How do you outgun the NRA? Very, very carefully.
Mark Pryor knows all about that. The Democratic senator from pro-gun Arkansas was nowhere to be seen on the Senate floor during Wednesday's showdown over a proposal, championed by the National Rifle Association, that would have gutted state gun-control laws across the nation.
After a morning of angry speeches, a vote was called at high noon. Toward the end of the vote, Pryor entered the chamber through the back door, took a few steps inside, flashed a thumbs-down to the clerk, and retreated as fast and furtively as somebody dodging gunfire.
Several minutes later, the Democrats had racked up more than enough votes to block the proposal. "Are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or wishing to change their vote?" the presiding officer inquired.
Pryor burst back in, this time through a side door. "Mr. President!" he called out. "Mr. President!" He stopped in the well to consult with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), a gun-control advocate who was keeping the whip sheet. Schumer gave Pryor a nod, and the Arkansan -- reassured that his vote was not needed to defeat the proposal -- changed his vote to an "aye." [emphasis added] ...
Article here. So, what do we learn, boys and girls? That politicians are spineless jellyfish who don't have the courage to stand for their principles, regardless of what they are. Of course, we already knew that (or should have). So I guess the answer is: nothing new.
As an aside, despite what the article states, the amendment would not have "gutted state gun control laws across the nation," as the reporter asserts. It would simply have allowed those with permits visiting from other states to enjoy the same state rights, and subject to the same state restrictions, as permit holders of the state they're visiting. Yet another example of mainstream media ignorance and inaccuracy.
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