Jim F%$#ing Manchin?

Yes, the West Virginia Democrat (so-called) who literally shot holes in a copy of Obamacare for his campaign, is calling for meaningful gun control:

A stream of Democrats in Congress including a prominent senator known for his support for the firearms lobby have backed President Barack Obama’s call for stronger gun controls but few Republicans have broken ranks to join them in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting.

Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democratic senator with an “A rating” from the National Rifle Association, marking him out as a strong defender of gun rights, told MSNBC that it was time to move “beyond the rhetoric” on the issue of guns.

“I want to call all our friends in the NRA, sit down and have this discussion,” he said. “Bring them into it. They have to be at the table. We all have to.”

Mr Manchin did not detail what changes he supported; nor so far has Mr Obama, who indicated in his speech at a memorial service in Newtown, Connecticut, on Sunday evening, that he will pursue legislation to try to reduce firearm violence.

Call me a cynic, but I don't think that his commitment to change will last beyond the first proposal to close the gun show loophole, but it is still kind of a remarkable development.