Les Jones

The Midget, I like that.
His wife's still hot though.

As to 59 cosponsors of HR 1022 - no, thats not significant. If they had 59 co-sponsors at introduction, it would be. But they didn't, and these new ones have come in at a trickling pace. Plus, this thing was dead on arrival - or perhaps more appropriately viewed as hibernating (but unlike a bear which wakes up every few months, this is like a Cicada larvae buried 8 feet underground waiting to emerge once every couple of decades)..

According to CQ BILLTRACK:
There were thirteen original sponsors (Ms. McCarthy and 12 others) way back in February.
On March 9 they picked up 6 more
March 13 8 more
March 15, 4 more
March 22, 3 more
April 16, 3 more
April 19, 2 more

Then, the only major floor action to occur on the bill transpired when two floor speeches were given on April 20 and April 24th. That resulted in 3 new co-sponsors. Since then, in 27 weeks that have passed, it has only attracted 18 new supporters. All are irrelevant as far as shaping the terms of the debate or moving the bill in any committee.

Whats more, there is no committee or other action scheduled to occur on this between now and the end of this session of Congress. In the few days remaining, Congress will be working largely to pass appropriation bills. They won't be working on HR 1022.

Next year, of course, is an election year. Its a major one, and while Nancy Pelosi is poised to pick up even more seats when Hillary walks into the White House, nothing is guaranteed and she needs to first defend those seats that put her in power (the only time an incumbant is vulnerable is as a freshman) and that means running a more conservative campaign targeting redish state voters.

Gun control, always a losing proposition, is even more so when the policy doesn't make any sense and the lobby pushing it can bring neither votes nor money to the table.

1022 is dead.

Cool. Thanks for the analysis.

I don't see it coming up this session, but HR-1022 is not dead. With the exception of budget and appropriations bills, not much legislation of significance is introduced and passed in one session. You have to look at this from the long term perspective over a 5-10-20 year time period. The idea is to slowly, methodically build up support for the issue until the time is right. That is what McCarthy is doing.

Well, to be nit picky technical, Countertop is correct. HR1022 is dead. But the idea of an new gun ban is not. It'll get introduced every year, with a new bill number, and hopefully not go anywhere. But we shouldn't count on that.

He's a midget in more ways than one...