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David Sherfinski

dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com

David Sherfinski covered politics for The Washington Times.

Articles by David Sherfinski

** FILE ** Sen. Tim Kaine, Virginia Democrat, left, accompanied by Vice President Joseph R. Biden, gestures during a roundtable discussion on gun violence, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013, at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va. The panelists included officials who worked on the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Biden takes ‘gun safety’ pitch to Richmond

Vice President Joseph R. Biden, who has been President Obama's point man on gun control over the past month, headed about 100 miles south on Friday with cabinet officials and lawmakers to discuss the administration's efforts on the issue.

January 25, 2013
Ken Haiterman shows off a CMMG 5.56mm AR 15 at the 2013 Rocky Mountain Gun Show on Jan. 6 in Sandy, Utah. In spite of the recent school shootings in Newtown, Conn., gun enthusiasts flocked to the show to purchase weapons and ammunition. (Associated Press)

States’ crime rates show scant linkage to gun laws

President Obama has called for stricter federal gun laws to combat recent shooting rampages, but a review of recent state laws by The Washington Times shows no discernible correlation between stricter rules and lower gun-crime rates in the states.

January 24, 2013
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat, announces legislation on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition feeding devices during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Feinstein: Reinstate assault weapons ban

Sen. Dianne Feinstein rolled out sweeping legislation that would ban more than 150 types of military-style semiautomatic rifles on Thursday, kicking off the congressional debate on a new assault-weapons ban that both sides say faces a steep uphill climb on Capitol Hill.

January 24, 2013
A group carries letters spelling "BELIEVE" as they take part in a march honoring Martin Luther King Jr., on Monday in San Antonio. (Associated Press)

Inauguration too special to pass up

President Obama's historic inauguration ceremony Monday saw smaller crowds, a more subdued tone, and fewer A-list celebrities than in 2009 — a distinctly different feel from the packed subways, soaring rhetoric and nearly dozen inaugural balls four years ago.

January 21, 2013
**FILE** President Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joseph R. Biden and children who wrote the president about gun violence following last month's shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., signs executive orders to reduce gun violence on Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013, in the South Court Auditorium at the White House complex in Washington. From left are Mr. Biden; Hinna Zeejah, 8; Nadia Zeejah, Hinna’s mother; Taejah Goode, 10; Kimberly Graves, Taejah’s mother; Julia Stokes, 11; Dr. Theophil Stokes, Julia’s father; and Grant Fritz, 8. (Associated Press)

Gun-control advocates say Obama is too late

The big-ticket items in President Obama's push for action on gun control will require the approval of Congress, but many of the 23 executive moves he announced Wednesday could have been taken at any time in his first term — a point that nettles those who have been advocating for stricter measures.

January 17, 2013
"This is our first task as a society, keeping our children safe," President Obama said Wednesday as he and Vice President Joseph R. Biden announced their legislative and executive agenda to curb gun violence in America. (Associated Press)

Obama: U.S. will be ‘judged’ on guns

In one of the most far-reaching gun control proposals in decades, President Obama on Wednesday unveiled plans to ban military-style so-called assault weapons, limit ammunition clips to a maximum of 10 bullets, require universal background checks for all gun purchasers and announced 23 executive actions designed to address gun crime, mental health and school safety.

January 16, 2013
President Obama listens to reporters' questions in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Monday, Jan. 14, 2013. (Associated Press)

Obama recruits children to push gun bans

Acting just a month after the Connecticut school shootings, President Obama will unveil a sweeping package of gun controls Wednesday and will challenge Congress to ban high-capacity magazines and military-style semi-automatic rifles involved in recent shooting rampages.

January 15, 2013
President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 14, 2013. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Obama takes aim at 19 new gun measures

President Obama is considering 19 separate steps on gun control he can take without congressional action, as more ambitious measures such as a ban on military-style "assault weapons" face a tough sled through Congress amidst opposition from many lawmakers and gun-rights groups.

January 15, 2013
President Obama gestures as he answers questions from members of the media during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Monday, Jan. 14, 2013. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Obama contends gun control opponents playing on fear

President Obama said Monday that opponents of gun control legislation are fanning unfounded fears that the government is plotting a gun grab, as the White House prepared to lay out a wish list it wants to see Congress adopt in the wake of last month's school shooting.

January 14, 2013
Vice President Joseph R. Biden (right), accompanied by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., speaks during a meeting with sportsmen and sportswomen and wildlife interest groups on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House complex in Washington. Mr. Biden is holding a series of meetings this week as part of the effort to develop policy proposals in response to the Newtown, Conn., school shootings. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Films, video games get short shrift in gun-violence review

President Obama promised an all-of-the-above examination of gun violence in the wake of the school shootings in Connecticut last month, but the video game and movie industries say they're not part of the problem.

January 13, 2013
**FILE** Vice President Joseph R. Biden speaks during a meeting with representatives from the video game industry in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington on Jan. 11, 2013. Biden is holding a series of meetings this week as part of the effort he is leading to develop policy proposals in response to the Newtown, Conn., school shooting. (Associated Press)

Biden broaches gun-trafficking statute, more mental health aid

Vice President Joseph R. Biden hinted Friday that a federal weapons trafficking statute and more readily available mental health assistance could be included in a set of recommendations to address gun violence in the country that he plans to deliver to President Obama by a self-imposed Tuesday deadline.

January 11, 2013
David Keene (Associated Press) **FILE**

No assault weapon ban coming, NRA confidently predicts

One day after gun ownership groups met with Vice President Joseph R. Biden as part of his ongoing talks on gun violence prevention, the president of the National Rifle Association predicted that Congress will not pass a ban on military-style, so-called "assault weapons" in the wake of the school shootings last month in Newtown, Conn.

January 11, 2013
A bill introduced in the Missouri Senate would require parents to disclose their gun ownership status to local schools. (Associated Press)

‘Disappointed’ NRA sees White House ‘agenda to attack’ gun rights

The National Rifle Association said it was "disappointed" with the focus of a Thursday meeting with Vice President Joseph R. Biden and other groups over new gun measures, arguing that the White House gathering had less to do with keeping the country's children safe and more to do "with an agenda to attack the Second Amendment."

January 10, 2013
President Joe Biden, second from right, gestures as he speaks during a meeting with Sportsmen and Women and Wildlife Interest Groups and member of his cabinet, Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Biden: Gun recommendations to Obama by Tuesday

Vice President Joseph R. Biden, who is meeting with various stakeholders regarding gun violence Thursday, said he will unveil his recommendations to address the issue to President Obama by Tuesday.

January 10, 2013
Vice President Joe Biden, center, with Attorney General Eric Holder at left, speaks during a meeting with victims' groups and gun safety organizations in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. Biden is holding a series of meetings this week as part of the effort he is leading to develop policy proposals in response to the Newtown, Conn., school shooting (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Showdown: NRA to meet with Biden over gun issue

The National Rifle Association on Thursday will send a representative to meet with Vice President Joseph R. Biden, who is heading a task force on gun violence, a spokesman for the group said earlier this week.

January 10, 2013
**FILE** Vice President Joseph R. Biden, joined at the White House by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. (left), holds a meeting Jan. 9, 2013, with gun-safety advocates and victims' families. (Associated Press)

Biden hints at ‘executive action’ on gun control

Vice President Joseph R. Biden on Wednesday floated the possibility that President Obama will take unilateral action to impose gun control in the wake of the last month's Connecticut school shooting.

January 9, 2013
** FILE ** Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, announced Tuesday they are launching the Americans for Responsible Solutions PAC, an advocacy group to fight gun violence. (Associated Press)

Tide shifting on pro-gun beliefs

Tucson. Aurora. Virginia Tech. The names have become synonymous with shooting tragedies, and each sparked new debate over gun laws, though little action resulting.

January 8, 2013
**FILE** Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II (The Washington Times)

Federal judge rules against EPA stormwater regulation

A federal judge has ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its bounds in trying to impose restrictions on stormwater in a Northern Virginia watershed, delivering a victory to Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, the state's Department of Transportation and Fairfax County.

January 4, 2013
House Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio walks in House of Representatives chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, as the 113th Congress began. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Boehner has mixed House rules record

House Speaker John A. Boehner's lofty pledges to break with precedent and run Congress in a more inclusive, transparent manner ended up a mixed bag over the past two years, as he fulfilled many of his vows, but had others fall to political pressure or circumstances.

January 3, 2013