David Sherfinski

Hill Democrats lock and load for gun vote

President Obama's rallying cries in his State of the Union address for Congress to vote on his gun-control measures prodded his fellow Democrats on Capitol Hill into fighting mode, with one prominent party member warning House Speaker John A. Boehner on Wednesday not to "hide from the American people" on the issue. Published February 13, 2013

NRA CEO LaPierre to respond to SOTU Thursday

National Rifle Association vice president and CEO Wayne LaPierre will "directly respond" to President Obama's State of the Union address Thursday afternoon, the group announced Wednesday. Published February 13, 2013

Political split on gun rights evident during Senate hearing

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee argued Tuesday that a balance exists between enacting new gun laws and protecting the Second Amendment, while Republicans cautioned that any ban on so-called assault weapons treads dangerously on the U.S. Constitution — an ideological divide seared into the current gun debate that hard-liners on both sides are unlikely to cross. Published February 12, 2013

Handgun permits to be exempted from records requests under Virginia House vote

The Virginia House of Delegates on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a bill that would exempt concealed handgun permits from public record requests, a response to a New York newspaper's recent publication of an interactive map of concealed-carry permit holders' names and addresses. Published February 12, 2013

State of the Union sets up next round of debate on gun-control legislation

The next battlefield in the gun-control fight will be Tuesday's State of the Union address, where President Obama's allies have invited more than two dozen gun-crime victims to sit in the public galleries to cheer him on — and one Second Amendment supporter is countering by giving a ticket to NRA board member Ted Nugent. Published February 11, 2013

Background checks represent ground for compromise on gun control

Out of the flurry of ambitious gun control proposals in the wake of December's school shooting in Connecticut, expanded background checks on gun sales are fast emerging as the "sweet spot" — as one Senate Democratic leader put it — between what gun control advocates seek and what can actually attract bipartisan support in Congress. Published February 10, 2013

House Democrats offer own gun-control plan

After conducting their own independent review of gun violence, House Democrats on Thursday outlined new gun-control proposals very similar to the White House plan: Broader background checks and bans on military-style semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. Published February 7, 2013

First lady to attend funeral of slain Chicago teen

First lady Michelle Obama, White House senior advisor Valerie Jarrett and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan are scheduled to travel to Chicago Saturday to attend the funeral of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot to death last week after performing in President Obama's inauguration celebration. Published February 7, 2013

Biden heads to Philly for roundtable on guns

After a brief jaunt overseas, Vice President Joseph R. Biden will head to Philadelphia, Pa., on Monday to hold a roundtable discussion on gun safety with law enforcement officials, according to the White House. Published February 7, 2013

Stars come out on Capitol Hill for tougher gun laws

President Obama has consistently called for a national conversation on gun violence since December's Connecticut school shootings, and on Wednesday, some of his most loyal backers — Hollywood's B-List — responded. Published February 6, 2013

Tony Bennett: Without gun control, U.S. may become 1940s Germany

President Obama's gun control push got some Hollywood star power at a Wednesday morning news conference at the Capitol that included appearances from actors Chris Rock, Adam Scott, and Amanda Peet — as well as crooner Tony Bennett, who cautioned that if America does not act on the issue of gun violence, it could be headed down the road of 1940s Germany. Published February 6, 2013

Straw gun buyers targeted

House members on Tuesday rolled out the chamber's first piece of bipartisan gun legislation since December's Connecticut school shootings, and Majority Leader Eric Cantor said he could envision strengthening federal background checks — two significant developments in a debate that has been left largely to the White House and the Democrat-controlled Senate. Published February 5, 2013

Obama’s gun control push moves states to fight it

Even as some governors and mayors eye tighter restrictions on firearms in the wake of the Connecticut school shootings, state legislators across the country are launching pre-emptive strikes against federal gun control proposals that may never even make it through Congress. Published February 4, 2013

College presidents oppose more guns on campus

College presidents and university officials on Monday rejected the idea of arming students and faculty on college campuses, saying the best solution to combat gun violence is to enact President Obama's plans to ban some weapons and ammunition magazines and conduct background checks on all gun buyers. Published February 4, 2013

NRA head wary on background checks, wants better instant check system

The president of the National Rifle Association argued Thursday that a universal background check system for gun buyers is both impracticable and unnecessary, but an effective instant check system that includes records of the adjudicated mentally ill would prevent potentially dangerous people — such as the gunman at Virginia Tech in 2007 — from getting their hands on firearms. Published January 31, 2013

Emotions run high at gun hearing

Democrats and Republicans found little common ground Wednesday as Congress kicked off the first major gun-control debate in years, showing last month's school shooting rampage in Connecticut left emotional scars but has not broken the gridlock that has doomed gun legislation for two decades. Published January 30, 2013

Reid gives no sign of Senate debate on broad gun ban

One day before Congress convenes its first hearing on gun violence since the Connecticut school shooting rampage in December, the Senate's top Democrat remained noncommittal Tuesday about bringing a broad gun ban to the chamber floor. Published January 29, 2013

Holder acts on gun-data sharing and collection

Not waiting for Congress to act, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. is moving on gun control, submitting three measures Monday to increase data sharing and data collection on firearms and potential gun purchasers — and illustrating the limitations President Obama's administration has to act unilaterally on the issue. Published January 28, 2013

Feinstein insists gun curbs can win despite opposition

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who introduced sweeping legislation Thursday that would ban more than 150 kinds of so-called assault weapons, acknowledged Sunday the push for new gun-controls faces long odds in Congress — but she insists the public supports the new restrictions. Published January 28, 2013

Cuccinelli staying above fray on contested election reforms

As the rest of Richmond is mired in fights over election rules and district boundaries that are fast drawing national attention, state Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II is quietly pushing his own bipartisan package of bills to address difficulties experienced by both candidates and voters in recent years. Published January 27, 2013