NRA Gives Toomey an A, Casey a Fake B+

Don’t get your hopes up for Pennsylvania’s senators to lead the fight for increased gun control. Pat Toomey, no surprise, got an “A” when he was running in 2010. And Bob Casey, one of the gun-friendliest Democrats in the upper chamber was downgraded during this year’s election from an “A” to a “B+” not because he softened his stance, but because he supported Obama and cast confirmation votes for Supreme Court Justices Sotomayor and Kagan. And the NRA’s non-endorsement of Casey’s opponent, who did receive an “A,” spoke volumes. Tom Corbett, another “A,” also joined a successful 2009 Supreme Court lawsuit that sought to strike down handgun restrictions in Chicago. In turns out the bar is so low for tough talk on gun control here, that the Allentown Morning Call ran a story this morning reporting that Casey had “softened his stance” on gun control. Based on this statement: “Addressing [violence] will require a comprehensive strategy that acknowledges all of the factors that contributed to this tragedy and takes every appropriate step to protect our citizens, especially our kids.”

UPDATE 11:02 am: Mother Jones asks all 100 U.S. Senators if they’d re-institute the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004. Toomey didn’t respond and Casey’s office was a “Maybe.”