https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/mcauliffe-to-restore-handgun-reciprocity-in-deal-with-republicans/2016/01/28/6f8c0240-c5d8-11e5-9693-933a4d31bcc8_story.html



Sounds like a win/win to me. Not sure why the controllers oppose it.

The party of FDR and JFK can't find a better candidate? I was talking to my wife tonight about the candidates and we agreed that we'll both probably vote for Bernie in the primary -- and certainly for whomever the Dems nominate in the GE -- but neither is particularly great. We are both lifelong Dems and big Bill Clinton and President Obama supporters. We were excited about President Obama but feel sort of "meh" about Hillary and Bernie. Hillary has a ton of baggage, including (whether her supporters agree or not) the email issue, which legitimately could lead to criminal charges, and even if not shows a serious lack of judgment. And Bernie is good on a lot of issues, but he's also a recent convert to the party, which makes me a bit hesitant, and he reminds me a bit of Dukakis.

The party was united behind Bill Clinton, and Obama excited a lot of people, but I'll vote for Hillary or Bernie simply because they are the nominee, not because either is a great candidate. At the same time, the Republicans will probably end up with Trump or Cruz as their nominee, perhaps two of the least qualified candidates (other than Palin) in a long time. Where are the great leaders who can unite this country and get something done?

Are there any Dems that aren't running that might be better? I'm not sold on Biden, but maybe Warren?

Including a bill passed in Virginia that allows concealed carry without a permit, also known as "constitutional carry."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/va-senate-panel-scraps-gun-control-bills-advances-gun-rights-measures/2016/01/20/db0e0484-bfc8-11e5-9443-7074c3645405_story.html?hpid=hp_local-news_vaguns-827pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

The committee approved several gun-rights bills, including one that would allow the state’s judges to carry concealed weapons without a permit. Another would allow retired law-
enforcement officers who annually meet the training and qualifications of active officers to carry concealed handguns in airports and schools.

The most far-reaching of the approved bills was Black’s, which would lift the permitting requirement for carrying a concealed weapon. The measure, which he referred to as “constitutional carry,” now goes to the full Senate for its consideration.

“It’s based on the idea that the Second Amendment is a constitutional right and that citizens have a right to carry firearms without permission of the government,” Black said. “It’s analogous to the First Amendment, where you don’t need a government permit to tell you what you can say and what you can’t.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/01/18/u-s-sheriffs-call-to-arms-urge-citizens-to-help-protect/?hpid=hp_rhp-more-top-stories_no-name%3Ahomepage%2Fstory



Good advice. Unfortunately certain areas, like DC, make it virtually impossible to legally carry a firearm, preventing folks from protecting themselves and discouraging others from interfering in a crime, like when a young man was stabbed and beaten to death in front of numerous witnesses several months ago on a DC metro train.

Bryan Garner at the Atlantic wrote a legal piece about Cruz's eligibility that I found informative. Goes into the legalese and explains why it is "highly likely" the Supreme Court would determine Cruz is eligible. I don't really care one way or the other about whether Cruz is actually eligible, but I do find the history and the question interesting. Here's the conclusion from the piece:



http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/01/ted-cruz-eligibility-memo/424206/

WaPo ran a piece today from a professor at Widener who contends that Cruz isn't a "natural born citizen" as required to be president. I did a bit of reading on this issue when the crazy wing of the Republican party claimed a few years ago that President Obama wasn't eligible and I tend to agree with the author of the article.



https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ted-cruz-is-not-eligible-to-be-president/2016/01/12/1484a7d0-b7af-11e5-99f3-184bc379b12d_story.html

I'll vote for the nominee in the GE. My personal preference is Hillary for several reasons, but I like both O'Malley and Sandwrs. All that said, I expect Hillary to be the nominee. The WaPo ran a piece this evening noting that Bernie could carry Iowa and NH. If he does, that might change the analysis. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-fantasy-scenario-that-could-become-reality-for-clinton/2016/01/10/085496a6-b7d6-11e5-829c-26ffb874a18d_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_mondayfix-520pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

ISIS, and global warming, North Korea now has hydrogen bomb capability. http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/05/asia/north-korea-seismic-event/index.html

Here's two articles from the WaPo (one from yesterday) discussing the impact of President Obama's executive orders regarding gun control. The one expanding background checks is described as having "modest" impact though taken together the impact of all the orders could be "substantial."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/01/05/here-is-how-obamas-most-controversial-new-action-on-guns-really-works-its-fairly-modest/?hpid=hp_no-name_opinion-card-e%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-unveil-new-gun-restrictions-slams-congress-for-inaction/2016/01/04/81d539e8-b2fb-11e5-a842-0feb51d1d124_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_obamaguns-646pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory