Polling data suggests that the race for U.S. Senate here in Washington is a dead heat going into the final weekend before the election, and depending upon to whom one listens – and believes – that may be bad news for incumbent anti-gun Democrat Patty Murray (who hasn't uttered a word about the report earlier this week that some people canvassing Seattle neighborhoods on behalf of her and other Democrats are illegal aliens, which we wrote about here).
That said, if federal marshals or some other independent law enforcement agency isn’t tasked with assuring the security of ballots in King County, a lot of conservatives are already predicting a replay of 2004 when, they argue, the gubernatorial election was stolen from Republican Dino Rossi, who won on election night and again on the first recount. He lost on the second recount, giving rise to the blistering observation that Democrats will keep demanding recounts until they get the desired result. This column wrote about this the other day here.
This is a high-stakes election because it could shift the majority in the Senate, and for gun owners, the importance of that can be summed up in one name: Charles Schumer. The senior Senator from New York State, Schumer is one of Capitol Hill’s most vociferous and fanatical gun prohibitionists. He is the man who infamously announced with glee back in November 1993, following passage of the Brady Law, “We’re here to tell the NRA their nightmare is true.” My colleague, David Codrea, writes about this problem here.
If Nevada replaces Harry Reid next Tuesday, as appears likely, Schumer stands in line to become the Senate Majority Leader, provided Democrats still control the Senate, and tipping that balance is the Evergreen State’s race between Murray and Rossi. If you enjoy Democrat mudslinging against a Republican challenger, and maybe vice-versa, watch this weekend's television advertising, especially those purchased independently from the Murray and Rossi campaigns.
Mr. Schumer, one of the party’s most prolific fund-raisers, has distributed $4 million from his own campaign coffers to the party and his colleagues this election cycle, including the $500,000 turned over to the Nevada Democratic Party to help Mr. Reid. Mr. Durbin has given nearly $500,000 to the campaign effort of Senate Democrats, and has appeared at fund-raisers and events and barnstormed with Mr. Reid.--New York Times
One gun activist e-mailed this morning that he had voted, “but I won’t be voting the gun issue.” Not certain what that means, but if he voted for Murray, then he most certainly did vote the gun issue, whether he understands that or not.
With Schumer leading the Senate, the brakes would be off on any crazy gun prohibition scheme that comes along. He has pushed restrictive gun legislation in one guise or another for years. He linked gun show legislation to terrorism, asserting wildly that Al-Qaeda operatives could come here, visit gun shows, buy so-called “assault weapons” and shoot up a shopping mall.
"We're going to hammer guns on the anvil of relentless legislative strategy! We're going to beat guns into submission!"—Charles Schumer (D-NY) on NBC, 12/8/93
Murray has never represented the concerns of Washington State gun owners. Don’t they deserve a voice? Murray aligns her votes with those of Washington CeaseFire, which claims 6,000 to 7,000 members, which dismisses the fact that they are overwhelmingly outnumbered by the approximately 90,000 NRA members, some 15,000 members of the Washington Arms Collectors, the thousands of members of the Bellevue-based Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and about 850,000 other non-affiliated gun owners in this state.
The clock is ticking down and this election is very much in play. Those who resign themselves to thinking otherwise are their own worst enemies.
Here it is in simple terms: A vote for someone other than Rossi is a vote for Murray. A vote for Murray is a vote for Schumer.
Any questions?
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Assault on Weapons: The Campaign to Eliminate Your Guns
Washington State Gun Rights and Responsibilities
Comments
Dave Workman, my take is, even if Schumer does become the Senate Majority Leader, he'll be hamstrung and ineffectual in trying to get anti 2A legislation on the Senate floor for a vote. For one thing, the Democrats would have something like a 51-49 majority. i don't think all the Democrat senators would vote for any anti 2A legislation. For another, there's the economy - still the most important issue on people's minds.
Still, if Schumer does become Senate majority Leader, it will serve notice to gun owners EVERYWHERE, to be vigilant, and not to let their guard down. I, for one, NEVER believed that "gun control" was taken off the table - as many suggested - even in the wake of SCOTUS' Heller and McDonald rulings.
My main concern is that Bloomberg will use Schumer as a conduit to try to get some anti 2A legislation passed, end-around style - especially since MAIG has been discredited- in the wake of the McDonald ruling. What say you?
the stakes are indeed high but while a legilsator with a progun rights attitude is important there are many legislators out there who feel that as long as they vote pro gun they can screw the nation any other way they want. Their attitude on the second amendment is important but not the over riding factor. How do they feel on the other admendments, other issues such as the economy and how have they voted. Have they voted to where their distirct benefited or just a few supporters? In california we have two pro-gun legislators who have done nothing for their districts and everything for themselves that I have been able to see. Both are Republicans and both need to go. The democrats are pro-gun and I am crossing party lines this time.
Trying to scare honest voters into voting for a NEOCON just doesn't cut it, Dave.
Rossi is a NEOCON. I voted for Clint Didier.
Get your head straight. I am more interested in the economy and jobs than gun rights. The only way to feed my family with a gun is to hunt or to rob. I see no way in hell that hunting weapons, and tell me we need AR-15s to hunt, are going to be banned.
Lets focus on important issues like being able to work and support a family than worring about some idiots that want to limit access to guns. I am a gun owner, a member of WAC and refuse to join the NRA. They are just as over the top as the anti-gun people.
Get over it!!
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