Senate Rejects Gun Amendment

A rare sight in Washington D.C. Wednesday: Politicians actually stood up to the all-powerful gun lobby by rejecting an amendment to a defense bill that would have allowed concealed weapons permits to apply in other states. If the amendment had passed, people allowed to carry a weapon in more gun-friendly states like Arizona or Alaska could do the same in New York, which is known for strict gun laws. 450 U.S. mayors took out an ad in USA Today against the bill. The New York Times and New York Daily News both ran scathing editorials against it as well. A gun-rights advocate summed up the challenge of the amendment: "Folks in Minot, N.D., and New York are going to have different conceptions about what's right for their locality. In some states you have to show a real need (to get a permit)... in other states you have to show that you can stand on two feet."