The Washington Independent

Posts Tagged gun lobby

Warner: On Sotomayor, NRA ‘Has Gone Beyond Its Mission’

By | 07.31.09 | 10:30 am

It’s not everyday that lawmakers with top ratings from the National Rifle Association go around criticizing the powerful gun lobby. But regarding the NRA’s bid to pressure senators to vote against Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, some are losing their patience.

Here’s Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), quoted yesterday by More…

A Push to Keep Guns From Foreign-Convicted Felons

By | 07.29.09 | 3:04 pm

Perhaps emboldened by a rare victory over the gun lobby last week, a group of liberal senators introduced legislation Wednesday to prevent people convicted of felonies overseas from owning firearms.

The proposal attempts to close a loophole created by a 2005 Supreme Court decision, which found More…

Columbine Dad Takes on Colorado Dems Over Thune Vote

By | 07.29.09 | 12:27 pm

It’s no Washington secret that lawmakers voting against the the nation’s powerful gun lobby will likely suffer the National Rifle Association’s wrath come election time. But, as evidenced in Colorado today, there can also be political consequences of voting with the NRA.

In large ads published in Wednesday’s Denver Post More…

NRA Claims Victory in a High-Profile Loss

By | 07.22.09 | 3:53 pm

In the year’s first high-profile legislative setback for the gun lobby, the Senate on Wednesday shot down legislation to scrap state and local laws dictating who can carry concealed firearms.

The vote marks a rare victory for gun reformers, including President Obama, who have had little success battling the powerful More…

NRA Opposes Sotomayor Nomination

By | 07.16.09 | 3:15 pm

Although the National Rifle Association has — at least officially — stayed out of this fight until now (though judging from some senators’ heavy questioning on gun issues, it was clearly weighing in behind the scenes), this afternoon the group issued a statement saying it would oppose the nomination of More…

Carter Urges Assault Weapons Ban

By | 04.27.09 | 2:57 pm

Jimmy Carter is an avid hunter and gun owner who also happens to have once been president of the United States. The combination makes him well-placed in the current debate (or rather non-debate) over whether Americans should retain the right to own semi-automatic assault weapons. And he isn’t buying More…