Maggie Haberman reads some Hillary Clinton tea leaves.
“After more than 13 hours of debate that was at moments impassioned and agonized, the General Assembly early Thursday approved an historic and far-reaching gun-control bill that proponents said was their toughest-in-the-nation response to the Dec. 14 Newtown school massacre,” The Hartford Courant writes. “The state House of Representatives at 2:26 a.m. gave final legislative approval to the bill by a vote of 105 to 44, with 2 absent. Of the 98 House Democrats present, 13 voted no; and 31 of the 51 Republicans in the hall voted no.”
USA Today: “Connecticut has approved far-reaching gun control legislation that will be the toughest in the United States. Following hours of respectful and at times somber debate, the House voted early Thursday in favor of the 139-page bill crafted by leaders from both major parties in the Democratic-controlled General Assembly. It passed the Senate in a 26-10 vote on Wednesday.” It will be signed into law today.
The Baltimore Sun: “The House of Delegates voted Wednesday to give Maryland one of the toughest gun laws in the nation, passing a bill that would ban the sale of assault-type weapons, set a 10-bullet limit on magazines and require fingerprints and a license to buy a handgun. Delegates altered the Senate's bill during more than 10 hours of emotional floor debate that lasted over two days. Key lawmakers said they expect the differences to be resolved quickly and the legislation sent to Gov. Martin O'Malley for his promised signature. After the 78-61 vote, O'Malley said the House strengthened his proposal, which he has called his top legislative priority of the session.”
National Journal wraps gun legislation in the states with a handy guide.
The NRCC is going to copy Buzzfeed in a website redesign.
IOWA: The Des Moines Register: “As he ponders whether to run for U.S. Senate, Republican Steve King isn’t moderating his views to appeal to more middle-of-the-road Iowa voters. He’s doing the opposite. In an email to supporters [Wednesday], King said he’s ‘living proof conservatives don’t have to sacrifice everything we believe in to win elections.’” And: “King wrote that he wins elections by talking about the economy as well as ‘talking about social issues—abortion, illegal immigration, and gay marriage.’”
MASSACHUSETTS: “They rolled together through the cornfields of Iowa, the retirement villages of Florida, and the icy mountain towns of New Hampshire, hoping they might one day serve together in the White House,” the Boston Globe writes. “But Mitt Romney’s former aides, from the most senior strategists to the young advance staff, have splintered and taken up with rival candidates in the Massachusetts Senate race, creating an intriguing subplot to the main event.”