Democrats Fear Defections on GOP Gun Proposal
Shailagh Murray at The Washington Post - Senator John Thune, of South Dakota, has proposed an amendment to a defense authorization bill that would allow people who can legally carry a concealed firearm in their state of residence to legally carry a concealed weapon in any state that allows its own citizens to carry, whether or not a permit is required. So a Vermont resident, carrying government-issued ID, could legally carry a concealed firearm on the streets of New York City, or Trenton, or Chicago. There will be a fight. Chuck Schumer, of course, has threatened to filibuster. But it appears that Mr. Thune will convince quite a few Democrats to cross the aisle to support him. Whether he'll get enough to override Schumer's filibuster remains to be seen. And attaching it to a defense authorization bill could make Obama hesitate to veto. [scopeny]
The article doesn't say, but I believe it's referring to S.AMDT.1618 to S.1390. To find the text of the amendment, click the "S7663" link on the S.AMDT.1618 page, click the "Page: S7663" link on that page, and search for "Thune". It's about as good as we could expect for a nation which allows states to deny the obvious meaning of "shall not be infringed" by requiring permits.
Defeated
The vote was 58 aye, 39 nay, 3 not voting. Needed two more ayes.
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