Senator says she was misled by language in a bill she sponsored
It may be Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's clearest flip-flop so far. In an interview with news 4 New York on Friday, Gillibrand said she would not vote for a bill she sponsored just eight months ago. "Not unless they fix it," She said.
It was no secret when Gillibrand co-sponsored the bill HR 4900 just eight months ago that is was widely opposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his coalition of mayors against illegal guns.
In writing, critics warned then-Rep. Gillibrand that her bill would block local law enforcement's access to trace data. (Trace data is information about a gun's history that can help solve gun crimes and identify bad gun dealers.)
Despite the objections of the mayors and others, Gillibrand never withdrew her support of the bill until now.
The Senator told News 4 New York on Friday she was misled by language in the bill that implied it would help law enforcement. Gillibrand said she was unaware when she cosponsored hr 4900 that it would actually hurt.
"If a law says it's not supposed to obstruct law enforcement it's not supposed to obstruct law enforcement," Gillibrand said.
The new senator says it was Mayor Bloomberg who convinced her of the bill's flaws in a meeting this week. (NBC, 2/13/2009)
Gillibrand Defends Gun Control Flip-Flop
Sen. Gillibrand and fellow New York Senator Chuck Schumer want to change the Tiahrt Amendment, which requires records of gun background checks be destroyed after 24 hours. The amendment restricts cities, state and members of law enforcement from using so-called "trace data" to track how guns are trafficked across state lines.
Gillibrand, a supporter of the National Rifle Association, had originally co-sponsored the bill, which was added on to a appropriations bill, as an upstate Congresswoman. April 20, 2009 (WNBC)
Perhaps the most challenging issue for Ms. Gillibrand is her record onguns. As a congresswoman, she had a 100 percent rating from the National Rifle Association, but has said since being appointed senator that she would moderate her positions.
But her Annie Oakley image — she recently told Newsday that she kept two rifles under her bed — may unsettle liberal voters who turn out for Democratic primaries.
Ms. McCarthy, who was elected after her husband was killed in a gunman’s rampage on the Long Island Rail Road in 1993, was not impressed.
“She’s turned her opinion on just about everything, but people are seeing through that,” she said. “Who is she? What does she stand for? That’s going to be her biggest problem, that she flips on everything.” Challengers to Gillibrand Emerging NYT 3/4/09
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