10. Mike DeWine (R.-Ohio)
Consistently the only Republican to speak in favor of anti-2nd Amendment legislation on the Senate floor.
9. Jack Reed (D.-R.I.)
The most vocal opponent on the Senate floor of congressional legislation to prevent lawsuits against firearms manufacturers based on the actions of criminals.
8. John Kerry (D.-Mass.)
Accepted a shotgun as a campaign gift from union officials, even though it would have been banned under a bill he cosponsored.
7. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D.-N.Y.)
Though just in her first term as an elected official, she campaigned for gun control while First Lady, advocating gun owner licensing, handgun registration and the retention by the federal government of records on lawful purchasers of firearms.
6. Frank Lautenberg (D.-N.J.)
Despite government studies showing that fewer than 1% of criminals get their guns from gun shows, Lautenberg sponsored legislation to run gun shows out of business.
5. Dianne Feinstein (D.-Calif.)
Sponsor of the much-vaunted assault-weapon ban of 1994-2004. Despite the ban's having been found to have been misdirected and irrelevant to crime, Feinstein said she wished for a stronger law, one that would say, "Mr. and Mrs. America, turn [your firearms] all in." Feinstein carried a handgun for her own protection in California.
4. Ted Kennedy (D.-Mass.)
A generation ago, this liberal lion sponsored legislation to ban and otherwise restrict handguns. He hasn’t let up a bit since.
3. Barbara Boxer (D.-Calif.)
Sponsor of bills to ban compact handguns, such as those commonly carried for protection, by making the legality of their manufacture in the U.S. contingent upon the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' (BATFE) regulation permitting the same type of firearm to be imported. BATFE uses regulatory authority over firearms importation arbitrarily and, some say, illegally. Boxer hoped the BATFE would do the same with U.S.-made firearms.
2. Dick Durbin (D.-Ill.)
Minority whip is top anti-gun activist in his party’s Senate leadership and a reliable activist for anti-gun legislation in his own right.
1. Charles Schumer (D.-N.Y.)
Sponsor of legislation to ban firearms as "assault weapons," to ban hunting, recreational, practice and defensive ammunition as "armor piercing," and to impose a waiting period on handgun sales. The member of Congress who most seeks publicity for himself on gun-control issues.
