According to Roll Call, which is unfortunately behind a subscriber wall:
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) has quietly been preparing a series of gun rights amendments that he intends to offer to must-pass Senate bills this year, hoping to force Democrats to take tough votes and draw clear distinctions between the two parties heading into the midterms.
I managed to get a copy from someone who had a subscription, and I won’t repost what is not publicly readable, but the gist is that it’s part of the GOP 2010 strategy, and that would appear to be to show the Democrats that they are the party of gun rights, by one upping them. I have to admit to liking having both parties fighting over us like we’re some hot date at the prom.
Coburn says one of the Amendments will deal with restoring gun rights to veterans who were declared mentally incompetent, because they weren’t able to handle things like their own finances, but who are recovered currently. Under the Clinton Administration, all these folks were stuffed into NICS as prohibited purchasers, even though current guidelines would not allow this (H.R. 2640, passed under some GOA generated controversy a few years ago, restricted this practice). Also back on the table is the concealed carry reciprocity bill, and ATF reform. Sounds pretty good to me. I look forward to watching the anti-gun minority in Congress have a cow when this stuff hits the floor.
This is a great opportunity for Pelosi to browbeat dems into casting votes that get them kicked out of office.
A prospect of actually having PRO gun bills being fought over for a change? Makes my day!
Enjoy it while it lasts. I’m a bit worried what’s going to happen when the GOP no longer has a need to use gun rights to beat the Democrats over the head with. We’re already looking at a likely anti-gun Republican replacing Harry Reid, and another one winning a Senate seat in Delaware.
Gun rights is on the back of people’s minds right now. That could mean we actually lose pro-gun votes in Congress even as the GOP gains.
There’s 2 things I hope to get out of the tea party movement (assuming they get wise and start infiltrating the Repblicans the way the progressives infiltrated the Dems). Further marginalization of the religious right, and stronger pro-gun stances.
This all seems like more Thune amendment posturing to me. I’d love to see a national concealed license, but Thune’s amendment was never about that; it was about, as you suggest, embarrassing vulnerable anti-gun incumbents. If Coburn, who holds up more senate business on principle than probably the rest of the senate combined (if that’s an exaggeration, it isn’t by much) would get off his high horse and work with his colleagues to craft a bill that would actually pass instead of bills he can use in self-righteous campaign ads, we might actually see some improvement in gun rights. The rather-fight-than-win crowd does us little good, except in feeling smug about ourselves. I’d rather win.
To a certain extent, the extremists in the Senate serve a role – themoderates can point to the and say “would you rather deal with them?”
I tend to agree with Sebastian. As soon as they are feeling all comfy they will kick us to the curb again. I myself will believe otherwise when any of them take on Schumer and Lautenberg, and go after the blatantly un-constitutional ex post facto Lautenberg Domestic Violence Act. Fat chance that will happen…