Wisconsin State Legislature

Wisconsin Senate Approves Guns On Floor, But Not In Gallery

Eric Kleefeld | November 1, 2011, 6:13PM

The Wisconsin state Senate on Monday approved, through its internal Committee on Senate Organization, a policy that will allow senators and others to carry firearms on the floor -- but in a hint of compromise, spectators will not be able to bring guns into the Senate gallery during floor sessions.

Also, individual lawmakers who do not want guns in their own offices will be able to post signs notifying citizens that weapons will not be allowed.

The rules were passed on Monday, on a party-line 3-2 vote, and then took effect today.

As TPM has previously posted, the policy is a result of the state's new law, passed by the Republican legislature and signed by Gov. Scott Walker, allowing residents to obtain concealed-carry permits.

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Giffords shooting

Poll: Six In Ten Voters Want Police Presence At Congressional Forums

Jon Terbush | January 19, 2011, 11:22AM

Capitol police

Following the shooting earlier this month in Arizona that killed six and left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in the hospital after being shot in the head, voters overwhelmingly want their elected representatives to keep holding town hall style meetings, but to do so with a beefed up security detail, according to a new poll commissioned by The Hill.

In the poll, 91% of respondents said it was either "very important" or "somewhat important" for lawmakers to continue meeting with their constituents. In addition, 60% said that police should be present at those gatherings, versus just 28% who said that police did not need to be there.

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Carolyn McCarthy

McCarthy Hopes To Pull Obama Off Sidelines On Gun Safety

Ryan J. Reilly | January 14, 2011, 11:45AM

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) told TPM in an interview Thursday night that she's hoping that President Barack Obama will get off the sidelines of the gun debate and support legislation she'll introduce in the House next week to prohibit high-capacity gun magazines in the United States.

Her bill would ban large-capacity ammunition feeding devices like the one reportedly used by Jared Lee Loughner, the gunman charged with killing six people and gravely wounding Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in a mass shooting on Saturday. It will be paired with legislation introduced on the Senate side by McCarthy's fellow veteran gun control advocate Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ).

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Mike Pence

Pence: Americans Have A Right To Carry Guns & Protest Loudly

Jillian Rayfield | January 12, 2011, 10:34AM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)

Rep. Mike Pence called it a "slippery slope" to connect guns at political rallies with the Tucson shootings over the weekend that included Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head. Pence referenced "the heat of the debate over the war in Iraq, when I saw people gathering on the national mall and waving placards that spoke strong opposition to the Bush administration."

"All of that is what freedom is all about," he said.

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CBS

CBS Poll: Support For Stricter Gun Laws Spikes After Tucson Rampage

Jon Terbush | January 12, 2011, 10:31AM

Handguns on display

The number of Americans who favor stricter gun laws has spiked significantly in the wake of the weekend shooting spree that killed six and left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in critical condition, reversing a long-running trend of declining support for more stringent gun control, according to a new CBS poll.

In the poll, 47% of respondents said gun laws should be made tougher, while 36% said they should remain unchanged, and just 12% said they should be relaxed. While that means a slim plurality (48%) are opposed to strengthening gun laws, that opposition has dropped 10 points since CBS last polled the question less than one year ago.

In April 2010, CBS pegged total opposition to stricter gun laws at 58%, with 42% saying gun control was fine as is, and 16% saying that laws should be scaled back. And 40% supported tougher gun laws -- a number that's now risen to 47%.

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Denny Rehberg

GOP Rep. Rehberg: With Obama As President, We Need More Trigger Locks

Eric Kleefeld | September 9, 2010, 4:36PM

Rep. Dennis Rehberg (R-MT)

Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT) offered some advice to a local company in his state that makes parts for guns: With President Obama in office, you'll need to develop more trigger locks.

As the Ravalli Republic reports:

But as a politician who bills himself as a straight shooter, Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg also had a bit of off-color advice for Bonnie and Randy Jones, proprietors of Bitterroot Tool and Machine, makers of airplane bolts, grain mills and bullet-loaders.

"If Obama is president, maybe you need to spend more time developing a gun lock, a trigger lock," Rehberg said with a chuckle, sitting across a lunchroom table from the Joneses in a suede jacket emblazoned with the U.S. government seal.

The comment came in response to Randy Jones asking about gun rights.

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Elena Kagan

Grassley Asks Kagan: Didn't God Give Us The Right To Bear Arms? (VIDEO)

Megan Carpentier | June 29, 2010, 5:42PM

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)

Usually, in a confirmation hearing for a Supreme Court nominee, the discussion of the Second Amendment comes down to a debate over whether the amendment guarantees an individual or collective the right to bear arms. One might think the matter was settled in Congress since Supreme Court rulings in Heller and McDonald leave the individual right to bear arms, as Elena Kagan said earlier today, "settled law." However, having a settled constitutional question left Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) with an opening to question whether the right to bear arms come from more than just the constitution. He wanted to know, in fact, whether it came straight from God.

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Supreme Court vacancy

Kagan Sounds More And More Like Safe Vote For Gun Rights

Christina Bellantoni | June 29, 2010, 2:46PM

Handguns and Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan

The first questions about gun rights during Elena Kagan's confirmation hearings today came not from Republicans -- who always attempt to make the Second Amendment an issue -- but from Democrats. Kagan quickly ended the line of inquiry by declaring citizens' rights to own guns as "settled law."

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Gun rights

Friendly Fire: Gun Rights Advocates In Shootout Over Campaign Finance Bill

Christina Bellantoni | June 17, 2010, 11:16AM

Gun rights supporters gather in Washington, D.C.

Gun rights activists are accusing the National Rifle Association of "selling out" to Congressional Democrats over a new measure aimed at requiring more disclosure from corporations getting involved in political races. The NRA was granted an exemption from legislation that would require other groups to disclose top donors, prompting one Virginia group to accuse them of being "bought off" and 45 groups to lodge a formal protest with Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Democratic leaders cut a deal with the NRA, fearing that, if they didn't, the bill's passage this summer would be doomed by members spooked by the potential backlash from the group, an important source of support for gun-friendly lawmakers.

The NRA now supports the so-called DISCLOSE Act, which was written by Democrats in response to the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision loosening campaign finance regulations. The bill would require CEOs to stand by their ads and other transparency measures.

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