ALEXANDER TORSHIN (LEFT) ATTENDS AN EVENT WITH VLADIMIR PUTIN (RIGHT) IN 2011. [KONSTANTIN ZAVRAZHIN/GETTY IMAGES] On Thursday, McClatchy dropped a heckuva scoop: The FBI is investigating whether Russia illegally funneled campaign funds to the NRA as part of the country’s effort to influence the 2016 presidential election.
The NRA spent more than any other outside group to elect Donald Trump and other Republicans, shelling out $55 million (and maybe in excess of $70 million, according to two sources McClatchy spoke with, when undisclosed spending on online ads and grassroots outreach are factored in). Federal investigators want to know if the gun group illegally got some of those funds via a Kremlin-connected oligarch named Alexander Torshin. Details regarding links between the NRA and powerful Russian interests have been dribbling out for months. In November, Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein ratcheted up the intrigue when she sent a letter to the White House requesting any documents connected to the 2016 campaign, Torshin, the NRA, and a slew of conservative power brokers. The NRA has largely avoided commenting on the matter, though last summer, NRA TV personality Grant Stinchfield denied any illegal ties between the group and Russia. Here’s what’s known about Moscow’s courtship of the NRA, and the NRA’s subsequent role as a venue for Russian overtures to the Trump campaign.
by Arjen Lubach , a late-night comedian in the Netherlands of Zondag met Lubach (“Sunday with Lubach”) BY JAMES L. ROSICA
Tribune/Scripps Capital Bureau Published: January 20, 2015 TALLAHASSEE — In the wake of a November shooting at Florida State University, a bill that would allow guns on college campuses in Florida cleared its first legislative committee Tuesday. The House Criminal Justice subcommittee approved the bill (HB 4005) by an 8-4 party-line vote. It would repeal the current prohibition on concealed-weapon license holders from bringing a firearm onto the grounds of a public college or university. The bill’s sponsor, Republican state Rep. Greg Steube of Sarasota, said he drew up the bill before the FSU shooting, in which 31-year-old Myron May shot three people in and around the campus library. No one was killed but one person was paralyzed; May was shot and killed by police shortly after. “God forbid that we have to deal with this in the state again,” said Steube, an Iraq War veteran and concealed-weapon license holder. “What I’m trying to do is prevent loss of life by giving God-fearing, law-abiding citizens … the ability to defend themselves,” he added. Seven states now allow “concealed carry” on college campuses, according to a staff analysis: Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Utah, and Wisconsin. Last session, a bill failed that would have let K-12 school principals or district superintendents designate specific employees who could carry concealed weapons on school grounds. Stuebe’s bill is supported by the National Rifle Association and Florida Carry, a nonprofit group that opposes “ill-conceived gun control laws,” according to its website. It’s opposed by Florida State president John Thrasher, known for his conservative stands when he was a legislator. “I’m a Second Amendment person; I believe in the Second Amendment; I’ve supported gun rights,” Thrasher told the Tallahassee Democrat. “But just like in the First Amendment, there are exceptions. When it comes to guns on campus, the consequences far outweigh the positives.” In public comment, Marjorie Sanfilippo, an associate dean and psychology professor at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, told lawmakers that “allowing upset students to carry concealed weapons would, without a doubt, increase the risk of violence toward me and colleagues.” Brent Hargrove, whose son and daughter-in-law are students, said allowing licensed gun-owners to bring their weapons on campus would “eliminate a pool of possible victims … The ‘good guy’ is the kind of person that has a concealed weapon permit.” But Steve Downey, another parent of a college parent, said he didn’t want to “relinquish the job of campus safety to … unaccountable and unknown ‘good guys.’” In debate, Rep. Gayle Harrell, a Stuart Republican, pointed out that concealed weapon license holders in Florida must be at least 21 and undergo background checks and firearm safety training. “These are adults,” she said. “They know what they’re doing. I want my daughter to be on a campus where she has the protection of someone who taken those steps.” Rep. Clovis Watson Jr., an Alachua County Democrat and 20-year law enforcement veteran, had concerns about students having guns where police are responding to reports of a shooter. When police first show up on a scene, “we don’t know who’s the good and the bad guy; that is the problem,” he said. “It puts (law enforcement) in a grave situation.” Rep. Dennis Baxley, the Ocala Republican who sponsored what is now Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law in 2005, argued that gun-free school zones have only contributed to putting college students in danger. “The only thing that will stop an out of control person with a firearm who is killing people is a good guy with a firearm,” he said. The bill will next be considered by the House’s Higher Education & Workforce subcommittee. A companion measure is in the Senate. |
About Bill PritchardBill is a Liberal Democrat, DEC and DWC member, volunteer photographer, and a graduate of Penn State University College of Science, Biology. He spent over 30 years at U.S. Steel Gary Works managing the operation and maintenance of waste water treatment and water recycling facilities. He retired to Panama City, FL, in 2001--where he is needed and he's not going away. Categories
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