Gillibrand Too Gun-Happy for NY, Rival Says

Citing her support of guns, Long Island Rep. Carolyn McCarthy is threatening a 2010 primary challenge to reported Senate appointee Kirsten Gillibrand, Newsday reports. McCarthy, a gun-control advocate, lost her husband in a 1993 shooting spree. “I’m not going to let New York state get represented by someone who gets a 100% rating from the NRA,” she says of fellow Democrat Gillibrand.

New York Dems are hoping to avoid a fight. A spokesman for Sen. Charles Schumer says of Gillibrand, “Like any Democrat, we should give that person a chance.” Adds the chairman of the Nassau Democrats (McCarthy’s home base), “What she meant to say is that if Gillibrand is selected, that she would need to moderate her views on gun control.” (More Senate stories.)