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“He’s shaded awfully. I think the shading is rather dramatic on the side of his face. … It just seems patently obvious what they’re doing.” - Joe Scarborough: NRA used ‘shaded’ Obama picture - Politico
Sandy Hook daughter confronts senator: Mom being gunned down isn’t enough?
(Photo: Frank Thorp / NBC News)
Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who voted against expanding background checks on gun sales, was confronted by the daughter of Sandy Hook Elementary’s slain principal at a rowdy town hall in New Hampshire.
- 68 Senators voted in favor of opening up debate on a new gun control agreement which would close gun show loophole, and also require background checks for firearms sold online.
- 16 Republican Senators supported ending the filibuster, including former NRA favorite Pat Toomey (R-PA), who helped to draft the bipartisan proposal. source
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) chokes up when asked about meeting with the families from Newtown.
“[A]s a practical matter … if you are a farmer, 30 miles from town and you want to transfer a shotgun to a neighbor, you’ve got to go 30 miles into town, find the federal licensed firearm dealer, fill out the paperwork, pay the fee, have the background check and then you have a responsibility to keep those records for inspection by the government and that’s a huge burden on citizens.” - Asa Hutchison, former Republican congressman who led the National Rifle Association’s school safety initiative.
Re-Write:
“[A]s a practical matter … if you are a farmer, 30 miles from town and you want to transfer a shotgun car to a neighbor, you’ve got to go 30 miles into town, find the federal licensed firearm dealer DMV, fill out the paperwork change the title, pay the fee, have the background check have insurance and a license and then you have a responsibility to keep those records for inspection by the government and that’s a huge burden on citizens.”
(cnn)
“I’m not a sixth grader,” - Sen. Feinstein had a tense exchange on the 2nd Amendment with Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz
Read: NPR
But the 23 executive actions the president signed today do not seem to go very far, as his critics suggest. In fact, most are administrative – publishing letters, writing memos, and appointing administrators.
Read: Fact check: Obama executive actions spark sound and fury, but not much to see in them - First Read
Today, President Obama announced sweeping set of policies, including 23 executive orders, aimed at reducing gun violence. The unveiling was the result of the Joe Biden-led task force Obama formed last month in the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings, and proposed policies include an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, and improved access to mental health care. The Washington Post calls it “the most expansive gun-control policies in a generation,” and the fact that the president issued no less than 23 executive orders suggests that he wants to avoid congress as much as possible with this (which, given his first term, is understandable). Here’s the flashy White House document outlining the proposals, here’s a list of the executive orders (one of which, somewhat amusingly, is “Nominate an ATF director”), and here’s audio of the event (courtesy of Matt Keys). Photo credit: AP source
