Tighter Gun-control Laws A Long Shot

The shooting of Gabrielle Giffords leaves members of Congress at a loss in more ways than one.
Barney Frank had left the floor of the House for a moment. Dozens of his fellow members were in the chamber saluting the work of their colleague Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the lives of six people who were killed when a gunman opened fire at one of her public meetings. I stopped Frank to ask him what he thought of the bill, soon to be introduced by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., to ban the high-capacity magazines that the alleged shooter had used. "The Republicans are in power and have generally...

Rep. Charles Rangel: STANDING UP TO GUN VIOLENCE
The tragic massacre in Tucson, Arizona last week is a grim reminder of what can happen when political Rhetoric spirals out of control. Constant vitriol creates a climate that can turn volatile by the ease in which people have access to dangerous guns.  My constituents have a special understanding of this tragedy because of the amount of gun violence that has been in my district. In fact, far too many people across our great nation have attended funerals of family members, friends and other l...

House pays emotional tribute to Arizona victims
(01-12) 12:37 PST WASHINGTON, CA (AP) -- Grief-stricken members of Congress paid tribute Wednesday to the Victims of the Tucson shooting rampage amid consultations with security advisers on how they can protect themselves and their aides against such savage attacks. Still deeply shaken from Saturday's violence half a continent away, House Speaker John Boehner fought tears as he spoke of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' battle to recover from a gunshot wound to the head. "Our hearts are broken, but our...

Jim and Sarah Brady sound optimistic on Giffords
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware (CNN) - Nearly 30 years after he was shot in the head during the attempted Assassination of President Ronald Reagan, former White House Press Secretary Jim Brady knows what U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is going through. "Been there. Know that," Jim Brady said. "Sounds like she's got a great Support Group that's right there with her and that means a lot," he said. Brady and his wife, Sarah, are keeping a close eye on Giffords' progress, noting the congresswoman's remarkab...

Officers stopped suspect on day of shooting...
TUCSON, Ariz. – A wildlife officer pulled over the suspect in the Assassination attempt against an Arizona congresswoman less than three hours before the deadly attack, authorities said Wednesday as they pieced together more details of a frenzied morning. Jared Lougher ran a red light but was let off with a warning at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, the Arizona Game and Fish Department said. The officer took Loughner's driver's license and vehicle registration information but found no outstanding warr...

Tucson shooting suspect had several scrapes with police
TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) - The college Drop Out accused of shooting six people dead in Arizona had previous police encounters as far back as 2004 for drug use, drunkenness and other troubles in school but no record of violence, Police Reports released on Wednesday showed. The Pima County Sheriff's Department, the lead local agency investigating Saturday's Shooting Spree, also said that various unspecified threats Jared Lee Loughner was alleged to have made prior to his deadly rampage came to t...

Tighter Gun-Control Laws: A Long Shot
Yahoo! Buzz 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. 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. Peter King (R., N.Y.) said that he would o...

Obama visits wounded Congressman Giffords
By Jeff Mason and Tim Gaynor TUCSON, Arizona | Wed Jan 12, 2011 7:05pm EST TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) - President Barack Obama visited wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords on Wednesday to begin an emotional trip to Arizona as political leaders condemned the deadly Shooting Spree in Tucson. Obama's Motorcade carried him to University Medical Center shortly after he landed in Tucson to address a memorial service for the six killed and 14 wounded by a gunman who opened fire while Giffords me...

Obama visits wounded Congresswoman Giffords
By Jeff Mason and Tim Gaynor TUCSON, Arizona | Wed Jan 12, 2011 7:05pm EST TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) - President Barack Obama visited wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords on Wednesday to begin an emotional trip to Arizona as political leaders condemned the deadly Shooting Spree in Tucson. Obama's Motorcade carried him to University Medical Center shortly after he landed in Tucson to address a memorial service for the six killed and 14 wounded by a gunman who opened fire while Giffords me...

Obama visits wounded Congresswoman Giffords (Reuters)
TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) – President Barack Obama visited wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords on Wednesday to begin an emotional trip to Arizona as political leaders condemned the deadly Shooting Spree in Tucson. Obama's Motorcade carried him to University Medical Center shortly after he landed in Tucson to address a memorial service for the six killed and 14 wounded by a gunman who opened fire while Giffords met voters last Saturday. "The president wanted to begin this s...

Obama visits wounded Congresswoman Giffords
TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) - President Barack Obama visited wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords on Wednesday to begin an emotional trip to Arizona as political leaders condemned the deadly Shooting Spree in Tucson. Obama's Motorcade carried him to University Medical Center shortly after he landed in Tucson to address a memorial service for the six killed and 14 wounded by a gunman who opened fire while Giffords met voters last Saturday. "The president wanted to begin this solemn trip by st...

Obama visits wounded Congressman Giffords
TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) - President Barack Obama visited wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords on Wednesday to begin an emotional trip to Arizona as political leaders condemned the deadly Shooting Spree in Tucson. Obama's Motorcade carried him to University Medical Center shortly after he landed in Tucson to address a memorial service for the six killed and 14 wounded by a gunman who opened fire while Giffords met voters last Saturday. "The president wanted to begin this solemn trip by st...

Gun-rights advocate: High-capacity magazine restrictions 'makes sense'
A leading gun-rights advocate says there is no constitutional barrier to restricting the sale of high capacity gun magazines such as the one used by accused Tucson shooter Jared Loughner and that such proposals are justified to prevent "looney tunes" from committing more gun massacres. Robert A. Levy, who served as co-counsel in the landmark Supreme Court case that established a Second Amendment right to Bear Arms, said there was no reason the court's decision in that case should apply to the pu...

Boehner Shuts Down Peter King Gun Control Legislation
I guess Rachel Maddow called me out, among other people, a bit for displaying a bit of cynicism over the possibility of Gun Control Legislation getting through Congress. I’m all for rallying the Troops with a “we can do it” Speech, but when I wrote that, I was thinking of this. The Speaker of the House, who sets the schedule, just does not support new Gun Control legislation, it seems. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is rejecting gun-control Legislation offered by the chairman ...

Dingell Wants Probe Into Gun Control Law
Rep. John Dingell, dean of the House, wants to investigate whether Gun Control laws targeting mentally unstable individuals are working in the wake of the Tucson shootings. “If what we understand is so that we have here is somebody who is mentally disturbed is having an easy time to get a gun and whose warnings of his behavior are not finding its way into the National Instant Check System, we’re having perhaps a serious problem that perhaps needs to be addressed,” the Michigan ...

Giffords making spontaneous movements, doctor says
Stumble This! TUCSON (Reuters) - Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, gravely injured in a shooting rampage, is "making more spontaneous movements" and is able to feel her bullet wounds with her hands, a doctor treating her said on Wednesday. Giffords was shot through the head by a gunman who raked a meeting with semi-automatic pistol fire in Tucson on Saturday, killing six people including a Federal Judge, a 9 year-old girl and one of Giffords' aides. "She is making more and more spontaneous move...

Thousands flock to Obama's Tucson memorial address
"This could be a way of people connecting. Sometimes tragedy can lead to community," said Los Angeles native Megan Henley, 25, as she stood in a line of people winding several city blocks hoping to enter the sports arena. A 22-year-old College Dropout, Jared Lee Loughner, opened fire on a crowd in north Tucson on Saturday morning, gravely wounding local congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and killing six people including a Federal Judge and a 9-year-old girl. Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama l...

Thousands flock to Obama's Tucson memorial address
Tucson, Ari. | Wed Jan 12, 2011 7:24pm EST Tucson, Ari. (Reuters) - Thousands of people, some toting peace signs, packed a stadium in central Tucson on Wednesday to hear President Barack Obama address a city devastated by a shooting rampage. "This could be a way of people connecting. Sometimes tragedy can lead to community," said Los Angeles native Megan Henley, 25, as she stood in a line of people winding several city blocks hoping to enter the sports arena. A 22-year-old College Dropout, Ja...

Obama arrives in Tucson for memorial
US President Barack Obama was Wednesday visiting injured congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Hospital shortly after arriving in Arizona to address a poignant memorial service. "The president wanted to begin this solemn trip by stopping first at the Hospital where congresswoman Giffords and others continue to recover," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. The president would also meet with the families of the Victims of Saturday's shooting rampage in Tucson, Arizona, before leading the memori...

Orange Julius Doesn't Disappoint
As expected, House Speaker Boehner won't even allow any Gun Control Legislation up for a vote, including Republican Peter King's bill. 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...

Louie Gohmert hits the trifecta: violent rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and guns
While it would be impossible to top the self-centered offensiveness of today's Sarah Palin video -- where she used the attempted Assassination of Gabrielle Giffords to peddle her message of victimhood -- Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) gave it his best shot, but could only manage a trifecta of stupidity. First, his thoughts on the public comments by Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik on today's political climate: I hope the sheriff tones his Rhetoric down. Well, sure. Sheriff Dupnik needs to tone d...

Boehner Not Attending AZ Memorial
Attending an RNC Cocktail party is more important to the Speaker of the House than flying with the President (who invited him) to go to AZ to attend the Tucson memorial service for the six slain people and the individual Victims wounded by gunfire, including a member of the legislative body over which he presides: The Ohio Republican is holding a 7 p.m. cocktail reception Wednesday night for 168 RNC members, who are in the Washington area for an annual meeting. The event is sponsored by Boehner...

Obama to visit Rep. Giffords before speech
Reporting from Tucson and Los Angeles — President Obama headed to visit critically injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Wednesday after arriving in Tucson to deliver a Speech designed to heal the nation while paying tribute to the 19 Victims of a weekend Shooting Spree. "The president wanted to begin this solemn trip by stopping first at the Hospital where congresswoman Giffords and others continue to recuperate," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said. With his wife and a bipartis...

California federal judge appointed in Arizona shooting case
A Federal Judge from California has been appointed to preside over upcoming hearings in the case of Jared Lee Loughner, the accused gunman in Saturday's Killing Spree in Tucson, Arizona. Judge Larry Burns is a 2003 Bush Appointee serving in the U.S. District Court for Southern California in San Diego. The next federal hearing in the case is scheduled for January 24 in Phoenix. All federal judges in Arizona have recused themselves from hearing the case after Judge John Roll, the chief federa...

So who will? Someone has to...
PHOENIX (AP) -- All Federal Judges in Arizona have recused themselves from hearing the case against the man accused of shooting Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and four other federal employees. An order issued Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Roslyn Silver says the impartiality of the Arizona judges could be questioned given that one of people killed in the shooting was U.S. District Judge John Roll of Tucson. Roll was the chief federal judge for Arizona. Alex Kozinski, chief judge for the 9th U.S. C...