Nationwide gun-control campaign to put pressure on wavering U.S. senators

[alp227]

Source: Washington Post

Advocates for stricter gun laws are making their biggest push yet to bring wavering lawmakers into their camp, holding more than 140 public events in 29 states on Thursday designed to pressure senators into voting for universal background checks.

With negotiations on Capitol Hill over legislation largely stalled in recent weeks, gun-control groups hope that staging a “National Day to Demand Action” will help them regain momentum more than three months after the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn., sparked a national debate over gun laws.

The Senate plans to begin voting on gun-control legislation as early as April 8, when lawmakers return to Washington following a two-week spring recess. Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group that is run and financed by New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (I), began a $12 million TV ad campaign this week targeting senators in 13 states during the recess.

President Obama is also holding a White House event Thursday with mothers who support tougher gun laws.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/nationwide-gun-control-campaign-to-put-pressure-on-wavering-us-senators/2013/03/27/ec260f9c-96ee-11e2-814b-063623d80a60_story.html

[babylonsister]

1. Good!!

[hrmjustin]

2. Glad to hear it!

[Cirque du So-What]

3. One has been getting a lot of airplay in my locale

addressing Rob Portman.

[PatrynXX]

4. Chuck Grassley??

For some reason one of the Gun rights groups on facebook is slamming Chuck for going behind their backs and crafting major gun control legislation. like hello parents went to a church he goes to until of of the music leaders attempted suicide. Well like good Christians and he lived btw. They kicked him out. So I imagine he's all for Gun rights and indeed the responses were rather rash.

[NickB79]

5. A great way to get more Republicans elected

The reason these Democrats are wavering is because they come from pro-gun constituencies. Put pressure on them to go against their constituents, and see them lose out to Republicans in 2014 and 2016. I mean, seriously, does anyone think we'll see the few Democrats from places like North Dakota or Nebraska adopt views on gun control in line with what Bloomberg wants? It's political suicide.

Harry Reid isn't stupid. He knew this full well when he dropped the AWB from the latest gun control bill. Much like Captain Ahab sacrificing his crew, Bloomberg is going to fuck the Democratic Party hunting this white whale.

God damn, we can be fucking stupid at times.

[Seeking Serenity]

6. When Sen. Pryor said that he listens to his constituents,

not to the mayor of New York City, he knew that was a winning statement (winning in the sense of keeping his seat).

[primavera]

7. With 88% of the population supporting background checks...

... I'd be more worried about losing votes siding with the 12% who oppose them.

[sir pball]

9. It's a very motivated 12%, though.

They're the kind of people who will go to no end to get rid of a congresscritter who goes against what they want; how many of those 88% are willing to throw out their rep over this? Not that I think background checks would necessarily be the death knell that an AWB would be but it's a cold reality, they're an extremely intense single-issue group.

[primavera]

13. Tell me about it

The assault weapon ban which all seem to agree would be the death knell to any gun control package is supported by 57% of the population and strongly opposed by only 37%. Yet, once again, when it comes to guns, the minority rules apparently.

[skinnytrees]

16. lets see

the minority of Californians are going to get their wish with Prop 8 overturned

both are rights

your point?

[Doctor_J]

17. Uhh...

What?

[primavera]

18. So you're suggesting...

... that the right of two people who love each other to have their shared life recognized is equivalent to the perceived right of a private citizen to own a military-style weapon of mass destruction designed for killing as many people as swiftly as possible? That's a pretty terrifying point of view you have there.

[NickB79]

12. I'd love universal background checks

I'm pretty sure it will, now that Reid removed the assault weapons portion of the new gun bill. I guess I should have clarified in my original statement that it was specifically the AWB that I think is a political landmine the DNC should avoid right now.

[primavera]

14. It certainly ought to pass

In its present watered down, impotent form, there's nothing in it to offend anyone.

[Bandit]

11. Didn't Ahab kill that whale though?

While it may have cost him his life, I seem to recall the whale was pretty much dead meat as well.

[LanternWaste]

15. Once could also say precisely the same about Democrats who are just now...

"A great way to get more Republicans elected..."

Once could also say precisely the same about Democrats who are just now beginning to support same-sex marriage...

[SunSeeker]

8. K&R

[sir pball]

10. 20 million people in the NY metro area could want something,

But why should that matter to say Harry Reid, if HIS constituents don't want it? It's the calculus of the equal-state-representation aspect of the Senate. and I honestly don't see that changing in the near, or far, future.