President Obama signed a bill into law that will permit the carry of firearms in national parks, such as the Grand Canyon, beginning in February .(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Let's play a little game called Name That Party
Choose the political party to which the following people belong:
1) The original sponsor/author of the bill that repealed Alaska’s license to carry requirements : Dem or Rep?
2) In response to the repeal of Alaska’s licensing requirement, what is the political party of the person who said the following: "I am a strong gun advocate and very concerned that every time someone misuses a gun, particularly a handgun, we lose in the court of public opinion": Dem or Rep?
3) What is the political affiliation of the group wrote the following in their DC v. Heller Amicus Brief: “the individual right guaranteed by the Second Amendment is subject to reasonable restrictions and important exceptions”: Dem or Rep?
4) What party is the state Attorney General who did the following:
i. Was the floor leader that passed a bill that ended the prohibition against concealed carry in Georgia and allowed unlicensed individuals to possess firearms in their car
ii. Signed an amicus brief in the Heller case asserting the right of Georgians to carry firearms in DC safe from arrest and harassment when the case was at the appellate court stage and only twelve other states' attorneys general participated?
5) What was the political party of a majority in Congress that for the first time repealed a gun ban?
6) The party that put Sonya Sotomayer on the Supreme Court of the United States?
The answers follow below.
Questions 1 and 2:
In 2003, Alaska repealed its requirement to have a license to carry concealed within the state. In doing so, it eliminated both its licensing and training requirements.
The author/sponsor the bill was Democrat - Rep. Eric Croft of Anchorage. He sponsored the bill out of frustration with continually fine-tuning the state’s gun laws.
Republican Sen. Con Bunde, also of Anchorage voted against the bill and explained his vote with the quote: “I am a strong gun advocate and very concerned that every time someone misuses a gun, particularly a handgun, we lose in the court of public opinion"
Question 3:
President George W. Bush’s Justice Department filed a brief in support of DC’s gun ban.
The brief made the claim that “shall not be infringed” means the right to keep and bear arms is subject to regulation and guns can be banned, then it went on to defend every federal gun law and the ability for Congress to ban guns.
Question 4:
Democrat – Thurbert Baker. Attorney General Baker has also joined in a letter to the Obama administration's attorney general, warning him that no more federal gun laws are needed and that an "assault weapons" ban serves no law enforcement purpose.
Question 5:
The Democrats the current Congress repealed the Ronald Reagan ban on carrying in National Parks. In fairness to Republicans, this was a Republican bill by Oklahoma Senator Colburn but notice that he only got traction for this bill when the Republicans were in the minority.
Also, few have noticed that this bill goes much further than the Bush administrative rule change last year that required all firearms to be concealed, all carriers to have a license, and implicated state criminal law pertaining to carry in parks. The bill that passed, and goes into effect in February, allows for openly carried firearms and does not demand a license if the park is located in a state where a license is not required to carry, which is the majority of states for openly carried firearms.
Question 6:
This was a trick question, but the answer is Republicans.
Republicans could have stopped this nomination at the committee level and on the floor of the Senate. They chose not too.
During the last two election cycles, Democrats have found victory with pro-gun candidates such as Virginia’s Senator Webb and Montana’s Senator Tester. During this time, we’ve seen Republicans argue in front of the Supreme Court that “shall not be infringed” means the government can regulate and ban guns, confirm anti-gun Supreme Court nominees, and oppose any attempt to repeal any federal gun law.
As much as Democrats want our vote, many Republicans are embarrassed by it. Over the next year, gun owners should evaluate whether their loyalty to the Republicans is being rewarded or being taken for granted, and explore ways to make sure that you select representatives that will represent your interest in liberty generally and the right to bear arms specifically. This does not always mean merely selecting the candidate with an R or a D in beside the name on the ballot.
Check out other Gun Rights Examiners:
- Atlanta: Georgia right to bear arms convention a success
- Austin: Is the Brady Campaign for the children?
- Boston: Sotomayor: Unfit to serve
- Charlotte: Dangers of gun registration: 'The Belgian Corporal'
- Cleveland: 'Shotgun Robber' is an equal opportunity bandit
- DC: Under Obamacare, where will Canadians go for medical services?
- Denver: What happens to you when you buy a gun?
- Los Angeles: SoCal Churches go concealed carry.
- Minneapolis: It takes a gun to stop a gunman
- National: Are those against nationwide concealed carry for states' rights?
- Seattle: Lautenberg’s legislation cloak’s anti-gun senator’s true intention
- St. Louis: The Brady Campaign to create 'gun crime'
- Wisconsin: Gun rights advocates make progress
Comments
Thanks, Ed. We should make it a point to be aware of the policies our elected officials are supporting and not just be content that we have "the right party" in place.
Ed, I think we need to go a bit further than that. NEITHER political party can or ever will truly support a pro-gun agenda. It is just not in their nature.
The RKBA movement represents the only truly effective and principled opposition to the statist point of view. We are already for all intents and purposes a viable third party. In many areas, the dirty secret is that gunnies decide the elections.
The health care debate is showing just how true that is. And the reaction from the politicos and the media is showing how out of touch they really are. It is only a matter of time before the frustration boils over and finds a focus. Gunnies ought to seriously consider intentionally providing that focus. Australia has (or had, anyway) a "Shooter's Party", might be time to form one here.
Great article.
Also, didn't Montana's Democratic governor (Schweitzer) sign the Montana Firearms Freedom Act into law?
We should definitely make sure that Republicans know they can't take the gun owner vote for granted.
Each political party tries to court the gun owners of the United States, however, once they get into office, they turn their backs. Just over the past few years, I have seen both Democrats and Republicans, turn their backs on pro-gun bills. A lot of these bills were being supported by them, up until the last minute and then they changed their mind. As a Veteran, I feel completely obligated to make sure that everyone that I get into a discussion on this subject with, knows exactly how I feel about the U.S. Constitution and our United States. If a Congressman or Senator, cannot abide by THEIR oaths of office, then the public needs to vote them out. Unfortunately, people who have not served, take all of our freedoms for granted. Schools no longer teach history for learning of the past, and all of the pasts trials. They teach about individual people, and cultural histories, not United States history. My son is in 6th grade, and he cannot tell me what the Revolutionary War was about.
Cntd:
That tells me where our Countries priorities are. As it has always been said "Those who do not learn from the past, are doomed to repeat it". Most people have NO CLUE what that means. Very scary people, very scary.
It must be learned that not only are political parties not to be trusted, but even the leadership of so-called Second Amendment rights groups are not to be trusted. I recently watched Alan Gottlieb and Paul Helmke comment about a citizen carrying firearms to one of the pro-Obama healthcare propaganda meetings. If one looked away from the tv, it was nearly impossible to guess which was which. Gottlieb punked visitors to the KABA site with registration and he punked patriots carrying self defense to town hall meetings.
It is a given that most gun owners believe in the freedom to own guns. However, many -- maybe most -- do not believe in freedom as a fundamental principal. Members of that group are perfectly willing to see the Constitution trashed in the name of enforcing their favorite malum prohibitum. As long as the Republicans play to that while throwing out an occasional pro-gun bone they can continue to count on the votes from what L. Neil Smith calls "right wing socialists."
Ed you make a good point we need to elect the most pro-gun candidates we can find and then hold them to their word that they will support the 2A.
In Illinois if it wasn’t for pro-gun Democrats Illinois would have all but lost what little 2A rights we have.
That said I believe we need to plant seeds for the future repeal of gun control now while there is so much anger in the country.
Will you call for the repeal of gun control laws in your writings?
John Longenecker has done so will you?
Think Repeal, Demand Repeal
There is only one political party that has consistently supported the second amendment and that is the Libertarian Party. All the Democracts and Republicans need to be is a little less anti-gun than the other main party and they get the support of the pro-gun crowd. That makes no sense. If the LP became a major party then the R's and D's would be forced to become pro-gun or loose the support of the pro-gun majority.
Agreed, Egad. Now if only more libertarians would get serious on the subject. Let me see... ah yes, here we go. L Neil Smith pointed out how libertarians can completely change the political dynamic:
www.ncc-1776.org/tle1997/le970601-01.html
This election cycle would be just about the "perfect storm" to enact this scenario. I think current events have proven how right some of what El Neil said is, too. Democrats controlling everything certainly HAS accelerated the slide into tyranny, and the American people certainly HAVE reacted.
The only way even the solidly pro-RKBA republicans (and democrats) are EVER going to be able to accomplish anything through the political process is if the pro-RKBA movement makes it a matter of simple survival. The LP would be the perfect vehicle to do that, and might conceivably even seat a congers-critter or three in the process. They might win a race on their own, but it would be a lot easier with gunnies supporting them.
Excellent, as a left of center Democrat AND a supporter of RKBA, I appreciate your efforts to set the record straight.
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