David Sherfinski

Conn. Gov. Malloy signs into law the nation’s strictest limits on guns

Four months after the shooting rampage in Newtown, Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Thursday signed into law what legislators have touted as the strictest gun control package of any state in the nation. Published April 3, 2013

Texas AG to Obama: I’ll sue if U.N. Arms Treaty is ratified

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott wrote a letter to President Obama on Tuesday saying that the state will head to court over the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty should Mr. Obama sign it and the U.S. Senate ratify it. "The UN has concluded its negotiations on the Arms Trade Treaty," Mr. Abbott writes. "It is now up to you to sign it — or reject it. Do not sign this treaty." Published April 2, 2013

Gun rights advocates fear U.N. treaty will lead to U.S. registry

The U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday approved a sweeping, first-of-its-kind treaty aimed at regulating the estimated $60 billion international arms trade, brushing aside gun rights groups' concerns that the pact could lead to a national firearms registry in the U.S. Published April 2, 2013

Senators have doubts about universal background checks for gun transfers

Senators from both parties signaled Sunday that universal background checks could be the next gun measure to get shoved toward the legislative scrap heap or significantly watered down. Published March 31, 2013

Cardinals: Church needs to ensure marriage defense isn’t attack on gays

Prominent American Catholics said Sunday that gays and lesbians should be welcomed with open arms, but Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York said the church needs to do a better job of ensuring that its defense of traditional marriage is not seen as "an attack on gay people." Published March 31, 2013

Schumer says immigration deal imminent; Rubio says not so fast

Two senators from the so-called Gang of Eight working on bipartisan immigration reform said Sunday that the rollout of a bill that can pass the chamber is imminent, but two leading Republicans called such talk "premature" and said legislation on such an important topic must not be rushed. Published March 31, 2013

Sikh in California uses religion to challenge firearms ban

A Sikh man is suing the state of California over its gun laws, arguing they violate his First Amendment rights to practice his religion by barring him from carrying the kind of weapons he says he needs for self-defense. Published March 28, 2013

Sikh man cites religion in lawsuit against gun controls

A Sikh man is suing the state of California over its gun laws, arguing they violate his First Amendment rights to practice his religion by barring him from carrying the kind of weapons he says he needs for self-defense. Published March 28, 2013

Gun control efforts persist but public support dims

Vice President Joseph R. Biden, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other gun control advocates insisted Wednesday that both momentum and public opinion are on their side, but recent polling shows Americans turning against stricter laws as more time elapses since the Newtown shootings. Published March 27, 2013

Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Ted Cruz threaten hold on gun restrictions

Pushing back against the Obama administration's call for stricter gun control laws, Republican Sens. Rand Paul, Mike Lee and Ted Cruz are threatening to block any legislation they think tramples on the Second Amendment - marking the latest salvo from a trio of lawmakers who have been busy banding together to assert their vision on the direction of their party. Published March 26, 2013

Background checks for gun transactions shoot up; all 50 states report increases

The number of background checks for gun transactions run through the FBI's instant-check system jumped 54 percent in the first two months of 2013 and increased dramatically in all 50 states compared to the same period last year, a spike analysts attribute to the Obama administration's post-Newtown push for new gun controls. Published March 25, 2013

Colorado governor stuck in ‘nightmare’ ahead of gun bill signing

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper says he was stuck in a continuous nightmare last week -- a colleague was fatally shot the day before he signed into law new gun-control measures, and it came out later that the son of a longtime friend of the governor's had surfaced as a suspect. Published March 24, 2013

Senate becomes ground zero in costly gun debate — with both sides predicting victory

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn predict the Senate will pass a measure to strengthen background checks on gun sales, but National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre warned Sunday that Mr. Bloomberg cannot "buy America" on the issue. Published March 24, 2013

N.Y. Mayor Bloomberg rolls out $12 million ad campaign for gun legislation

New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is launching a $12 million nationwide advertising blitz in 13 states during Congress' two-week Easter break in an attempt to ramp up pressure on Democrats and Republicans alike to pass federal gun legislation. Published March 24, 2013

Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper: Gun-rights protesters prayed for me

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, who recently signed a package of gun-control measures into law, said a recent impromptu meeting with a group of gun-rights protesters led to a bit of accord in spirit, if not the law. Published March 24, 2013

Spending rider undercuts Obama gun push

Language tucked away in the voluminous stopgap spending bill to fund the federal government for the rest of the year clashes with the Obama administration's efforts to trace guns used in crimes in the wake of the December shooting rampage in Connecticut, a Democratic lawmaker said Thursday. Published March 21, 2013

NRA joins lawsuit against New York gun law

The National Rifle Association said Thursday that the group has joined the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association in a lawsuit challenging the state's new law banning so-called assault weapons and limiting ammunition magazines to a maximum capacity of seven rounds. Published March 21, 2013

Stage set for Senate gun control debate; background checks are sticking point

Senate Democrats said Thursday they will take up gun control immediately after a two-week Easter vacation, and said the bill they'll bring to the chamber floor will include universal background checks for all firearms sales and a crackdown on gun trafficking and straw purchases. Published March 21, 2013

In Congress, some not giving up on banning high-capacity magazines

Gun control advocates are pushing to salvage a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines as part of the post-Newtown debate, but they may have been outflanked by technology in the form of 3D printers. Published March 20, 2013

Sen. Dianne Feinstein to introduce gun, magazine bans as separate measures

Senate Democrats said Tuesday they'll push the gun debate to the full Senate floor in April, though they dealt a major blow to gun control advocates when they decided not to include bans on sales of so-called assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines in the main bill. Published March 19, 2013