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I sent an email to Senator Toomey urging him to oppose the Senate gun control efforts even in the face of his Manchin-Toomey legislation. Here is his response - I'm sure it's canned: Dear (Castigar), Thank you for contacting me about national firearms policy. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue. Like many Pennsylvanians, I have long been a supporter of the Second Amendment. Americans have an individual right to bear arms for self-protection, hunting and recreation. In fact, during my tenure in the House of Representatives (1999-2005), my record of supporting gun owners' rights earned me an...

With Vice President Joe Biden presiding over the Senate, an amendment to expand background checks on gun purchases failed to pass through the body, falling by a mostly partisan vote of 54-46. President Barack Obama will speak at the White House at 5:30 p.m. on the failure, the White House said. -snip- In addition to Heitkamp, the other three Democrats voting against the measure were Sens. Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Max Baucus (D-Mont.), and Mark Pryor (D-Ark.).

Senate Now Voting on Amendments to Gun Legislation The Senate on Wednesday is debating and will vote on several amendments to S649, the gun legislation bill which Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) introduced last week. One of the first amendments debated and voted on is the amendment by Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) which deals with background checks when purchasing a firearm. Updated: 3 min. ago

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms announced this morning that it has withdrawn its support for the Manchin-Toomey alternative background check measure because a key amendment for restoration of firearms rights is not being considered. CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb advised Examiner by telephone that, “Our support for this measure was contingent on several key provisions, the cornerstone of which was a rights restoration provision that is not on the schedule for consideration “But it appears the Democratic leadership in the Senate was opposed to letting this important consideration come up for a vote,” he said....

With Senate support for the Manchin-Toomey "compromise" continuing to slide, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) appear willing to revert to gimmicks to try to squeak the bill through. (snip) To stop the momentum shift before it is too late, Manchin and Toomey are "considering the possibility of adding language to the bill that would exempt select far-flung communities in Alaska and North Dakota from some background check requirements." They hope this would win the votes of Sens. Mark Begich (D-AK) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), as well Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND). If being exempted from the bill is what...

Fill title: Breaking: Ayotte a no on Manchin-Toomey; Update: Reid announces support for Feinstein assault-weapons ban This is a big deal, and not just because of the swing of a single vote in the Senate: Kelly O'Donnell @KellyO NBC News has learned Sen. Kelly Ayotte will be a NO on background checks bill today. (Check out the rest at linked HotAir source)

Just Toomey, Collins, Kirk, and Maverick John McCain so far, but expect a few more to flip soon. Jeff Flake’s on the fence but he’s probably worried about voting no on gun control across the board when fellow Arizonan Gabby Giffords is campaigning hard against it in the media. (Since McCain’s apparently voting yes, Flake has some cover to follow suit.) Dean Heller has also been galloping towards the center ever since his close call against Shelley Berkley in last year’s Senate race in purplish Nevada. That’s six Republicans — normally enough to break a filibuster when the Senate’s 55...

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) released the following statement today regarding a proposal by Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) to expand background checks for gun purchases: “The Manchin-Toomey proposal is a good faith but unworkable plan. The proposal will impose new taxes and unreasonable burdens on law-abiding citizens. The agreement also prioritizes collecting records over protecting citizens. As gun control special interest groups admit, the proposal expands the government’s powers to record sales of firearms at the expense of expanding the scope of background checks. This is the wrong approach. Preventing sales to...

Most people assumed that anything truly problematic in new gun-control legislation that comes out of the Senate would have little chance of getting through the House. Looks like we’ll get a chance to test that hypothesis sooner rather than later. Rep. Peter King (R-NY) told Politico today that he and Mike Thompson (D-CA) will introduce the House version of Manchin-Toomey by Tuesday at the latest: "Reps. Peter King and Mike Thompson are planning to introduce a House version of the compromise on background checks for gun buyers on Monday or Tuesday, King told POLITICO exclusively on Friday. “I will be...

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) joined President Obama for his second closed-door dinner with Senate Republicans on Wednesday. Rubio had been invited but had not committed for most of the day of the dinner. The Florida Republican's office said immigration meetings might get in the way of him going to the dinner, but later said he would attend. Besides Rubio, Sens. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), John Boozman (Ark.), Susan Collins (Maine), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Mike Enzi (Wyo.), Deb Fisher (Neb.), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Johnny Isackson (Ga.), Pat Roberts (Kan.), John Thune (S.D.) Roger Wicker (Miss.) dined with Obama. Obama's first meeting with...