Politics & Government

'Saturday Night Live' Spoofs Toomey Gun Control Bill

Lehigh Valley's U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey is in the national spotlight as debate over gun control continues.

An article in the National Journal calls U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey of Zionsville, Lehigh County an "unlikely savior" for gun control advocates and says that his agreement to expand background checks is the "last best hope for meaningful action" on gun control.

Read the complete article here.

Toomey was a key player in a deal reached last week deal to require that all criminal records and mental health records are added to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, and it would expand existing background checks to sales at gun shows or made online.

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The Toomey-Manchin bill was spoofed on "Saturday Night Live" over the weekend in a skit which Toomey acknowledged on Facebook and Twitter, according to a PoliticsPa report.

His comment that “Public safety and Second Amendment Rights are very serious issues. But sometimes it’s ok to laugh" drew sharp criticism from Republicans who see his moderation on gun control as a betrayal.

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"Laugh this off: Up yours yo gun-grabbing SOB" was one response to Toomey.

 

Pennsylvania's junior Senator has high-profile appointments in Washington, D.C. and is the topic of a recent in-depth profile by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The profile quotes Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell as saying Toomey has risen quickly in the Senate by any objective measure.

Toomey lives near Emmaus in Lehigh County with his wife and three children. He won election to the Senate in 2010—the first Lehigh Valley politician to do so since the 1800s.


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