Topic: Second Amendment
Top galleries, list articles, quizzes
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6 reasons why President Obama will defeat the NRA and win universal background checks
Something is going to happen this session in the US Congress that hasn’t happened in more than a decade: The National Rifle Association (NRA) is going to lose on a top priority issue. Here are six reasons why President Obama will win a victory on universal background checks.
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Briefing
US gun industry by the numbers
As the debate over gun control rages on, the firearms industry in the United States is thriving. Here are seven key figures.
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Briefing
Obama vs. Romney 101: 4 ways they compare on gun control
A spate of gun violence has beset the United States ahead of the November election, raising the perennial question about how effectively America regulates its 300 million-plus guns. Yet neither presidential candidate is likely to hoist his own complicated record as a rallying cry.
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Karl Rove: 5 deep thoughts at start of GOP convention
Karl Rove has resuscitated his political career and now runs Crossroads GPS and American Crossroads, two political organizations that could spend $1 billion combined to promote Republicans during the coming election. Here are five political pearls from arguably the No. 1 conservative powerbroker in America.
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US Supreme Court: Big 21st century rulings
The past 12 years have seen significant US high court decisions with wide-ranging effects on personal freedoms and national politics. Another key ruling is expected this summer on President Obama's health-care reform law. Here are some recent top rulings, all decided by 5-to-4 votes.
All Content
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Gun vote backlash: Five senators who said 'no' see ratings plunge
Approval ratings have plummeted for five senators who voted against expanded background checks for gun buyers, says a PPP survey. But only one is up for reelection in 2014. Will it still matter in 2016 or 2018?
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Gun conundrum: Why is ammunition still in short supply?
Demand for bullets has surged, resulting in a shortage and skyrocketing prices. Some see a nefarious federal intent to take ammunition off the market. Others cite panic buying among gun owners. Where does the truth lie?
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Argument over NRA T-shirt gets eighth-grader jailed. Dress code run amok?
A student at a West Virginia middle school was suspended and arrested after a confrontation with a teacher over an NRA T-shirt with a picture of a rifle on it. Public schools have some leeway in setting dress codes, the Supreme Court has found.
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Opinion: Why the 90 percent lost on gun background checks
The Senate defeated background checks for gun sales, despite 90 percent of Americans favoring broader checks. The simplest explanation for this is Senate procedures, but NRA intensity counts for a lot. The way ahead for gun control groups is to match the NRA email for email.
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Senate's failure to pass meaningful gun control 'shameful,' Obama says (+video)
The Senate on Wednesday failed to get the 60 votes necessary to pass a bipartisan bill that would have expanded gun-control background checks to gun shows and Internet sales.
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Supreme Court declines potential major gun rights case, leaving limits intact
A New York law requires residents who want to carry a concealed handgun in public to demonstrate a need for self-protection beyond that of the general public. The Supreme Court turned aside a gun rights challenge to that law.
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Is the National Rifle Association beginning to lose its clout? (+video)
A major gun rights group has announced its support for a compromise Senate measure that would expand background checks on gun buyers. The National Rifle Association continues to oppose such checks even though most NRA members support them.
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Senate ends gun control filibuster, but GOP still skeptical of bill
In a bipartisan vote Thursday, the Senate voted to override a filibuster and proceed with debate on a package of gun control bills. But support for debate doesn't mean support for the bill.
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Gun background checks: How would Senate proposal work, exactly? (+video)
The Senate gun proposal extends background checks to purchases made at gun shows or online, but it doesn't affect sales to 'friends' or 'neighbors,' and it 'bans' creation of a national registry of gun owners.
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Briefing
UN arms trade treaty: Will it receive US Senate approval?Why the new initiative is so controversial among US conservatives.
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Bipartisan deal on background checks: Biggest gun control win yet?
Two senators announced a bipartisan deal on a gun control bill that would expand background checks. Its passage is hardly assured, but just the compromise is significant.
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Will Senate vote on gun control? Untangling the politics of filibusters (+video)
The Senate will hold a vote on gun control legislation Thursday – but it's only to break a filibuster and allow debate to proceed. Will the bill actually become law? That's a different question.
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The Monitor's View: Are gun politics too complex? Simplicity would help.
As the Newtown families plead for Congress to act, lawmakers – and President Obama – admit to the complexity of gun issues. Scholars on simplicity offer some ideas.
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UN approves Arms Trade Treaty. Will US Senate ratify it?
The Arms Trade Treaty, the first international regulations of the multibillion-dollar trade, passed by a 154-to-3 vote. Some members of Congress have opposed it.
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Facebook photo raid? Family says NJ overreacted to boy's Facebook gun photo.
Facebook photo raid? Shawn Moore said he gave his son Josh the gun as a present to use on hunting trips. The elder Moore was at a friend's house when his wife called, saying state child welfare investigators, along with four local police officers, were at the house, asking to inspect the family's guns.
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Opinion: Why America isn't the only country that wants guns for self-defense
The appeal of guns for personal protection is hardly unique to America. Consider gun ownership in South Africa, Britain, India, and Mexico. All these societies are dealing with inequality exacerbated by economic austerity and eroding public services, which breeds fear about insecurity.
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Democrats from rural areas face pressure from pro-gun constituents
Democratic senators from mostly rural areas in the West and South must walk a fine line between party loyalty and constituents' wishes when it comes to gun control legislation.
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Firearms-makers to politicians on gun rights: You balk, we walk
Firearms companies ranging from gun shops to machinists are joining forces to oppose new gun control laws. Some are threatening to move away from states that crack down on guns, others are refusing to sell gear to police that can't be sold to citizens.
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Readers Write: The great Second Amendment debate
Letters to the Editor for the February 18, 2013 weekly print issue: To speak of gun ownership as a privilege that can be given up ignores history and the philosophical basis of the right to self-protection. Findley's op-ed was a voice of reason in the hyperbolic discussion on gun control.
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Editor's Blog What a gun can do to you
There are as many reasons that people own guns as there are gun owners. Some people feel safer with them. Some feel more empowered. Others feel conflicted because of the way guns change the way they think and live.
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Cover Story
Future hangs on misunderstood majority of gun ownersGun control seen through the eyes of the misunderstood majority of gun owners is more nuanced and complex than the absolutism of America's big gun lobbies. The Obama administration is courting this breed of centrist, gun-friendly Americans on the fence about gun control.
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Why gun ownership among US women is climbing
Fifteen percent of America's women own guns – a small but pronounced increase from six years ago, a recent poll found. Personal safety is the motivation, but some argue that a gun at home makes women less safe.
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Opinion: Debate on gun control should ask whether Congress has power to regulate
President Obama called for more gun control in his State of the Union address last night. The effectiveness of his proposals have been the subject of heated debate. But both sides are missing the larger question: Does Congress even have the right to regulate or ban guns?
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President Obama's State of the Union address full text
The text of the State of the Union address as prepared for delivery by President Barack Obama, and provided by the press office of the White House.
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Marco Rubio's GOP response to Obama's State of the Union
The text of the Republican response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address (including water break), as prepared for delivery by Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, and provided by the press office of the speaker of the House:
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