Politics Wires

On gun control, Reid feels tug of both state and statesmanship

 
 

Majority Leader Harry Reid
Majority Leader Harry Reid
Isaac Brekken / MCT

McClatchy Newspapers

At Wild West Guns, where stuffed caribou and Dall sheep adorn the walls, customers know Harry Reid as someone who understands guns.

They can tell you he received a B rating from the National Rifle Association. That he helped secure land and money for one of the world’s largest shooting ranges. And that he once carried a gun as a police officer.

But now – amid enormous pressure, frustrated gun owners say – the longtime Democratic U.S. senator from Nevada has started to waver on an issue that has divided American society for decades.

“He’s in a tough spot,” said Dana Seleznoff, 50, as he wandered through the store on a break from his job as manager at a mobile billboard company. “He was born and raised here.”

It’s simple, says Seleznoff, the owner of 102 guns: If Reid votes against gun control, the senator is voting with Nevada. If he votes for gun control, he’s voting with Washington.

President Barack Obama is pushing Congress to pass the nation’s most aggressive gun control plan in generations, following the December mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., that claimed the lives of 26 victims, including 20 elementary school children. It would ban assault weapons, limit the capacity of ammunition magazines and require background checks on all purchases. The Senate already has launched hearings.

Reid, the Senate majority leader who likes to talk about how he used to hunt jackrabbits for his grandmother’s stew, not only gets a vote, but he controls what bills make it to the floor for a vote. He said he expects a series of bills on gun control to come to the floor for a vote in the coming months.

As he weighs his allegiance to his president with his Nevada roots, his support so far for the proposals has been tepid.

“He’s under incredible pressure right now because he’s got . . . his own beliefs,” National Rifle Association President David Keene told reporters at a recent roundtable interview. “He’s got the views and the demands of his constituents on the one hand, and the pressure he faces from party leaders and his president on the other. So where Harry Reid ends up in this debate is anybody’s guess, and I think that’s one of the guessing games that’s going on around Washington now.”

Reid declined to comment for this story. But in an interview Sunday on ABC he said he supports expanding background checks, though he was noncommittal on all other proposals. That includes the assault weapons ban, which he previously voted against and has said would be unlikely to pass a divided Congress.

“We’re going to have votes on all kinds of issues dealing with guns,” he said on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” “And I think everyone would be well-advised to read the legislation before they determine how they’re going to vote for it.”

In the coming weeks, Reid’s decisions on the contentious issue will help determine the outcome of one of Obama’s top second-term goals, as well as the future makeup of a chamber controlled – barely – by Democrats.

“He’s more concerned with the Democratic Party than the country,” said Don Chism, 62, a commercial real estate agent browsing Wild West Guns who says he owns eight or nine firearms.

Email: akumar@mcclatchydc.com; Twitter: @anitakumar01

Read more Politics Wires stories from the Miami Herald

  • Labor board nominees advance

    A Senate panel has endorsed President Barack Obama's slate of five nominees to sit on the National Labor Relations Board. Two of them advanced despite strong GOP opposition.

  • Obama seeks to make acting GSA head permanent

    The White House says President Barack Obama will nominate Dan Tangherlini to run the General Services Administration, the agency in charge of federal buildings and supplies.

  •  

Investigators stand outside an apartment complex where a man was fatally shot when a team of FBI agents swarmed his home early  Wednesday, May 22, 2013, in Orlando, Fla. The FBI says the man, being questioned by authorities in the Boston bombing probe, was fatally shot when he initiated a violent confrontation.

    FBI: Man fatally shot in Boston bombing probe

    The FBI is leaving open the question of who fired the fatal shot that killed a man being questioned by authorities in the Boston bombing probe.

Miami Herald

Join the
Discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere on the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

The Miami Herald uses Facebook's commenting system. You need to log in with a Facebook account in order to comment. If you have questions about commenting with your Facebook account, click here.

Have a news tip? You can send it anonymously. Click here to send us your tip - or - consider joining the Public Insight Network and become a source for The Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.

Hide Comments

This affects comments on all stories.

Cancel OK

  • Videos

  • Quick Job Search

Enter Keyword(s) Enter City Select a State Select a Category