs are all about states’ rights, aren’t they?
Thune and his allies contend that by overriding stricter state laws that limit the transport of firearms, the Thune measure would help to lower crime.
…snip…
But Democrats, especially those who represent big cities, were aghast at the sweep of the amendment and are rallying mayors and governors to help win back earlier Democratic defectors. “This amendment is a bridge too far, and could endanger the safety of millions of Americans,” Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.
Schumer, who has pledged the filibuster the amendment, said it represented a breach of state rights.
…snip…
The National Rifle Association called the Thune amendment “important and timely pro-gun reform” and urged its members to lobby lawmakers to support it, when it comes to a vote later this week.
…snip…
Schumer and his Senate allies, including Sens. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), are seeking to convince new Democratic senators, many from Western states where the Second Amendment is sacrosanct, that this measure is primarily a political taunt. Two key targets: Sens. Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, both freshman Democratic senators from Colorado who voted with Republicans on the national parks measure.
Another target is Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, who voted with Republicans on the national parks provision, but has since switched his allegiance to the Democratic Party and faces a primary challenge in his 2010 re-election bid.
…snip…
Also, families and survivors of victims in the Virginia Tech shootings will run a full-page ad in Monday’s Richmond Times-Dispatch calling on Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner to vote against the amendment. Both lawmakers are counted in the party’s pro-gun camp.
The Thune amendment is cosponsored by Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska), another Democrat who has voted consistently with the N.R.A.
WASHINGTON, July 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The following is a statement from Seattle (WA) Mayor Greg Nickels, U.S. Conference of Mayors President:
“For more than four decades mayors have called for, and have worked hard to achieve, reasonable gun safety legislation which would keep guns out of the hands of criminals. In the 15 years since the initial passage of the Brady Law and the now-expired assault weapons ban, however, passage of additional common-sense legislation has been an elusive goal.
“But this year, mayors’ efforts to provide for the safety of their residents are actually losing ground in the face of an all-out, across-the-board assault on gun safety on Capitol Hill. Currently, the gun lobby is not just opposing common sense laws, it is pushing members of Congress to offer amendments to legislation that will make it easier for criminals and others who shouldn’t have access to guns to acquire them and use them […]
…snip…
“The American people need to be aware that public safety is being compromised by gun lobby amendments to disparate, unrelated legislation now moving through Congress. They need to be reminded of what’s at stake when more guns are on our streets: that every day in the United States there are approximately 84 deaths involving firearms, that 34 of these are homicides, and that well over half of these homicides – 56 percent – involve people age 29 and younger.
“Today, Congress is moving in the wrong direction. Instead of weakening the few protections against illegal guns currently on the books, our lawmakers should be moving toward reasonable changes in laws and regulations that would help keep guns out of the hands of criminals and give law enforcement the tools they need to fight crime. “Today, the American people should be asking their members of Congress: When did law enforcement and public safety in this country take a back seat to the gun lobby – and why are you going along?”
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,139 such cities in the country today, each represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the Mayor.
HYSTERICAL RAISINS 
I have a suggestion for the name of this GOP Bill:
Carrying
Rifles
Assaulting
People
or the “CRAP” bill, will yield rampant homicides, because nothing screams freedom more than innocent people getting shot & killed.
I don’t want to be dodging bullets in National parks, and I am glad the V Tech people are taking a stand.
Last year in Chicago they brought out an entire classroom worth of empty desks & put a pair of gym shoes & the name of a deceased student on each desk.
Enough kids had been shot & killed to fill a whole classroom by March of the school year. They staged the desks in front of a legislators office to make the very strong visual statement.
Metro areas do need to have special gun regulations to maintain law & order.
crap bill, indeed. i can’t even fathom what kind of nightmare this would be for cops. the nra’s answer to gun problems is always more guns.
thats right, about the metro areas. Even in the old west, cowboys had to give their guns to the marshall when they came into town. Kept them from shooting up Miss Kitty’s place.
and that was a good idea, because if they shot up miss kitty’s place, they’d regret it once they sobered up. there wasn’t much else to do in dodge city.
This is a fucking nightmare.. they are just baiting Pres. Obama.. trying to push as many gun bills as they can through so he will either have to pass them or veto them. Tying them to everything they can, important bills hoping he won’t call their bluff.. Just like they they did the carry into the National Parks bill. If he vetoes one then they can say, see we told you he was going to take your guns away.
we have some kind of weird esp thing going, annette. you’re over here, while i’m at your place.
once again, the rethugs don’t give a shit about the people they are supposed to serve. they feel more loyalty to the nra than they ever did to their constituents.
Nonnie,
Thanks for the Video.. I put it up… you are the best.
you’re very welcome, annette! 🙂
Yes– our short national memory span…
Scroll down on this link & see the chart of U.S. school shootings.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_shooting
The Springfield Thurston high shooting lists 2…. 2 students died, as did both the shooters parents (the reason- he was in trouble for having a stolen gun in school!) & shot them both dead. But he also shot & wounded 25 other students.
SErious stuff- bullet to the head, punctured lung, things requiring major surgeries & injuries that have changed their lives forever.
One kid actually realized later, that his stack of books in his backpack saved his life.
A bullet made it through one book, but not through the 2nd thick book. The bullet would have otherwise probably hit his spine. He found the bullet lodged in the book.
Just a little reality check on those numbers listed on the chart.
We can’t ask his parents what they think about gun control, because he shot & killed both of them. I think it is safe to say in retrospect, they would agree… gun control is needed.
And it is not a wise idea to provide guns to a mentally unstable teen.
That kid will spend the rest of his life in jail- he was given a 111 year sentence.
Although he lived….. his life is over too.
He will never have his freedom or a normal life again.
look at the number of school shootings here compared to other countries.
The sad thing is how many people by into the gun myth. I grew up with guns and I’ve owned guns and know how to use them. I also understand the dangers in not carefully regulating them. We regulate cars, tobacco, alcohol and all other sorts of things but the NRA perpetuates this myth that ANY law regulating weapons will cause everyone to lose liberty. This is absolute crap. The Mayors want regulation, the police want regulation, every sensible person wants regulation and it pisses me off that are country is still being held hostage by this lunatic fringe.
i’ve never owned a gun, and i honestly don’t understand the love affair some people have with them. if you need a gun for self-defense, one will do. you don’t need 20 of them. neither do you need semi-automatic weapons. it amazes me that you don’t need a license to have a gun in this country and that you are not required to take classes and then a test in order to get a license.
What does any of this have to do with “a well-regulated militia”?
they use a lot of metamucil.
That’s a regular militia, not a well-regulated one!
d’oh! i always mix that up! 🙂
not a thing.
Exactly.
<i”The Rethugs are all about states’ rights, aren’t they?”
I guess it’s a good thing the Democrats have a filibuster proof majority in the Senate then huh? You can breathe a sigh of relief because this should have no chance when it comes to a vote…oh…wait.
“What does any of this have to do with “a well-regulated militia”?”
…
“not a thing.”
And it doesn’t need to. See District of Columbia v. Heller.
“Last year in Chicago they brought out an entire classroom worth of empty desks & put a pair of gym shoes & the name of a deceased student on each desk.
Enough kids had been shot & killed to fill a whole classroom by March of the school year. They staged the desks in front of a legislators office to make the very strong visual statement.”
But….how is that possible? Guns are illegal in Chicago. It’s almost like…criminals don’t obey the laws anyway and the only people disarmed are the law abiding.
Nah…can’t be that.
Incidentally, this proposal will have no effect on Chicago; Illinois doesn’t issue Concealed Handgun Permits to anyone…therefore, they will not be expected to honor those from other states. So your point about Chicago was…what, exactly?
“they are just baiting Pres. Obama.. trying to push as many gun bills as they can through so he will either have to pass them or veto them.”
“They” who? Would that be the Democrat majority in both the House and the Senate?
“once again, the rethugs don’t give a shit about the people they are supposed to serve.”
Don’t you mean Democrats? From the department of redundancy department: don’t the democrats hold the majority in both houses?
Please read Article Four, Section One of the US Constitution. This is plainly a perfectly Constitutional measure. Congress is (for once) NOT overstepping its bounds. No state laws are being undermined…the proposed measure itself clearly states that all people lawfully carrying must obey the laws of the state they are in. All this does is extend “full faith and credit” to the “judicial proceedings” conducted prior to issuing a CHP, and the official “record” resultant from that proceeding between states with similar laws.
There are several states who currently recognize permits from every other state without restriction (one of them is right next door to Chicago…Indiana) and have experienced no ill effects as a result.
Many other states have reciprocity agreements wherein they recognize each other’s permits by law. The only states that this will really have much of an impact on are those who only issue permits to the politically connected, rich and powerful…like California, New York, New Jersey, Mass, etc. You know…the states with the highest crime rates…the states where travelers are most likely to need to defend themselves.
Just out of curiosity: do you anti-freedom advocates ever get tired of being wrong when you predict “blood in the streets” and “the wild wild west” when gun restrictions are relaxed?
OMEffinG Shut up all ready. “anti-freedom advocates” did Hannity or Rush feed you that line ? Try and tell me these western crackers who wrote this bill aren’t being buggered by gun lobbyists and rolling with NRA lapel pins across their stretched lapels from their Old Glory pins. It’s always a bad sign when a cut and paster get sloose in the comments section and ends up with a comment that is longer than the 3 previous posts. The more people we have carrying concealed guns around the country the better off our country will be. Yeah… And the number of depressed, pissed off, out of work, no health coverage Americans who can get their hands on a gun will also be good for us. Let’s not even get into the number of PTSD Iraq/Afghanistan vets we’re going to be seeing with their guns in the next 20 years. You’re right guns will get us through,all we need is guns.
Aaaaahhhh Ha ha hahaha…
I post a comment stating clear positions based upon facts and the absolute best you can do is grade school insults?
That’s all you’ve got?
Pathetic.
At any rate, you can breathe easier. The results just came in. The filibuster held 58 to 39 and the amendment was withdrawn. We’ll just have to try again later. We’ll get it passed eventually.
go float turds in your own punchbowl. i was going to respond to you further, but i won’t bother wasting my breath.
I read his name and think of Sailor Moon. Does that make me a bad boy?
i thought of popeye.
Yeah you calling readers here anti-freedom advocates is your best fact. Thinking your ship has sailed salty. Maybe if you swim really hard you can get Beck or Limpbough to toss you a lifeline though…
rastamick,
don’t get your blood pressure up by bothering with this idiot. no matter how reasonable an argument you make, he won’t budge. while there is nobody here who is screaming for the abolishment of all guns, his side refuses to recognize that regulation and restriction is necessary.
First of all the whole argument about Chicago regulating guns and then there being so much gun crime is specious. The point is that the NRA ensures that regulations of any kind, no matter how sensible, are either unenforceable or rendered useless by the lack of regulation in neighboring counties and states. The reason that Chicago’s regulations don’t work is because this nation is awash in guns. Since we’re not a police state (although the previous administration sure tried to change that), Chicago can only react once a weapon is illegally discharged or used in the commission of a crime.
Don’t give me that old canard about self-defense either. You know who opposes citizens being armed for self-defense? The police. Why? Because they know what it takes to use a gun in self-defense and what can wrong when someone does. The whole idea that John Q. Public is packing heat and blowing away criminals is a Hollywood and NRA myth. Most people in that situation don’t have the reaction time, the ability to keep their heads or even the ability to actually pull the trigger if need be. Or if they do, an innocent person gets shot.
How do you defend yourself? Keep a loaded gun handy? Statistics overwhelmingly show that guns for that purpose or more often used in domestic violence situations or by kids who discover them and want to play with them .
Just today, there was a story in the Dallas newspaper about a 24 year old man who shot his wife at 2AM. She was returning from the bathroom. He heard sounds and thought it was an intruder. As of the time of the report she was in ICU with multiple gunshot wounds. But at least he exercised his God-given right to bear arms and self-defense, right?
So Sailorcurt, was this non-sophmoric enough for you? Factual and to the point and on an intellectual level of discourse that you find more to your liking? Good, now go gaze lovingly at your picture of Wayne LaPierre while listening to Rush and polishing your barrel for stimulation.
excellent response, jeb, but i doubt that old curt won’t read it. he’s probably busy watching his charles bronson/death wish boxed set.
I hate to say it, but I think it’s going to take a whole mess of these NRA-beholden politicians having their loved ones shot in violent crimes before they take the issue seriously.
A few dead grandbabies or teenagers might make an impression.
For the record, I don’t own any guns, lest anyone think I’m a volunteer sniper or anything.
But I have been held up at gunpoint by a punk kid, and I blame the NRA for it.
same thing with health care reform. they don’t give a shit about any illness until one of them gets it. then watch the money get poured into research.
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