Democrats move to limit guns, threatening language in shooting's wake

Will Tucson Tragedy Shift Gun Control Debate?
Roanoke Firearms store owner John Markell holds a Glock 19 Handgun, the model used in both the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre and the recent shootings in Tucson, Ariz. Sales of the handgun surged after both events. In the wake of the tragic shooting in Tucson Saturday, pundits have spent countless hours debating the role of Sarah Palin in the story - despite the fact that there is no evidence that alleged shooter Jared Lee Loughner is a Palin supporter or had ever seen or heard her Rhetoric. What ...

How Many Bullets Do You Need?
“High Capacity Magazines ... When ten rounds isn’t enough,” the Internet site offers. When, exactly, would that be? Enough for what? Jared Lee Loughner arrived at a Tucson Safeway on Saturday morning with a Glock 19 semiautomatic pistol outfitted with an oversized magazine that police say allowed him to get off 31 shots before he had to stop. The pause for reloading gave 61-year-old Patricia Maisch the chance to grab the new magazine from Loughner. Guns don’t kill peop...

Arizona shooting: The claim that more guns means less crime is just silly
I walked into a drugstore in Phoenix the night after the Tucson shooting and saw toy guns for sale. They were a garish red plastic, with bright orange tips, and bore the notice that it’s strictly illegal to paint the guns in any way to resemble real ones. Yet here, as Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik declared after the shooting, just about anyone can buy and carry a gun almost anywhere at any time. So why bother with toys? Sheriff Dupnik is the one politician (sheriffs are elected) who...

Tighter Gun-control Laws A Long Shot
(NewsCore) - The Tucson shootings have renewed an effort among Northeast lawmakers to strengthen federal gun-control laws, but a partisan climate and an influential gun lobby mean that talk may be as far as it gets, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. On Tuesday, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), whose husband was killed by a lone gunman in a 1993 Shooting Spree, said she would introduce Legislation to reinstate a ban on high-capacity magazines like the one used by the Tucson shooter. Rep. P...

NYT: Cops Previously Visited Loughner Home
With all the evidence against the suspected Tucson shooter Jared Loughner, a Guilty verdict could still prove very difficult. Jan Crawford reports on the latest details of the case. As new details are released of Tucson shooting suspect Jared Loughner's alleged behavioral issues, Dean Reynolds reports on the latest Mental Health laws in Arizona. Jared Loughner, 22, is charged in the shooting that left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords critically wounded and killed six people in Tucson, Ariz. (CBS) In thi...

Rush Limbaugh: Democrats Seek "to Profit Out of Murder"
Rush Limbaugh (Credit: AP) Rush Limbaugh is not exactly dialing down the Rhetoric in the wake of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and others in Tucson on Saturday. In his first comments on the tragedy, Limbaugh lashed out at the Democratic Party as one that "seeks to profit out of Murder," Roll Call reports, citing Limbaugh's comments as aired on a Tucson station. The Roll Call report also quotes Limbaugh saying that the political left "openly wishes for such disaster in order to prof...

Should We Shut Down Debate About Arizona Rampage? A Tucson Paper Says "No"
Hyper-defensive conservative talk-radio and talk-television hosts are attacking anyone who tries to suggests that angry political Rhetoric, weak Gun Laws or inadequate programs to address Mental Illness might offer an explanation for the Tucson shooting rampage that left Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords wounded and six Arizonans dead. They are even condemning the local sheriff for daring to offer his perspective -- as a lawman with more than five decades of experience -- on how Arizona's toxic p...

POLITICAL HOT TOPICS: Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world. Click on the headlines for more. President Obama began working Monday night on the Speech he will deliver during a memorial service Wednesday for the Victims of Saturday's Mass Shooting in Tucson, Arizona. White House officials say Obama has determined the broad idea of what he wants to say and is working with his team of Speechwriters on drafting his remarks. According to ...

6 killed in Tucson remembered at mass
TUCSON, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Christina Green and those who died with her were remembered Tuesday in a memorial mass at the Tucson church where the 9-year-old had her first communion. Bishop Gerald Kicanas gave the homily at St. Odilia Roman Catholic Church, the Arizona Star reported. The service was called a Mass for the Healing of Our Community, and the church, which holds about 700, was packed -- with more people watching a TV feed in the parish hall. Jared Lee Loughner, 22, has been charged with ...

Did Democrats Give Up in Gun Control Debate?
As The Times’ Dalia Sussman noted yesterday, Americans have generally become more protective of Gun Ownership rights in recent years. There are some exception to the rule — for instance, according to the General Social Survey, which has been conducted intermittently since 1972, the percentage of Americans who think that permits should be required before a gun can be obtained has gradually risen (from 72 percent in 1972 to 79 percent in 2008). Background Checks for gun owners are over...

Poll: In the Wake of Arizona Shootings, Americans Split on Gun Control
(Credit: CBS) CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto. In the wake of Saturday's shootings in Tucson, Arizona, Americans are split over whether Gun Control laws should be made stricter, according to a new CBS News Poll. According to the poll, 47 percent of Americans believe that Gun Control laws should be more stringent in the wake of the Arizona shootings. Meanwhile, 36 percent believed the laws should remain the ...

Gun Controls Golden Opportunity
As a result of Saturday’s tragedy in Tucson there have been renewed calls for tighter Gun Control laws across the nation. Arizona is one of the most gun-friendly states in the union, causing some on the left to conclude that if the Grand Canyon State had tighter controls on Gun Ownership, six lives would have been saved and Representative Gabrielle Giffords wouldn’t be lying in a Hospital bed. There’s more here than just the usual sort of Monday morning quarterbacking that occu...

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy To Introduce Bill Banning High-Capacity Gun Clips
The husband of Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) was murdered in a 1993 Mass Shooting on the Long Island Railroad. When Congress reconvenes after this period of mourning, she will introduce a bill similar to the 1994 law banning gun clips that hold more than ten bullets. That law was allowed to expire on schedule in 2004 due to pressure exerted on the GOP by the National Rifle Association. Labels: Arizona, Congress, Gun Control, U.S. House New! Share this on Facebook: Share ...

N.Y. Rep. Carolyn Maloney pushes for control of high-capacity bullet magazines
This report was written by Carolyn Lochhead and Jennifer Dlouhy of the Washington bureau and Bob Egelko of the San Francisco Chronicle. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., who lost her husband in a fatal shooting, is renewing efforts to outlaw the high-capacity bullet magazines such as the one used in the shootings Saturday in Tucson, Ariz. AP photo Surrounded by local leaders, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference about Gun Control in New York. The alleged Arizona gunman, ...

Obama to be nation's consoler at memorial service (AP)
WASHINGTON – Searching for unity out of tragedy, President Barack Obama will honor the Victims of the Arizona Mass Shooting in personal terms and remind those in grief that an entire nation is with them. The president is again stepping into his role as national consoler, a test of leadership that comes with the job. His mission at Wednesday's memorial is to uplift and rally, not to examine political Incivility. Set to speak during an evening gathering in Tucson, Ariz., Obama will remembe...

Obama to be nation's consoler at memorial service
WASHINGTON — Searching for unity out of tragedy, President Barack Obama will honor the Victims of the Arizona Mass Shooting in personal terms and remind those in grief that an entire nation is with them. The president is again stepping into his role as national consoler, a test of leadership that comes with the job. His mission at Wednesday's memorial is to uplift and rally, not to examine political Incivility. Set to speak during an evening gathering in Tucson, Ariz., Obama will remembe...

Democrats two-fold agenda in aftermath of Arizona Shooting
Democrats in the aftermath of the Arizona massacre in which Jared Loughner went on a shooting spree, killing six innocent by-standers and critically wounding Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, immediately defined their agenda: blame conservative pundits and the Tea Party. But casting the blame on Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Fox News is only part of the agenda of the far left Democrats. Let it be known Democrats have a two-fold agenda: Democrats Agenda #1: Shut Down Free Speech Wh...

Obama to be nations consoler at memorial service
WASHINGTON (AP) — Searching for unity out of tragedy, President Barack Obama will honor the Victims of the Arizona Mass Shooting in personal terms and remind those in grief that an entire nation is with them. The president is again stepping into his role as national consoler, a test of leadership that comes with the job. His mission at Wednesday’s memorial is to uplift and rally, not to examine political Incivility. Set to speak during an evening gathering in Tucson, Ariz., Obama wil...

For those about to Glock (fire!), we do not salute you
Two truisms about America: 1) There's no such thing as bad publicity and 2) There are second acts in American life... ...especially if your name is Glock: After a Glock-wielding gunman killed six people at a Tucson shopping center on Jan. 8, Greg Wolff, the owner of two Arizona gun shops, told his manager to get ready for a stampede of new customers. Wolff was right. Instead of hurting sales, the massacre had the $499 semi-automatic pistols -- popular with police, sport shooters and gangsters...

Republican Peter King Offers Sensible Gun Control Legislation
It’s pretty simple. No guns within 1000 feet of a federal politician. This means that those folks who feel the need to exercise their 2nd amendment rights won’t be allowed into political rallies any more. Good. The National Review asks King some leading questions… King, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, acknowledges that his Legislation, if it had been on the books, might not have prevented the attack on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D., Ariz.) and others. “...

NY Congressman seeks to ban carrying a weapon near members of Congress
In the wake of last week’s tragic shooting in Tuscon last week Rep. Peter King (R - New York) says he plans to introduce Legislation to make carrying a weapon near a federal official a serious crime. King, the new chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee says that the Legislation would make it a federal crime to knowingly carry a Handgun within 1,000 feet of a federal official.  The Long Island Congressman told Examiner.com that he wants to see passage of the bill exped...

Speaker Boehner says no to new gun restrictions
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is rejecting gun-control Legislation offered by the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in response to the weekend shootings of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and 19 others in Arizona.  Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) announced plans Tuesday to introduce Legislation prohibiting people from carrying guns within 1,000 feet of members of Congress.  King, who has previously called for the removal of illegal guns from the streets, made the announcement alongside N...

Loughner Parents: Sorry About Those Murders (ignore that skull in the back yard??)
These parents have a LOT of explaining to do.    “Sorry” isn’t going to be enough. The family of Tucson shooting suspect Jared Loughner handed out a written statement to reporters standing in front of their home late Tuesday afternoon. This is a very difficult time for us. We ask the media to respect our Privacy. There are no words that can possibly express how we feel. We wish that there were, so we could make you feel better. We don’t understand why this ...

The Victim and His Victims
The deranged man had been steadily going downhill. His bizarre anti-social behavior and angry outbursts had caused him to be suspended from college classes. He spiraled downward into a vortex of madness and nursed a weird political grievance until finally he went on a murderous rampage with a 9-mm semi-automatic pistol, killing six people and wounding more than a dozen others. But nobody blamed Sarah Palin or the Tea Party for this bloody Crime, because it was December 1993, and the deranged gun...

Forget civility. How about more truth in politics?
In the wake of last weekend’s horrific shooting, many observers have weighed in with both trenchant and idiotic takes on what the incident means and doesn’t mean. There has been some wonderful stuff — George Will, the National Journal’s Kathy Kiely and Josh Kraushaar, to name a few — along with gigabytes of left and right Jabberwocky. But as I have reflected on the tragedy, while marveling at Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ resilience, my reaction has gradually metamorphosed fro