Virginia Tech fallout
Posted: Wednesday, April 18, 2007 9:43 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:
Congress, Democrats, Republicans
The New York Times says the shooting tragedy -- and the way the guns used in it were purchased -- “has prompted calls from several Democrats and at least one leading presidential candidate, John Edwards, for measures to restrict gun sales, even as they proclaimed their support for the Second Amendment.”
The Politico reports that Giuliani's camp yesterday issued a statement in Giuliani’s name stating that the Virginia Tech tragedy “‘does not alter the Second Amendment.’” Said Giuliani: “‘People have the right to keep and bear arms and the Constitution says this right will not be infringed. The recent Parker decision makes it clear that restrictions, if any, must be reasonable and these are best decided on a state-by-state basis,’ [he] concluded, referring to the recent federal appeals court decision overturning the gun ban in Washington, D.C. But Giuliani was once a strong supporter of enacting federal restrictions on access to firearms.”
Another Politico article examines why the gun lobby usually wins. “The National Rifle Association has money, motivated members and powerful allies in Congress. But what puts the NRA in a separate class among interest groups is its track record of defeating incumbents. In Washington, that is real power.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says there shouldn't be a rush to debate gun control measures. The AP has a rundown of the divide that's developing among congressional Democrats on the issue.
NBC’s Mike Viqueira says House Democrats announced that on Thursday, they are going to bring up the legislation that would give DC a member of Congress, as well as a new one for Utah. Eyebrows were immediately raised. When we last left our story, Viq notes, Democrats were cruising to victory on the floor with the measure when -- suddenly -- Republicans used their standard "motion to recommit" at the end of debate to put forward a repeal of DC’s gun ban and attach it to the DC voting bill.
Seeing they would lose (and be humiliated in the process), Democrats yanked the bill off the floor. But now they have decided to bring DC voting measure back up this week, three days after the Virginia Tech shootings. The suspicion is that they don't think Republicans have the nerve to again attach a measure that would loosen gun laws in this environment, so they are basically daring them to do it. But Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s staff denies that has anything to do with it. And in truth, there are other ways around the GOP motion.
Meanwhile, Viq says, Republicans insist that they "don't see anybody changing their mind on this issue" of the Second Amendment and gun control, implying that they will in fact bring up the gun measure Thursday if given the chance. For their part, Democratic leaders are emphasizing the need to address funding and personnel issues with law enforcement -- not so much gun control, which they refused to even discuss publicly yesterday on the grounds that it was too soon after the tragedy.
