Moms Demand Action astroturf met with Rep. Dan Donovan to lobby against H.R.38:
This was unnecessary as Donovan has always been antigun.
Maloney to introduce CDC gun research bill
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney plans to introduce legislation to provide funding for so-called gun violence research:
“… Congress Member Carolyn B. Maloney (D–Queens/Manhattan) and Senator Edward J. Markey (D–Mass.) introduced legislation on April 15 to address the issue of gun violence across the United States. The bill would set aside $10 million in funding each year for FY2018-2023 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct or support research on firearms safety or gun violence prevention … “Gun violence is a public health crisis,” said Maloney. “Yet, for too long the gun lobby and its allies in Congress have prohibited our nation’s leading federal public health researchers from studying gun violence to learn more about what drives it and how it can be prevented. With 89 people dying each and every day from gun violence, our country cannot afford Members of Congress playing political games with riders or restrictions on life-saving public health research and data collection. We must finally lift this senseless gag order.” …”
Funding for this sort of thing was prohibited years ago by Congress as it was nothing more than political propaganda supporting the gun control agenda.
House bill is H.R.1832 with Yvette Clarke, Eliot Engel, Gregory Meeks, Jerrold Nadler and Thomas Suozzi as co-sponsors.
Senate bill is S.834 with Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer as co-sponsors.
When everyone’s not on the same page
A couple of weeks ago Republican Assemblyman David DiPietro acknowledged that there is SAFE Act funding in the state budget and has been since the beginning.
We’ve also covered the fact that SAFE cannot be de-funded in the budget.
Republican Senator Cathy Young did not get her story straight before speaking about this topic on the floor of the Senate.
John Cornyn speaks on reciprocity bill
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn on when the reciprocity bill will be taken up in Congress:
“… “Well you know we got so much going on now it’s just it seems like there’s not much room, but my hope is later this year we can get it teed up and, of course, depending on when the House takes their version of that will help move it along, but I’m hoping sometime this year,” Cornyn said … Republicans still lack 60 votes to stop debate on any legislation and go forward to a final vote, but Cornyn thinks that voters in blue states with concealed carry could help pressure certain Democratic members to support the legislation …”
This could be problematic given that his bill S.446 has 36 sponsors with no Democrats while the House version H.R.38 has 187 sponsors only 3 of whom are Democrats.
Gorsuch to decide whether to take gun cases
We’re going to find out soon if Justice Neil Gorsuch is pro-gun or not as SCOTUS has two petitions pending on gun cases:
“… The most important is a petition from gun rights activists asking the court to find for the first time that the Second Amendment right to keep a gun for self-defense extends to carrying firearms outside the home. In cases from California, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that it did not. “Any prohibition or restriction a state may choose to impose on concealed carry — including a requirement of ‘good cause,’ however defined — is necessarily allowed by the [Second] Amendment,” it said. A strongly worded dissent said “any fair reading” of the Supreme Court’s 2008 decision finding a constitutional right to gun ownership for self-defense “compels the conclusion that the right to keep and bear arms extends beyond one’s front door.” A second case involves whether those convicted of certain crimes can be barred indefinitely from possessing firearms …”
The California case is Peruta v. California which is backed by the NRA & CRPA. This is the one that could ultimately make New York shall-issue.
I believe the second case is United States v. Games-Perez.
Junior considering running for Governor
Donald Trump, Jr. floated the idea of running for Governor next year.
What does he bring to the table?
Positives:
- He’s not Andrew Cuomo.
- He is legitimately pro-gun.
- Can raise the money necessary to run a serious race.
- Name recognition.
Negatives:
- The Trump name. All the people who still have not gotten over the ’16 election will come out in force in an effort to defeat him and humiliate his old man.
- The New York Republican Party.
The Republicans could do a lot worse than to put him up as their candidate.
Cuomo’s Praetorian Guard
According to Assemblyman David DiPietro, there are 16 positions in the NYSP responsible for SAFE Act enforcement who answer only to the Governor and, after four years of asking, he still cannot get answer as to what exactly they do.
I know the answer: They do exactly what their boss tells them to do.
More challengers for Astorino
Update to my previous post, two more Democrat candidates have come forward to challenge Rob Astorino for Westchester County Executive:
- State Senator George Latimer. Has a antigun voting record. Not quite as bad as Ken Jenkins in so far as I can not recall him aggressively pushing the issue.
- David Spano. Son of former C.E. Andy Spano who ran against his father eight years ago. While his old man was one of the worst politicians on guns, I am not aware of junior taking a public position.
Democrat disunity benefits Astorino who has to overcome the party’s enrollment advantage in the county.
Signs, Signs, Everywhere are Signs
When doing research on Dan Garodnick, who is considering running against de Blasio in a primary, I missed this gem he introduced to the Clown Council:
Int 1175-2016 – A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to placement of signs on all bridges and tunnels entering the City warning of the penalty for possessing a firearm.
§ 19-901 Signs regarding firearm possession. The commissioner of transportation shall post signs at each exit leading into the city, of each bridge and tunnel having only one terminus in the city, stating that the possession of any firearm by a person not licensed by the city to possess that firearm is a criminal offense that is punishable by imprisonment, as per articles 70.15 and 265 of the penal law.
I have a better idea and I know just where to put it:
Justice Gorsuch
The Senate just confirmed Neil Gorsuch to SCOTUS by a vote of 54-45.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell finally had enough of Charles Schumer’s crap and eliminated the filibuster for judicial candidates. Considering the penchant for Republicans to preemptively surrender to Democrats this is a dramatic shift and hopefully a sign of good things to come.
First, there have been repeated rumors of another SCOTUS justice retiring this year. With longer any need to pander to Democrats we may get the opportunity to get another originalist justice on the court.
Second, while the legislative filibuster remains intact, Democrats may think twice about blocking popular bills just for the sake of being obstructionists. The reciprocity bill S.446 currently has 36 sponsors and probably more than 50, but less than 60, Yes votes. If allowed to the floor it will be a huge will for gun rights.