I know we are all still angry and bummed out about the Senate voting down common sense gun control legislation like universal background checks. But Senator Mark Udall (D. CO) said something pretty spot on and inspiring:
http://denver.cbslocal.com/...
Colorado Democratic Sen. Mark Udall says supporters of universal background checks for gun buyers aren’t giving up despite a defeat in the Senate.
Udall predicted Thursday that public pressure for background checks will grow. He says supporters see the Senate vote as only a temporary setback.
Fifty-four senators voted for background checks Wednesday, but a 60-vote majority was required for passage by agreement of Senate leaders.
Udall voted for the background-check measure, saying it would have helped keep firearms out of the hands of people who shouldn’t own them. - CBS Denver, 4/18/13
Udall is echoing President Obama who blamed the NRA for killing background checks, the main goal of his gun control bill, and urged people to keep fighting for background checks:
http://tv.msnbc.com/...
“This effort is not over. I want to make it clear to the American people we can still bring about meaningful changes that reduce gun violence, so long as the American people don’t give up on it. Even without Congress, my administration will keep doing everything it can to protect more of our communities. We’re going to address the barriers that prevent states from participating in the existing background check system. We’re going to give law enforcement more information about lost and stolen guns so it can do its job. We’re going to help to put in place emergency plans to protect our children in their schools.
But we can do more if Congress gets its act together. And if this Congress refuses to listen to the American people and pass common-sense gun legislation, then the real impact is going to have to come from the voters.
To all the people who supported this legislation–law enforcement and responsible gun owners, Democrats and Republicans, urban moms, rural hunters, whoever you are–you need to let your representatives in Congress know that you are disappointed, and that if they don’t act this time, you will remember come election time." - MSNBC, 4/17/13
Senator Joe Manchin (D. WV), the co-sponsor and author of the Toomey-Manchin background check bill also blamed the NRA for the bill failing to gather the votes needed to pass:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
The Democratic sponsor of the defeated gun-control plan says it would have passed easily, if not for the National Rifle Association.
Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia says there would have been 70 votes for the plan to expand background checks for gun buyers. But the NRA said it would include the gun vote on report cards that show whether candidates support gun rights.
The Senate on Wednesday rejected the background check bill Manchin wrote with Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Patrick Toomey. - TPM, 4/18/13
Now Udall voted against the ban on assault weapons because it covered some hunting rifles and shotguns but along with the background checks, he also voted for limiting the number of bullets a magazine can hold. But Udall is right that the call for smart gun control measures like background checks will grow with the American people and I guarantee you it will be a big campaign issue next year.
If you would like to thank Udall for supporting background checks and magazine rounds and also tell him you support banning assault weapons, please contact his office and let him know:
202-224-5941
By the way, PPP released their Colorado poll today and Udall is looking good for re-election:
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/...
Udall has a 50% approval rating with 33% of voters disapproving of him, the best numbers we've found for him so far since he took office. Most importantly for his reelection prospects, he's at a 50/31 spread with independents similar to his overall numbers.
With no serious Republicans running for either of these offices yet we basically tested every major GOP figure in the state against both Hickenlooper and Udall: former Congressman Bob Beauprez, Congressman Cory Gardner, Secretary of State Scott Gessler, 2010 Senate candidate Jane Norton, State Treasurer Walker Stapleton, Attorney General John Suthers, former Congressman Tom Tancredo, and Congressman Scott Tipton.
Udall leads everyone else we tested by margins ranging from 10-13 points. It's 49/39 over Gardner, 49/38 over Norton, 50/38 over Suthers, 51/39 over Tancredo, and 50/37 over Gessler, Stapleton, and Tipton. - PPP, 4/18/13
In other Udall related news, the Senator is pushing for more funding for drought aid for livestock producers:
http://www.cortezjournal.com/...
Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry on Monday asking the committee to add funding for livestock disaster assistance programs to the 2013 Farm Bill.
The letter, signed by Udall and nine other senators, seeks to provide aid — similar to federal crop insurance programs available to farmers — to livestock producers across the country in the face of drought conditions.
“Extending this idea to the cattle industry by providing a robust and permanent insurance program for livestock disaster assistance will give the cattle operators in our states the safety and security they need to conduct the business of feeding our country,” the senators wrote.
The programs would be funded through savings in other parts of the Farm Bill, according to Udall’s office. - Cortez Journal, 4/18/13