Guns: March 2011 | TPMMuckraker

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Guns: March 2011

President Obama on Project Gunrunner: A 'Serious Mistake' May Have Been Made

Melissa Jeltsen | March 24, 2011, 9:40AM

President Barack Obama

In his first public comments addressing Project Gunrunner -- a national initiative by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to combat illegal gun trafficking along the Mexico border now taking heat for allegedly letting guns end up in the hands of criminals -- President Barack Obama conceded that "a serious mistake" may have been made.

During an interview with a reporter from Univision that aired Tuesday night, Obama said he was "absolutely not" informed about the ATF program. The agency came under fire after a senior ATF agent told media outlets that supervisors ordered agents not to intercept weapons made in suspicious sales -- but instead to monitor them to see where the weapons ended up.

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Topics: Barack Obama, Eric Holder, Guns, Project Gunrunner

Carl Wimmer

Utah Becomes First State To Designate Official Gun

David Taintor | March 18, 2011, 1:32PM

This week, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) signed legislation making the Browning M1911 semiautomatic pistol Utah's official state gun -- and making his state the first to designate a state firearm.

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Topics: Carl Wimmer, Guns, Utah

Darrell Issa

Darrell Issa To Investigate ATF's Controversial Gunrunner Project

Melissa Jeltsen | March 17, 2011, 11:30AM

Darrell Issa (R-CA) lobbed criticism at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Wednesday night and revealed he is investigating allegations that the agency intentionally let more than 1,700 guns be illegally trafficked to Mexico.

Issa, who is chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, told the Roger Hedgecock Show the ATF probe will be one of his primary investigations.

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Topics: ATF, Darrell Issa, Guns, Project Gunrunner

Guns

Brady Campaign: DOJ Meeting Shows Obama Is 'Serious' About Combatting Gun Violence

Ryan J. Reilly | March 16, 2011, 3:20PM

President Barack Obama

A coalition of pro gun-control groups met with Obama administration officials at the Justice Department Tuesday to discuss ways to prevent gun violence.

The meeting at DOJ headquarters, the first in a series of meetings the administration is trying to schedule to address the issue, was led by Christopher H. Schroeder, Assistant Attorney General for DOJ's Office of Legal Policy. Representatives of the White House, the Vice President's office, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were also in attendance.

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Topics: Gun Control, Gun Rights, Guns, Justice Department, Obama Administration

NRA

NRA CEO Says Gun Control Debate Shouldn't Be About Guns (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | March 14, 2011, 5:10PM

President Barack Obama's editorial calling for a fresh dialogue on the issue of guns in the wake of the shootings in Arizona went out of its way to avoid offending gun owners. He said "almost all gun owners in America are highly responsible," called them "our friends and neighbors," and said they "buy their guns legally and use them safely, whether for hunting or target shooting, collection or protection."

He pointed out that gun rights have been expanded during his administration, and didn't call for any new restrictions on guns -- instead advocating for "enforcing laws that are already on the books."

But the National Rifle Association appears determined to be offended by Obama's call for a new tone in the discussion over gun policy. Appearing on Fox News on Monday, NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre told Megyn Kelly that Obama has an "administration embedded with people who spent their lifetime trying to destroy" the freedom of the Second Amendment.

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Topics: Barack Obama, Gun Control, Gun Rights, Guns, NRA, Tucson Shootings

Barack Obama

Two Months After Tucson, Obama Calls For Conversation On Gun Safety

Ryan J. Reilly | March 14, 2011, 9:35AM

President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama has weighed into the gun-control debate two months after the mass shooting in Arizona.

In an op-ed for the Arizona Daily Star over the weekend, Obama writes that "like the majority of Americans, I believe that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. And the courts have settled that as the law of the land."

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Topics: Barack Obama, Gun Control, Gun Rights, Guns

Guns

Iowa GOPer Dubs NRA-Backed Legislation 'Give-A-Handgun-To-A-Schizophrenic Bill'

Ryan J. Reilly | March 11, 2011, 3:30PM

Republican Iowa State Rep. Jeff Kaufmann, speaker pro tem of the Iowa State House, was caught joking on a hot mic that a proposal which would allow state residents to carry weapons in public without permission from a sheriff and without any training or a background check might better be called the "give-a-handgun-to-a-schizophrenic-bill."