NRA Darling Gillibrand Shifts on Gun Control

New York's junior senator once bragged about the two rifles under her bed and her A-rating from the NRA, but Kirsten Gillibrand has shifted away from her once-vigorous defense of the Second Amendment, reports the New York Post. In the wake of high-profile shootings of her friend Gabrielle Giffords and the Newtown massacre, Gillibrand—whose name is occasionally dropped in 2016 circles—has become an outspoken proponent of tighter gun control. “As someone who believes in the Constitution and an individual’s right to bear arms, I believe the first place we should look for answers is in the Second Amendment itself,” she wrote in a New York Daily News op-ed this month, “The words ‘well-regulated’ prove the Founding Fathers themselves understood the need to have reasonable limits.”

With yesterday's shooting of firefighters in her own state, Gillibrand is likely to double-down on her call for "common sense" gun laws. And pro-gun advocates aren't happy: “I think gun owners probably view her in ways they view Mitt Romney. How do you trust someone when they change their stance and politics?” says one. (More Kirsten Gillibrand stories.)