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A New Jersey senator is asking the National Rifle Association to explain itself in the wake of reports last week that the organization hired a mole to infiltrate a gun-control lobbying group in Pennsylvania. According to the Associated Press, in a letter faxed to the Virginia NRA headquarters Thursday, Lautenberg wrote: "Although the NRA and I have certainly had our disagreements over the year, I hope that we can agree that the gun violence prevention debate should be based upon an open and honest exchange of ideas, not on underhanded tactics." The senator's demand came a week after reports that...

GUILDERLAND -- When Lou Matteo got his handgun collection back, town police averted a legal battle based on a new U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding an individual's right to own a gun. Matteo, 75, turned over his firearms in March after a verbal spat with his wife led to an order of protection against him. Guilderland police refused to give the guns back, citing a federal law barring anyone under an order of protection from possessing firearms. But on June 26, the nation's high court struck down a District of Columbia ban on handguns. The ruling also said long-standing provisions...

It was supposed to be a nice bonus for people who paid $1,500 to attend a fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) -- a ticket to the Bruce Springsteen concert Sunday at Giants Stadium. But the Lautenberg campaign canceled its order for 40 tickets yesterday after it came under review by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which is promoting the concert, and drew fire from Republicans.

Forward - By Nathan Guttman, Thu. Jun 26, 2008 Washington - Jewish Democrats are ratcheting up criticism against Republican candidate John McCain by attempting to focus attention on a 2005 vote in which McCain opposed toughening restrictions on business ties with Iran. In a June 26 press conference on Capitol Hill, organized by the National Jewish Democratic Council, Democratic lawmakers praised the Democratic nominee, Senator Barack Obama, and attacked the presumptive Republican nominee for what they characterized as his refusal to close loopholes that allow firms like Halliburton to continue doing business with the regime in Tehran. “Obama has already...

New Jersey U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg leads former U.S. Rep. Dick Zimmer, his Republican challenger, 47 - 38 percent in his reelection bid, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today, but most voters say Sen. Lautenberg is too old to begin another six-year term. Democrats back Lautenberg 80 - 11 percent, while Republicans back Zimmer 79 - 13 percent and independent voters back the Republican 43 - 35 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. New Jersey voters approve 46 - 35 percent of the job Lautenberg is doing, his highest disapproval in 12 years of surveys. Democrats...

(The Politico) Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J) easily fended off a primary challenge from Democratic congressman Robert Andrews, and will be heading into the general election with a decisive victory behind him. With 91 percent of precincts reporting, Lautenberg leads Andrews 60 to 34 percent – and the AP has called the race for Lautenberg. The campaign was highly contentious. Andrews criticized the 84-year-old Lautenberg, arguing he was too old to be effective in the Senate for another term. Lautenberg responded by accusing Andrews of initially supporting the Iraq war and voting for parts of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s Contract...

It was a moment worthy of fanfare: the opening of a new district office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in New Jersey last month. Federal prosecutors, law enforcement officials and members of Congress, including Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, assembled at the federal building in downtown Newark, a city plagued by gun violence. But soon after Representative Robert E. Andrews arrived, an organizer took him aside, at the urging of Mr. Lautenberg’s assistants, and asked him to leave. He retreated, as his colleagues headed to the microphones. This is what life has been like for Mr. Andrews...

Extreme lefty Senator Lautenberg changes his commercial. The original attacks "big Oil" for wanting to drill off New Jerseys Coast. I guess now with $4 gas, he realizes that the public may like that idea. Api remains a pig!!!! the original: http://www.lautenbergfornj.com/multimedia/video?id=0005

In a political season in which Barack Obama has delighted in playing the age card—see "lost his bearings," "wander around," and multiple mentions of McCain's "half-century of service," Democrats are now demonstrating that they're even willing to use an opponent's superannuation on each other. There I was in my upstate NY home this evening, innocently watching the Yankee game, when this ad by Dem Rob Andrews, targeting primary opponent Dem Frank Lautenberg, the–very–senior senator from New Jersey, appeared . . . View video here.

·11250 Waples Mill Road ·   Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683   Renewed Attack on Privacy of Gun Buyers   Friday, May 02, 2008   This week, anti-gun U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) registration legislation that would invade the privacy rights of law-abiding gun owners.Cosponsored by like-minded Sens. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Carl Levin (D-MI), Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Charles Schumer (D-NY), S. 2935 would, among other things, require the FBI to retain records of cleared firearm transactions for at least 180 days.  Current law requires...

3 Comments | Post CommentApril 6, 2008 - 11:16am The GOP mess: Crowley won't run; Unanue is reconsidering By Editor Tags: U.S. Senate, Rob Andrews, Murray Sabrin, Joseph Pennacchio, John Crowley, Frank Lautenberg John Crowley will not seek the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate, and Andy Unanue is now reconsidering his decision to drop out of the race, as Republicans continue their quest to find a candidate to face off against the winner of the Frank Lautenberg vs. Rob Andrews primary. Crowley, who wanted to run, has been unable to transition out of his role as President and CEO of...

GOP lands top-tier recruit against Lautenberg Biotech executive John Crowley is expected to enter the New Jersey Senate race against Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg, according to a source familiar with his thinking. It would give Republicans a candidate with a compelling personal narrative who also has deep pockets to self-finance a campaign. His pending announcement, which could come as soon as this weekend, will set up a high-profile election year in the Garden State, where Lautenberg is already facing a primary challenge from Democratic Rep. Robert Andrews. But Crowley has the potential to capture as much of the media spotlight...

Crowley will make a decision soon By Matt Friedman Tags: U.S. Senate, Murray Sabrin, John McCain, John Ensign, John Crowley, Joe Pennacchio, Bill Spadea Princeton biotech executive John Crowley, who had declined to run for Senate, is reconsidering and will make a decision soon, according to friend and advisor Bill Spadea. “John is tremendously impressed by the outpouring of support and encouragement that has come from his colleagues, his friends and his family. People of all political beliefs have come forward to offer their good wishes for a potential U.S>Senate run, and they sense what a special opportunity a Crowley...

Crowley decides against entering Senate race by Robert Schwaneberg/The Star-Ledger Monday March 31, 2008, 8:47 AM A Navy reservist who founded his own biotech company to save two of his children from a rare and often-fatal genetic disorder has decided not to become the fourth Republican to challenge U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.). John Crowley, 40, of Princeton Township announced he will not seek the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate. His friend, adviser and fellow Republican Bill Spadea had said Friday that Crowley was giving "strong" consideration to running. "I am honored and humbled that so many people in New...

Anne Evans Estabrook dropped out of the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in New Jersey today, saying she had suffered a minor stroke. In a statement from her campaign, Estabrook said that when she looked in the mirror Monday morning she noticed "the left side of my face was drooping slightly and I was losing control of my left arm." The 63-year-old went to Monmouth Medical Center, near her Spring Lake home, where doctors confirmed she had suffered a stroke. She reported she did not suffer long-term damage, but she noted it could happen again. "Make no mistake, until Monday...

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of New Jersey voters found Democratic Incumbent Frank Lautenberg leading three Republican opponents in the race for the U.S. Senate in head to head match-ups. Lautenberg leads Anne Evans Estabrook 44% to 34%, Joe Pennacchio 46% to 38% and Murray Sabrin 46% to 31%.

Two Democrats seek to widen the scope of background checks. A similar measure failed in Virginia. WASHINGTON — Gun-control advocates have been largely stymied in their efforts to get significant new firearms restrictions, but they still believe they can achieve one goal: closing a loophole that allows sales at gun shows without background checks on purchasers. This week, two Senate Democrats introduced legislation to close that loophole in federal law, despite a recent failure in Virginia -- where a gunman killed 32 students and teachers at Virginia Tech in April -- to change a similar state law. Accompanied by family...

People who buy guns at gun shows would have to undergo the same background checks as those who buy them at gun stores under a bill introduced Wednesday by Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg. "It defies common sense that a loophole in federal law lets unlicensed dealers sell firearms at gun shows without running a background check on the buyer," Lautenberg, D-N.J., said at a Capitol news conference where a victim and several relatives of victims of the deadly shootings at Virginia Tech last year also spoke. The shooter in that case, who had been treated for mental illness, did not...

Learn about this strange relic of a bygone era!

From Sabato's Crystal Ball: While New Jersey voters have their eye on next year's election, many wonder how much that focus should be on current Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg's approaching 84th birthday. If Lautenberg were just 20 years younger, most would hail him as a shoe-in incumbent; his strong and consistent criticism of the Bush administration's policy in Iraq, his Congressional experience, and his being a Democrat in this dark blue state would all greatly work in his favor. However, his old age has many pulling for retirement rather than re-election. In Lautenberg's favor is New Jersey's ranking as the...

Mayor Bloomberg is calling on Congress to back new legislation to keep guns away from terrorism suspects. Yesterday, the mayor and Senator Lautenberg of New Jersey, a lead sponsor of the bill, said current federal law has an inexcusable loophole that allows individuals on terrorism watch lists to purchase guns legally. The mayor said Congress cannot wait and must act before a terrorist opens fire in a restaurant, train station, school, or other public location. "How many more warning signs do we need?" Mr. Bloomberg said during a news conference at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge, one of the...

Assemblyman Joseph Pennacchio may be waging two campaigns this fall: one to win a seat in the state Senate, the other to raise money to run against U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg in 2008. Pennacchio, a Republican from Montville, said Thursday he is "leaning toward" making a run at Lautenberg, the 83-year-old Democrat. The Montville dentist, who represents the 26th District, which covers parts of Passaic and Morris counties, says he'll decide by the end of the summer whether to form an exploratory committee that would raise funds for such a campaign. "I'm making phone calls and visiting with party leaders...

“Thousands Wrongly Listed on Terror Watch List”—Newsday “U.S. to Block Gun Buyers Tied To Terror”—New York Times Those two headlines tell the story of deep media duplicity. When it comes to well-placed fears over widespread errors, civil liberties abuses and injustices involving tens of thousands of innocent Americans whose names have been indelibly added to huge federal “terror watchlists,” the mainstream media is on the job, on point. Their concern is well-founded. Yet that concern evaporates when the Washington-based media enthusiastically reports those very same lists will be used to bar suspected “terrorists” from buying guns under legislation introduced by...

Associated Press Senate Democrats Fight Uphill Battle Against the National Rifle Association For the first time since taking control of Congress, gun-control Democrats are taking on the National Rifle Association. The NRA seems to be nipping the effort in the bud. At issue is whether Congress should loosen restrictions on local law enforcement agencies' ability to gain access to gun-purchasing data to trace the movement of illegal guns around the nation. The restrictions on such "trace data" began almost four years ago when Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan., succeeded in limiting the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, or ATF, from...

Al Gore and his allies in the media have popularized the notion that an election loser can use the courts to change the rules. Activist judges have been rewriting laws for many years, but now the trend is for activist state judges to try to rig an election. This is a very bad idea. Not even banana republics let judges interfere with elections. U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) has been facing corruption allegations for several years, and a man who paid him bribes is now in jail. Many thought that Clinton's Department of Justice was going to indict Torricelli, but...

What does it take to change light bulbs on the 75-foot rotunda ceiling of the massive Secaucus rail station? First, crack a hole in the roof big enough to drive a crane through. Then, hoist a crane onto the roof using, well, another crane. Build a ramp, widen a doorway and protect the interior floor with some plywood. Then you can start thinking about unscrewing a light bulb. The $700 million Secaucus Junction station was built with no easy way to change the bulbs that surround the rotunda skylight. And as more and more lights have grown dim over the...

Through Cryptic Subterranean (via War on Guns), we learn of Senator Lautenberg's (D-NJ) latest salvo: S. 1237, "A bill to increase public safety by permitting the Attorney General to deny the transfer of firearms or the issuance of firearms and explosives licenses to known or suspected dangerous terrorists." Yep, you read that correctly. The Constitutionally guaranteed fundamental human right of the individual to keep and bear arms would now be subject to denial--not when found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law, nor even indicted by a grand jury, or even charged by a prosecutor with a...

BELLEVUE, WA – Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ troubling support of legislation that would allow him and future attorneys general the arbitrary power to block firearms purchases without due process is cause for him to step down as the nation’s highest ranking law enforcement officer, the Second Amendment Foundation said today. The bill, S. 1237, was introduced last week at the Justice Department’s request by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), one of the most extreme anti-gunners in Congress. Called the “Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2007,” this legislation would give the Attorney General discretionary authority to deny the...

With legislative races this year expected to do little to tilt the balance of power in Trenton, the hottest race in New Jersey could very well be the one for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Frank Lautenberg. Although voters will not decide the race until November 2008, Lautenberg is filling his campaign treasury, with three fund-raisers down and others planned for Palm Beach, Fla.; Austin, Texas; Denver, and Los Angeles. Tim Yehl, Lautenberg's chief of staff, expects the race to cost each candidate up to $15 million. That's bad news for Lautenberg, who loves being a senator but...

Lieberman May Lose Another Political Ally From Times Wire Reports August 5, 2006 In a fresh sign of trouble for Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman, a fellow lawmaker and campaign ally suggested that the three-term Connecticut incumbent drop plans to run as an independent if he loses Tuesday's primary by a wide margin. "I think he really has to take a look at what reality is," said Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.)

INDIANA BAT RINGWOOD -- Ford's toxic waste dump may be home to a tiny newcomer, posing a big problem for neighbors seeking a speedy cleanup.  The Indiana bat, a nationally listed endangered species, may be in the area. And that has interrupted tree clearing at the dump even though residents say the contamination is making them ill and should be removed as soon as possible.  Wildlife personnel are investigating whether the bats, which winter in mines and summer in the bark of large trees, are living at the Upper Ringwood site."We realize some work has stopped and we understand...

No one in the Bush administration has been stripped of security clearances over the leak of former CIA officer Valerie Plame's identity to reporters three years ago.In a letter to Sen. Frank Lautenberg, the Central Intelligence Agency said it had no record of anyone in the administration who is no longer privy to the most sensitive U.S. secrets because of the Plame leak. The CIA also disclosed it has not yet completed a formal assessment of the damage to national security that may have been caused by Plame's outing in 2003. The assessment won't be completed until a criminal investigation...

New Jersey, dominated by Democrats in recent elections, has become the best Republican prospect for winning a Democratic-held Senate seat this year. New polls last week indicated appointive Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez falling back to an even race with his Republican challenger, state Sen. Tom Kean Jr. Quinnipiac University's poll showed Kean gaining nine percentage points in one month to take a two-point lead. The Monmouth University/Gannett poll's first Senate survey had Kean trailing Menendez by one point, but enjoying a 15-point lead among key independent voters. Kean's edge in the Quinnipiac survey marked the first time a New Jersey...

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by a Casper man against the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives because he did not face any threat of prosecution for wanting his gun rights restored. Christopher Kegler offered only hypothetical arguments that federal agents would prosecute him if he wanted to own a gun after he had a misdemeanor domestic violence crime deleted from county court records, according to U.S. District Judge Alan Johnson's order on Tuesday. Kegler's lawsuit, filed in February, deals with issues similar to one filed by Wyoming Attorney General Pat Crank in May. Both lawsuits wanted...

WASHINGTON - At midday on Fridays, Muslims gather to pray in a basement room of the U.S. Capitol. Kneeling on sheets they've spread over the floor and facing east toward Mecca, they are members of the Congressional Muslim Staffers Association, about two dozen congressional aides who are part of a small but growing minority in America and in the halls of government. At first just a prayer group, later a Muslim support group, the association is now looking outward to change what many see as woeful ignorance about Islam on Capitol Hill and beyond, said Jameel Aalim-Johnson, a black Muslim...

<p>An arsenal of exotic weapons - including a sniper rifle, a spear and a set of 8-inch metal claws - were seized from a 23-year-old Jersey City man after his worried father called cops. When South District cops responded to the Greenville home yesterday morning, they found the sniper rifle - with a powerful scope and a laser sight - as well as three Glock handguns and more than 1,200 rounds of ammunition, reports said. Among the bullets were illegal "hollow-point" rounds, police said. In addition to the spear and metal claws, cops found a number of savage-looking knives, including one that had blades coming out of each end of its carved wooden handle. The owner of the weapons lived with his father, his brother and two younger brothers, police said.</p>

In the leak scandal that led to five indictments for a top-level White House official, reports this week cite that former US Central Intelligence Agency employee Valerie Plame was allegedly following Iran's nuclear activities before her identity was revealed. Democrat Party Senator Frank Lautenberg, in a letter to CIA Director Porter Goss, asked for an evaluation of the harm outing Plame has caused. In the letter, the Senator reminds Director Goss of recent news stories which report that before Plame was outed, she participated in intelligence works on the Iranian nuclear dossier, and her subsequent outing gravely jeopardized the US’...

ASSEMBLY, No. 2185 STATE OF NEW JERSEY 212th LEGISLATURE INTRODUCED JANUARY 30, 2006 Sponsored by: Assemblyman REED GUSCIORA District 15 (Mercer) SYNOPSIS Revises criteria for determining whether a rifle is an assault firearm. CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT As introduced. AN ACT concerning assault firearms and amending N.J.S.2C:39-1. BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey: 1. N.J.S.2C:39-1 is amended to read as follows: 2C:39-1. Definitions. The following definitions apply to this chapter and to chapter 58: a. "Antique firearm" means any rifle or shotgun and "antique cannon" means a destructive device defined in...

The son of former Governor Tom Kean (R) now has a seven percentage point advantage in New Jersey's U.S. Senate campaign. The latest Rasmussen Reports election poll in the Garden State shows Republican Tom Kean, Jr. leading Senator Robert Menendez (D) 43% to 36%. Seven percent (7%) of voters say that they will vote for some other candidate and 14% remain undecided in this Democratic leaning state. A month ago, Kean held a two-point advantage, 41% to 39%. Kean has solidified support among Republicans since our last poll while Menendez has lost ground among Democrats. From an ideological perspective, Kean...

Former Gov. Christie Whitman believes the Republican Party is in deep trouble. The GOP, she says, is now where the Democrats were a dozen years ago in Washington when they lost control of the House for the first time in 40 years. President Bush's popularity is at a low ebb and several GOP leaders have been snared in ethics scandals. "We're at a critical point," she said. "We're starting to see polls that look just like the polls looked to Democrats in '94." From a converted hayloft of the barn on her family estate in Oldwick, Whitman works each day...

TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, but shooting deaths in its major cities still surged last year. Anti-gun activists point to weapons spilling into New Jersey from other states as a large part of the problem. On Saturday, they were adding their voices to an anti-war rally to draw attention to the danger of weapons at home. The rally will end with a march across the "Trenton Makes, The World Takes" bridge to Morrisville, Pa. "We think that it's entirely appropriate that this rally and march will be across a...

Who's laughing now? New Jersey, the state that spawned a thousand wise-guy bumper stickers and became the butt of a million late-night jokes, is actually a nice place to live. The research group Morgan Quitno crunched the numbers this year and yesterday ranked New Jersey the fifth-most-livable state. As for its neighbors? Pennsylvania finished 30th, New York 32d. "The people we talk to say they wouldn't live anywhere else, and I have to go along with that," said Mark Moran, a Bloomfield resident and one of the editors of Weird New Jersey magazine. "Whether it grows on you or people...

Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a New Jersey Democrat, has angered Arab-Americans with remarks comparing the Middle Eastern emirate of Dubai to the devil. "Don't let them tell you that it's just a transfer of title," Lautenberg told longshoremen at the Port of Newark on Monday. "Baloney! We wouldn't transfer the title to the devil, and we're not going to transfer it to Dubai," the senator said. Lautenberg's comments drew applause from union members, who oppose a Bush administration deal allowing a Dubai-owned company, located in the United Arab Emirates, to manage some of the terminals at six major U.S. ports. However,...

Lautenberg, Menendez to Oppose Alito Lautenberg and Menendez have said in separate speeches on the Senate floor today that they will oppose Alito's confirmation, despite the fact that he comes from their home state.

As HUMAN EVENTS reported earlier today, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D.-N.J.) was one of Sam Alito’s most vocal supporters 15 years ago when he was nominated by President George H.W. Bush for a federal appeals judgeship. But a mere two hours after I reported Lautenberg’s comments from 1990, the senator issued a statement moments ago saying, “Judge Alito has demonstrated a hostility to fundamental civil rights, and his record on the bench must be closely scrutinized by the Senate.” Based on that statement alone, it appears Lautenberg, who 15 years ago called Alito “impartial, thoughtful and fair,” will now oppose him...

They Said It!: Sens. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), And Former Sen. Bill Bradley (D-NJ) On Samuel Alito(title shortened for length)SEN. TED KENNEDY (D-MA): “You Have Obviously Had A Very Distinguished Record, And I Certainly Commend You For Long Service In The Public Interest. I Think It Is A Very Commendable Career And I Am Sure You Will Have A Successful One As A Judge.” (Sen. Ted Kennedy, Committee On The Judiciary, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 4/5/90)SEN. FRANK LAUTENBERG (D-NJ): “I Believe Mr. Alito Has The Experience And The Skills To Be The Kind Of Judge The Public Deserves –...

In yesterday's hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, former Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) spokes-doctor Jerry Vlasak waxed not-so-eloquent about the role that animal researchers should play in the search for AIDS and cancer cures. Speaking of scientists whose work requires the use of lab rats, Vlasak insisted that if they "won't stop when told to stop, one option would be to stop them using any means necessary." Asked by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) if he endorsed the use of deadly force, Vlasak insisted that murder "would be a morally justifiable solution." [click here...

Republicans must still have nightmares about it. When Doug Forrester was running for U.S. Senate in 2002, and incumbent Democrat Robert Torricelli was besieged by ethics questions, the GOP could just about taste victory. Then, with six weeks to go, Torricelli dropped out and the Democrats drafted former Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who went on to win. Now with the race for governor heating up, Republican State Committee Chairman Tom Wilson has proposed an unusual deal to his Democratic counterpart: Promise you won't dump your candidate, and we'll promise not to dump ours.

It's time to take the public out of the Public Broadcasting Service. That is, it's time to cut taxpayer-funded broadcasting loose and let it compete.... Conservatives have long charged PBS with liberal programming bias. Now liberals are claiming that congressional Republicans are trying to influence programming and personnel. Those charges got louder with the naming Thursday of former GOP co-chair Pat Harrison as president and chief executive of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.... This came after 16 Senate Democrats — including New York's Chuck Schumer and both Jon Corzine and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey — called for the dismissal...

From the far left, Senators Frank "Alzheimer" Lautenberg, Jon "What's it cost to buy an election?" Corzine and Hillary "Grumpy" Clinton all criticized Karl Rove.