'I will stand up for what I believe in' Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says -- but what she believes quickly

‘I will stand up for what I believe in’ Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says — but what she believes quickly changed as she moved from House to Senate

When Kirsten Gillibrand moved left on guns in 2009, she did it fast.

The moderate Democrat from Upstate New York had just been appointed to the Senate and liberals were in an uproar. Then a congresswoman, Gillibrand had an A-rating from the National Rifle Association. She co-sponsored bills to roll back restrictions on firearms in the District of Columbia and to limit disclosure of gun trace information by law enforcement. Gun control advocates were stunned that she was chosen to fill the seat.

But Gillibrand’s transformation had already begun. The day of her appointment, she vowed to work on a bill to strengthen background checks with a fierce critic of her gun record, then-Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.). The following day, she told an audience in Harlem that she could perhaps be flexible on gun control.

The new senator proved more than flexible. She voted against the NRA’s entire agenda and received an F-rating from the group by her next election, less than two years later. Her shift on guns was so rapid that it drew a word of caution from McCarthy, who became an ally.

More at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/i-will-stand-up-for-what-i-believe-in-sen-kirsten-gillibrand-says--but-what-she-believes-quickly-changed-as-she-moved-from-house-to-senate/2019/01/19/1534b4ce-1b55-11e9-9ebf-c5fed1b7a081_story.html?utm_term=.75fe3ca29ce3