Sportsmen and Gun Owners for McCain
As an avid hunter and outdoorsman, this presidential election carries some very important implications for gun owners.
The reality is that a very strong showing on November 4th by the democrats could produce a veto-proof majority in the Senate. We have not seen this since the 95th Congress of 1977-79 when the democrats held 61 seats.
If this majority occurs, a Democratic president will have a very easy 4 years and a Republican president could have an extremely difficult tenure.
The key issue for sportsmen and hunting in general is who the new president will select as Secretary of the Interior, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, chief of the U.S. Forest Service, director of the National Park Service and the director of the Bureau of Land Management. The most important of these positions is the Fish and Wildlife Service Director.
Statistics released in August showed that 90 percent of sportsmen polled are registered to vote and 82 percent of these stated they vote in most every presidential election, making these individuals targets by every potential presidential candidate. In 2004, nearly 2 to 1 of these sportsmen voted for Bush over Kerry.
Data released from the FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System showed nearly 1 million checks were performed in August (which is higher than most months) indicating potential fear of restrictive gun control laws if Obama is elected.
During McCain’s 4 terms in the US Senate, he has largely voted in line with the NRA and other advocacy groups. McCain has supported the Lawful Commerce in Arms Act protecting gun makers and dealers from frivolous lawsuits, he opposed the so-called ban on assault weapons, and he opposed the Brady Act which mandated the 5-day waiting period.
As a Senator in Illinois, Obama supported a ban on all types of semiautomatic firearms, supported tighter restrictions on firearms in general, and opposed legislation that would have shielded citizens from criminal prosecution if they violated local restrictions by using a handgun for protection in their own homes. As a US Senator, Obama voted to allow firearms manufacturers and dealers to be targeted with liability lawsuits and he has continually spoken out against semiautomatic firearms. That is until this election campaign when he is now backtracking once again to garner votes. Obama has continually taken verbal jabs at semiautomatic firearms with high-capacity magazines all while stating he supports firearms for hunting and protection. Illinois remains among the most restrictive states toward gun owners.
Some of Obama’s comments include:
“I’m a believer in homeowners having a firearm to protect their home and their family. It’s hard for me to find a rationale for having a 17-clip semiautomatic.”
“I don’t hunt myself, but I respect hunters and sportsmen, but I don’t know of any self-respecting hunter that needs 19 rounds of anything. You don’t shoot 19 rounds at a deer, and if you do, you shouldn’t be hunting.”
After the Virginia Tech shooting a reporter asked McCain if he supported magazine size limitations. He responded; “I don’t think that’s necessary at all” and went on to restate his position saying, “I strongly support the Second Amendment, and I believe the Second Amendment out to be preserved—which means no gun control.”
What is the attitude toward American gun owners?
Will their attitude be friendly and receptive, grudgingly tolerant, mildly adversarial, or openly hostile?
Will he be receptive to logical counter-arguments to emotional, one-sided diatribes if and when another firearm related tragedy occurs and the agenda-driven media demands more gun control?
Regarding sportsment and gun related issues and based on his public comments, his voting record, political history, and long-standing affiliations, Senator McCain should be the overwhelming favorite of this election.
I encourage all hunters and sportsmen to think long and hard before casting a vote for Obama!
posted by Anonymous at 5:43 AM
14 Comments:
Is it possible to be a sportsman without owning a gun?
What do bow hunters think?
It is about as likely as being a liberal democrat and actually having a firm moral foundation based on something other than your feelings.
Ah, yes, I forget; only conservative Republicans possess that firm moral foundation.
Perhaps that's why they're so hesitant to denounce racist violence at their own rallies.
Or maybe there's an escape clause somewhere in the Bible, as interpreted by the likes of James Dobson.
Being primarily a democrat, as well as a gun owner and carrier, I have heard this story that the democratic candidate for what ever office will try to do away with guns, or place serious restrictions on gun owners.
None of it has ever come about...
I still carry, and I still primarily vote democrat
I have talked to many people at gun shops and stores and they all say that ammunition and gun sales are up more than normal. Gun owners are obviously concerned about what an Obama presidency or Congressional super majority means to them as owners. I have also heard that auction prices for guns have soared. I haven't become frantic yet, but come November 5, I might be in line to buy a couple extra boxes just in case.
Luckily, the conservative congressmen have been able to block many gun control ordinances, but with a supermajority, restrictions could certainly get worse.
Obama cannot be trusted based on what he says.
Look at his record.
NAC,
Explain how an atheist can have a firm moral foundation when they have nothing to base it on.
Feelings don't count!
Predictably Anonymous wrote:
Explain how an atheist can have a firm moral foundation when they have nothing to base it on.
You're assuming that a moral system depends on one or more "supreme beings" for validity. This isn't necessarily the case even if it's common. A moral system is a means of determining right and wrong and pertains to sustainable conduct and relationships between human beings. Because it lies beyond the comprehension of human understanding, the supernatural realm strikes me as a poor place to base such determinations, which might also be derived from human experience, intuition and reason.
Feelings don't count!
You can say what you like, but I persist in supporting feelings, of which love seems to me most prominent.
NAC,
I don't want to detract from todays very important topic regarding Obama and his radicalism, but your comment
Because it lies beyond the comprehension of human understanding,
Exactly!! That is where faith comes in. You have faith, it is just placed differently from Christians.
By the way, where does an atheist think love comes from?
You can have all the faith you wish that somehow is based on things beyond your comprehension (an extremely sketchy proposition, by the way), but when it comes to anchoring a moral system on them, it's a bit more than dubious.
As for the plainly insulting bit about "where does an atheist think love comes from?", that's like me asking "how does a theist digest his meal?"
I cannot say I don't enjoy the philosophical topic of theism, love, faith, etc., but I really want to stay focused on Obama and his worldview.
It has much more pertinent and threatening implications to about half the population in the USA.
Gun control is just another one of the many, many disagreements I have with him and his views.
Informing readers is important so they can make better decisions.
Ultimately, we all have to live with whoever wins, but we can still debate the issues until then.
When it comes to guns, my late father had many. I'm pro-choice, whch is to say I have none, and don't intend to have any.
What's significant to me is that in the original post, there are two separate issues. One of them has to do with sportsmen, and the other with gun owners, and I asked how these connected.
Talking guns for hunting and guns for robbing strikes me as two very different things.
Guns involve both hunting as well as just shooting. There are gun-owners who just enjoy the sports involving shooting and there are gunowners who just enjoy hunting and there are gunowners who enjoy both. None are mutually exclusive.
Yes, there are always those few who utilize them for illegal purposes, but punishing those of us who don't is not the answer.
I enjoy trap shooting, skeet shooting, target shooting and just firing off rounds from lots of different types of weapons.
There is a lot of skill to shooting and it takes a lot of practice to become really proficient.
There is also just plain enjoyment in going to a range or into the woods and firing off some rounds with friends.
Home protection is also very important to many law-abiding gun owners and we should not be limited based on Obama's view of what a legitimate weapon is.
That seems to be a reasonable answer. Thanks.
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