The Washington Independent

Posts Tagged nra

SCOTUS to Hear Chicago Gun Ban Case

By | 09.30.09 | 2:19 pm

Maybe now we’ll finally get to find out where the high court’s newest justice, Sonia Sotomayor, really stands when it comes to whether the Second Amendment guarantees individual citizens a “right to bear arms.”

That was a contentious issue at her confirmation hearings, with Republican gun More…

When Does Carrying a Loaded Weapon to a Presidential Rally Become a Threat?

By | 08.18.09 | 9:03 am

We now know that there were two men who openly carried assault rifles — CNN reports they were AR-15s — outside the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Phoenix where President Obama spoke yesterday. According to The Associated Press, about eight more people were carrying More…

Committee for Justice: Sotomayor Vote Was ‘Conservative Victory’

By | 08.06.09 | 3:51 pm

Curt Levey of the Committee for Justice, which did a lot of the legwork organizing opposition to Sonia Sotomayor’s Supreme Court nomination, pronounces victory after the 68-31 confirmation vote.

The engagement of the Second Amendment community will long be remembered as the most significant aspect of this confirmation battle.  Although

More…

Gun Debate Lingers Behind Sotomayor Confirmation

By | 08.04.09 | 3:47 pm

As the Senate begins deliberation today on the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, the outcome of the vote is pretty clear. As the Los Angeles Times points out, “the only remaining questions are whether the National Rifle Assn. can claim to have swayed votes against More…

McConnell Encouraged NRA to ‘Score’ Sotomayor Vote

By | 08.03.09 | 8:59 am

Over the weekend, NPR’s Nina Totenberg reported that a senior aide to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) confirmed that McConnell, at a meeting of conservative groups, asked the National Rifle Association whether it would score the vote on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor as a critical vote hostile More…

Baucus Now Says He Will Support Sotomayor

By | 07.31.09 | 1:28 pm

After reportedly saying he “had no idea” how he’d vote on Sotomayor, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) now says he will support her, according to the Great Falls Tribune. That’s despite the National Rifle Association’s strong opposition to Sotomayor, and its previous “A” rating of Baucus.

Here’s how More…

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…

McCaskill: NRA Scoring Sotomayor Vote is ‘Dumb’

By | 07.31.09 | 10:29 am

Though Sonia Sotomayor has strong support from Democrats, there’s been some concern that the National Rifle Association, which has opposed Sotomayor and announced it’s “scoring” lawmakers based on their vote for her, would temper pro-gun Democrats’ support for the Supreme Court nominee. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) on Thursday predicted the More…

NRA-Endorsed Republicans for Sotomayor

By | 07.30.09 | 11:43 am

The Brady Campaign, the anti-gun group that had experienced a rather tough run during the Bush administration, is pointing out that three Republican senators who were endorsed by the National Rifle Association in their last campaigns have committed to supporting Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Sen. 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…