All about guns, legislation and politics in New York
The Brady’s unveiled a “new” initiative focused on “gun victims”:
This is just stupid. I can’t see this as having any positive political affect for them. It is as if they’ve given up on advancing a legislative agenda and are having a pity party for themselves.
In an attempt to seem relevant, Manhattan D.A. Cyrus Vance spoke before the Clown Council yesterday to denounce H.R. 822. Not surprisingly, all Councilmembers in attendance agreed with him, except for Dan Halloran who did a respectable job defending the RKBA.
Here is a WNYC news report on the hearing:
From a political standpoint, I don’t see this grandstanding on the part of Vance, the Clown Council or Mayor Bloomberg as having any effect in derailing H.R. 822.
Dan Halloran
I have been told Mayor Bloomberg has scheduled a press conference today at 1:00pm to rail about his latest antigun bugaboo: online gun sales.
UPDATE: Yep. It’s online gun sales. See ABC News, “New York Probe Finds 62 Percent of Private Gun Sellers Sell to Prohibited Individuals.”
UPDATE 2: Bloomberg’s press release.
UPDATE 3: MAIG press release.
Glenn Beck has officially jumped the shark.
“As Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich campaigned in New Hampshire today, the National Association for Gun Rights sent out robo-calls in New Hampshire accusing the former House speaker of being “anti-gun.” The calls say Gingrich has not returned the organization’s survey, adding, “Maybe it’s because of his past support for gun control.” …”
Maybe. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t believe NAGR has any creditability and just does not take them seriously. Given they have a proven history of opposing pro-gun legislation, I believe it is the later.
Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar has submitted a resolution of no confidence in A.G. Eric Holder over his handling of the “Fast and Furious” scandal. Rep. Michael Grimm is the only area co-sponsor so far.
Councilwoman Inez Dickens has pre-filed a resolution in support of Sen. Gillibrand’s bill S-1973, the so-called “Gun Trafficking Prevention Act”, which I believe would make private firearms transfers illegal. The text of S-1973 is not available yet.
Dickens’ resolution isn’t going to help get S-1973 passed. It’s just the Clown Council making noise. It is on the Public Safety Committee’s agenda for the 19th.
Carolyn McCarthy and Frank Lautenberg ave started a petition website asking for President Obama to veto H.R. 822.
All this desperation move shows is that they don’t have the votes in the Senate to block it.
Fresh off the defeat of Caitlin Halligan’s court nomination comes this report on another noted antigunner returning to the White House:
“The White House press shop will soon have a new edition: Jennifer Palmieri, who will be the deputy communications director. Palmieri is a veteran of the Clinton White House, where she worked for eight years, including a stint as the deputy press secretary … she was also listed as a lobbyist in 2001 for the advocacy group Americans for Gun Safety …”
AGS was a phony front group that tried masking itself as a “moderate” antigun group more concerned with “gun safety” than “gun control.” They folded into the far left Third Way group and have largely left public gun control activism to groups like the Bradys and CSGV.
Update to my previous Guns and the courts post: Senate Republicans successfully filibustered Caitlin Halligan’s nomination to the D.C. circuit.
“… Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in remarks on the Senate floor that Halligan’s representation of New York in a case against gun manufacturers and her membership on a New York City Bar Association panel that issued a report criticizing Bush administration detainee policy had given him concerns about Halligan’s “judicial philosophy and her approach to interpreting the Constitution.” “Based on her record, I simply do not believe she will be able to put aside her long record of liberal advocacy and be a fair and impartial jurist,” Grassley said …”
While guns weren’t the only objection, this is a good sign for our side and demonstrates just how weak the antigun position has become. It further supports my belief that the Senate will take up and pass H.R. 822.