Even though I have mixed feelings about the compromised gun control legislation being proposed by Senators Pat Toomey (R. PA) and Joe Manchin (D. WV), I am glad to see Senator Kay Hagan (D. NC) get on board with this:
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/...
“As a mother there is nothing more important to me than protecting our kids," Hagan said in a statement sent to TPM by her office. "I am looking at each proposal to ensure it is common sense, will be effective and will not infringe on Second Amendment rights. This plan represents a commonsense solution reached by two of my colleagues -- one a Democrat, one a Republican -- and I plan to support the bipartisan proposal.
"It respects law-abiding North Carolina gun owners by exempting transfers between family members and friends, allowing concealed carry permits issued within the last five years to serve in lieu of a background check, and explicitly banning the federal government from creating a registry." - TPM, 4/15/13
Despite the proposed legislation being watered down, the NRA and the Gun Owners of America both hate the Toomey-Manching compromised. Still, bold move on Hagan's behalf considering she's running for re-election in Art Hope's North Carolina:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Mr. McCrory first ran for governor in 2008 but was beaten by Ms. Perdue, then the lieutenant governor, who became the state’s first female governor. As a mayor on the moderate side of his party, Mr. McCrory had bipartisan support and was perhaps best known for revitalizing Charlotte with projects like a light-rail system and the Nascar museum.
His large transition team is being studied for signs of whether he will turn more conservative. It is heavy with Republican politicians and business leaders, including former members of President George W. Bush’s administration and former governors. The most controversial figures on the team are the billionaire businessman Art Pope and some of his allies who are connected to the John William Pope Foundation. The group, which is dedicated to conservative and free-market ideas, has given millions of dollars to libertarian and conservative groups, including the Cato Institute, the Heritage Foundation and Americans for Prosperity. - New York Times, 12/11/12
But Hagan had a great fundraising quarter, raising nearly $1.6 million, and has Preston Elliot as her campaign manager. Elliot managed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D. NV) 2010 re-election campaign and Senator Jon Tester's (D. MT) 2012 re-election campaign. The vote on the Toomey-Manchin bill is just one of three big votes that will be held on gun control this week:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) hopes to hold an up-or-down vote on the Manchin-Toomey plan by mid-week. Then what?
Reid hopes to move next to a vote on the controversial plan to ban military-style assault weapons, according to senior Senate aides familiar with the plans. The ban is cosponsored by 22 Senate Democrats, but expected to fall far short of the 60 votes needed to ensure final passage. Regardless, holding a vote will fulfill Reid’s promise to President Obama, the plan’s lead sponsor, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and gun control groups who supported the ban.
Then, Reid hopes to hold a vote on a Democratic plan to limit the size of ammunition magazines, another proposal expected to fail, aides said. From there, he could proceed to a host of proposed amendments, including a bipartisan plan to provide more federal funding for mental health programs that assist military veterans, a Coburn proposal to establish an online portal for gun buyers to conduct their own background checks, a Republican plan to change the legal definition of mentally ill people when it comes to gun crimes, and an overarching GOP alternative to the current underlying gun bill. - Washington Post, 4/15/13
Hagan stated that she won't get behind an assault weapons ban but I'll be curious to see how she votes in terms of the size of ammunition magazines. In other Hagan related news, the Senator is happy that the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps are restarting Tuition Assistance program for service members in North Carolina:
http://www.wect.com/...
Hagan and Inhofe passed a bipartisan amendment last month requiring the services to reinstate the program. The amendment prohibited Tuition Assistance funds from being reduced beyond the overall percentage by which the Services' Operations and Maintenance accounts are cut because of sequestration.
"I am pleased that the Services have restarted Tuition Assistance, which hundreds of thousands of our service members use to advance their educations," said Hagan in a press release. "This is a great victory for service members in North Carolina and around the country, and I am proud to have worked with Senator Inhofe to reinstate this critical program. We must keep our promises to our men and women in uniform who sacrifice so much for us every day."
The Tuition Assistance program allows service members to earn college degrees while serving their nation. - WCET, 4/15/13
Hagan also took some time to answer some personal questions that were asked during her Twitter Town Hall meeting. You can see her responses here:
You can also see more of her responses here:
https://www.facebook.com/...