Playbook PM: Poll: Tailored gun control laws have big bipartisan support

From: POLITICO Playbook - Wednesday Mar 31,2021 05:15 pm

Mar 31, 2021

By Mike Zapler, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross

Presented by Facebook

Though gun control appears to be on the backburner as Congress dives into a monthslong infrastructure debate, our latest POLITICO/Morning Consult poll shows strong support for tightening laws around firearm purchases:

— Overall, two-thirds of voters favor stricter gun control laws, including more than nine in 10 Democrats, 63% of independents and 41% of Republicans. But the percentage of Republicans who oppose stricter laws increased by 13 percentage points since August 2019.

— Voters were split along predictable partisan lines on the question of whether “protecting the rights of Americans to own guns” or “limiting gun ownership” is more important. However, 54% of independents said gun ownership rights are more important.

— Several reforms garnered overwhelming or strong bipartisan support, including: universal background checks (90% of Democrats, 77% of Republicans); creating a national database of gun sales (87% of Democrats, 56% of Republicans); a three-day waiting period (86% of Democrats, 64% of Republicans); banning guns from schools and college campuses (84% of Democrats, 50% of Republicans); and requiring people to be 21 or older to purchase a gun (88% of Democrats, 68% of Republicans). Toplines … Crosstabs

— PBS NewsHour’s LISA DESJARDINS (@LisaDNews): “NEW: House Dems pressuring Schumer on guns. They. Want. Senate. Votes. Broad group led by @RepSpanberger, @RepJoeNeguse. Letter to Schumer, obtained by @NewsHour says, ‘We worked to gain majorities in the House + Senate so we could bring consequential … legislation to a vote.’ …

“It’s an amazing letter in some ways. The kind of thing Pelosi might have said or written to a slow- or no-action Mitch McConnell in a Republican-run Senate. … I’m told this push from House Dems is esp. led by members of the 2018 class. They still have a fired-up spirit about DC being too slow on big issues … and they are still tight as a group. And even with 2020 losses, they are still massive.”

IT’S INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK — WAPO’S @seungminkim: “Secretaries Mahhhty Walsh, Marcia Fudge, Gina Raimondo + Jennifer Granholm are currently briefing senators on Biden’s infrastructure plan, which he will promote in Pittsburgh later today. I’m also told @SecretaryPete hopped on.”

— “Biden briefs McConnell on $2 trillion infrastructure plan,” WaPo: “Biden phoned Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday … But McConnell, who revealed the call during an event in Kentucky on Wednesday, signaled he’s still not a fan of the proposal. ‘It’s like a Trojan horse,’ McConnell told reporters.”

BREAKING — “Reversing Trump, Pentagon to release new transgender policy,” AP: “The Pentagon on Wednesday will sweep away Trump-era policies that largely banned transgender people from serving in the military, issuing new rules that offer them wider access to medical care and assistance with gender transition … The changes come after a two-month Pentagon review aimed at developing guidelines for the new policy.”

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WATCH: Chuck Schumer’s legislative loophole to pass Biden’s agenda:

GREAT VACCINE NEWS — “Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine 100 percent effective in teens,” by Lauren Morello: “The preliminary findings of the trial that enrolled nearly 2,300 U.S. adolescents suggest the vaccine is even more effective for that age group than for adults, with similarly mild side effects. … Pfizer said it will seek permission in the coming weeks from the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency to market the vaccine for teens. That suggests at least one coronavirus vaccine could be available for younger teens before the start of the new school year in the fall.”

GONE ROGUE — “Top Trump adviser warned then-president on virus supply shortage, then pursued controversial deals,” WaPo: “A top adviser privately urged President Donald Trump to acquire critical medical supplies in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak — and after the warning was ignored, pursued his own ad hoc strategy that committed more than $1 billion in federal funds and has since prompted multiple probes, according to newly released documents from congressional investigators.

“Peter Navarro, who served as Trump’s trade adviser, warned the president on March 1, 2020, to ‘MOVE IN “TRUMP TIME”’ to invest in ingredients for drugs, handheld coronavirus tests and other supplies to fight the virus … But after Trump ignored Navarro’s recommendations, the trade adviser embarked on his own strategy to acquire supplies with little oversight, Democrats said.”

SCOTUS WATCH — “Supreme Court justices grill NCAA, calling arguments ‘entirely circular’ and ‘somewhat disturbing,’” USA Today: “The Supreme Court’s justices on Wednesday expressed significant questions about the NCAA’s athlete-compensation limits, but they also showed concerns that a case challenging those limits could destroy college sports as they currently exist. … The NCAA’s lawyer … faced pointed inquiry from nearly all of the justices.”

JAN. 6 FALLOUT — “Two Capitol Police officers sue Trump for sparking Jan. 6 mob attack,” by Kyle Cheney: “Officers James Blassingame and Sidney Hemby described a severe physical and emotional toll from the riot that continues to haunt them. And in a 40-page lawsuit, they said Trump bears direct responsibility for unleashing violent followers upon the Capitol. Both officers are seeking unspecified compensation and damages greater than $75,000 apiece. …

“But it’s the officer’s harrowing personal accounts that add new chapters to the growing collection of horrors unleashed that day. Blassingame said he was slammed into a stone column while rioters hurled the N-word at him. Hemby said he suffered hand and knee injuries that require continued medical care. Both said they suffer from ongoing emotional trauma that has upended their lives.”

— “After Capitol riot, Congress eyes bipartisan reform of its own protectors,” by Andrew Desiderio and Kyle Cheney: “Lawmakers investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection are zeroing in on [the Capitol Police Board,] an opaque trio of officials now in charge of Congress’ security after that group’s failures during the riot exacerbated the violence.”

JOIN THE CONVERSATION, SUBSCRIBE TO “THE RECAST” Power dynamics are shifting in Washington, and more people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. “The Recast” is a new twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy and power in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear from new voices that challenge business as usual. Don’t miss out on our latest newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW. Thank you to our sponsor, Intel.

LIKE MOLASSES — “Biden takes his time filling out diplomatic corps,” CNN: “Though Biden has been presented with the names of top contenders for ambassadorships to the European Union, NATO and other high-level posts, including China and Russia, and is expected to make a decision on at least some of those positions in April, people familiar with the matter say that on the vast majority of ambassador posts, the president is still weeks away from deciding on the broader makeup of his diplomatic corps.”

2024 WATCH — “Dems could dethrone Iowa,” by Natasha Korecki and Holly Otterbein: “Senior party leaders and Democratic National Committee members are privately exploring the idea of pushing South Carolina and Nevada to the front of the primary election schedule, as well as the possibility of multiple states holding the first nominating contest on the same day. …

“[I]ntense behind-the-scenes jockeying is already underway, with conversations ranging from reconfiguring the early state order to moving up Southern or Rust Belt states in the timeline. … DNC members said they are also talking about instituting changes to the caucus process such as making it easier for people to absentee vote and streamlining the allocation of delegates.”

Just saying: It’s a little odd that there’s basically no discussion of instituting a system that rotates the order among all states every cycle, which would be fair to everyone!

— HMM … “Indiana Senate congratulates Pence on his ‘retirement,’” The Times of Northwest Indiana

— “Rick Scott heads to Iowa in new, powerful position defined by a familiar theme: money,” Miami Herald: “Rick Scott is laying the groundwork for a potential 2024 presidential run, and his path — if successful — will look [a] lot like his three statewide races in Florida. In 2010, 2014 and 2018, Scott outspent the competition … But $150 million won’t buy the presidency in 2024 … If he wants to outspend the 2024 competition, he’ll need help from national donors.”

2022 WATCH — “NRSC Chairman Rick Scott ‘very optimistic’ U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley will run again in 2022,” Des Moines Register

— Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s @TamarHallerman: “Ex U.S. Rep. Paul Broun says he’ll run for his old seat in #GA10 being vacated by Jody Hice. ‘This is not so much about what I will do as much as what I will prevent from happening,’ Broun said. ‘I will expose and block the liberal agenda with every fiber of my being.’ #gapol”

BEYOND THE BELTWAY — “Liberal group pledges $10M state legislative campaign on voting rights,” by Zach Montellaro: “iVote said its $10 million campaign would be focused on legislators who ‘led or supported the suppression of voting rights,’ starting in Georgia and spreading elsewhere.”

JOIN PLAYBOOK FOR A CONVERSATION WITH RON KLAIN ON THURSDAY : The Biden administration is full speed ahead with an ambitious vaccination timeline, the deployment of $1.9 trillion in pandemic relief, and a multitrillion dollar infrastructure plan. But the White House is also dealing with a mounting crisis at the border, the aftermath of back-to-back mass shootings, and a looming showdown over the Senate filibuster. Join Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza for a conversation with White House chief of staff Ron Klain to discuss Biden's agenda in the coming months and how the administration plans to address the challenges facing the nation. REGISTER HERE.

WHAT PANDEMIC? — “GOP donors are hobnobbing in person again; Dems are sticking to Zoom,” by Theo Meyer and Susannah Luthi: “A list of more than 80 upcoming fundraisers for House Democrats sent out by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Friday and obtained by POLITICO includes no in-person events … A list of upcoming fundraisers sent out by the National Republican Congressional Committee on Friday lists 204 upcoming events, more than half of which are described as ‘in person.’”

ICYMI: FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE — “Russia suspected of stealing thousands of State Department emails,” by Betsy Woodruff Swan and Natasha Bertrand: “The hackers accessed emails in the department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, the congressional sources said. It does not appear at this point that the classified network was accessed, a third official said.

“It is not clear whether the theft of State Department emails was part of the SolarWinds espionage campaign, in which Russian hackers burrowed into federal and private sector networks by exploiting a piece of software — developed by the IT company SolarWinds — that is used across the government and private sector.”

BOOK CLUB — “Hunter Biden’s Memoir: 7 Takeaways From ‘Beautiful Things,’” NYT: “Hunter Biden doesn’t beat around the bush in his new memoir, ‘Beautiful Things,’ which comes out on April 6. ‘I’m a 51-year-old father who helped raise three beautiful daughters,’ writes President Biden’s younger son, who now has a year-old son of his own, in the prologue. ‘I’ve bought crack cocaine on the streets of Washington, D.C., and cooked up my own inside a hotel bungalow in Los Angeles.

“‘I’ve been so desperate for a drink that I couldn’t make the one-block walk between a liquor store and my apartment without uncapping the bottle to take a swig. In the last five years alone, my two-decades-long marriage has dissolved, guns have been put in my face, and at one point I dropped clean off the grid, living in $59-a-night Super 8 motels off I-95 while scaring my family even more than myself.’ The book is equal parts family saga, grief narrative and addict’s howl.”

HUAWEI OR THE HIGHWAY — “Huawei Suffers Rare Drop in Revenue as U.S. Sanctions Bite,” WSJ

MEDIAWATCH — Emily Birnbaum is joining POLITICO as a technology reporter covering lobbying and influence. She previously was a Washington reporter for Protocol.

TRANSITIONS — Kirby Struhar is now a legislative aide and research analyst for the House Climate Crisis Committee Republicans. He previously was a special adviser in EPA’s Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs, and is a Dave Brat alum. … Andrew Mara is joining CNA as VP and director of the Systems, Tactics, and Force Development Division. He previously was at the Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. …

… Riley Brands is now manager for corporate comms at Sharecare. He most recently was comms manager for the public sector at Gallup and is a Henry Cuellar alum. … Laurie Jodziewicz will be senior director of environmental affairs at US Wind. She most recently was VP of environmental at Kindle Energy.