Just over a week ago, I wrote about Congressman Russ Carnahan (D-MO, 3rd Congresssional District), who despite a checkered (at best) history with regard to protecting gun rights, seems to enjoy getting some trigger time of his own. One candidate who would like to challenge Congressman Carnahan is John Wayne Tucker, a Republican with lifelong ties to the area.
While Mr. Tucker's "issues" page does not specifically mention guns or the Second Amendment, we see some encouraging signs, including explicit mention of the need to defend the Bill of Rights and for the government to defer to the Constitution in all things.
Going to the "videos" page, we see something much more specific (it's a quick video):
Granted, it's nothing new for politicians to pose with guns, in order to win the gun owner vote (remember the famous John Kerry hunting photo), but most choose, as Senator Kerry did, to be seen with something other than a scary so-called "assault weapon." Mr. Tucker, on the other hand, is not afraid to show his support for private ownership of semi-automatic, detachable magazine-fed rifles, and the video shows him firing his very own AR-15.
Still, even that doesn't completely lock him into a completely unambiguous position as a defender of gun rights, from which no weasel-worded retreat is possible. For that, we need to go to National Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea's gun rights questionnaire. After I presented the questionnaire to Mr. Tucker, he got back to me in less than 24 hours. Let's see how he did.
1. Do you believe that the Constitution is the "supreme law of the land" and that the Bill of Rights acknowledges our birthrights?
JWT:Absolutely. The important thing to remember here is that the states were wise enough to refuse to sign onto the Constitution until it included a Bill-of-Rights to protect individual liberty and power for the states themselves. Many people fail to understand or appreciate the wisdom of this today.
2. If so, should these rights be proactively protected from infringement by all levels of government, including city, county and state?
JWT: These are inalienable rights given to us by God. No government entity has any authority over them.
3. Please give some examples of gun laws you consider constitutional.
JWT: Any law passed to revoke gun-crime victims’ right to sue ammo/firearms manufacturers and dealers for damages in court like the one passed in 2005.
However this bill falls short in protecting importers of firearms and ammo.
Any law that protects firearm ranges from frivolous lawsuits concerning noise and EPA violations.
Any law that protects hunters ability to hunt with lead core ammo.
4. Please give some examples of gun laws you consider unconstitutional.
JWT: The 1934 NFA (National Firearms Act)
The 1968 Gun Control Act
Firearm Owners Protection Act 1986 including the Hughes Amendment to ban the civilian ownership or transfer of any fully-automatic weapon which was not registered by May 19, 1986.
5. Does the right to bear arms include the right for any peaceable citizen to carry them concealed without a permit, as in Vermont?
JWT: …the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” There is no Constitutional basis for requiring any permit. It is one of our rights under the Constitution of the United States as ratified by the states.
6. Do you believe that Americans have a right to own, use and carry weapons of military pattern, and will you use the prestige of elected office to publicly promote that right?
JWT: Once again, there is no Constitutional authority to make any restrictions on our right to own and carry firearms. Therefore, it would follow that here be no restriction on the type of firearms we have the right to own and carry.
7. Do you support or oppose registration of weapons? Why?
JWT: Registration serves no identifiable purpose. I do not have to register a knife or machete or anything else that could be used as a weapon (and that could be a very long list). Why is it necessary to register a firearm?
8. Do you support or oppose licensing requirements to own or carry firearms? Why?
JWT: Once again, the Constitution does not support any such requirement. We have the right to keep and bear arms. What is the purpose in licensing requirements?
9. What specific gun laws will you work to get repealed?
JWT: Those laws mentioned in question 4 and any laws which have been passed that seek to infringe on the right to keep and bear arms, including bans on assault rifles, or limitations on magazine capacities.
10. If elected, will you back your words of support for firearms rights up with consistent actions? How?
JWT: Yes. I will work continuously to monitor all gun law activity. I will propose actions to remove any restraints or unconstitutional laws that exist and work to keep the Federal Government out of the gun control business as it is really none of their business.
Not afraid to leave himself without a lot of wiggle-room, is he?
I am also submitting the questionnaire to Republican Ed Martin, and will report any answer.
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Comments
if you're waiting for the rubber stamp to take a definitive position on ANYTHING you'll have to wait until andy stern of the infamous eciu/ACORN to give him his talking points since robbin U's little brother doesn't have the brains to get out of the rain. I don't know why russ even goes to D.C., he could simply let nancy pelosi vote for him via proxy! see 'ya at russes' next town hall meeting! LOL let's throw russ (and robbin U) under the bus in November!
I actually think his is the best response to this questionaire I have ever read. Interesting.
Awesome! Only a non-lawyer would give such good and straight answers. I can't wait to vote for John Wayne Tucker!
Refreshing to see that at least a few people that aspire to office have their heads on straight.
If I get a chance to he's got my vote.
The answer I keep hoping for to #3 is:
"I'll keep looking and get back to you when I find one. Let me have you e-mail address just in case."
FrankinFL, maybe you should read the constitution
Kurt, these are TERRIFIC responses from a man who clearly knows the Constitution and what rights cannot be infringed upon. I can see the leftists and RINOs cringing at the thought of Rep. John Wayne Tucker (R-MO)!!
Yeah, Levotb, I've seen a lot of candidates (in campaigns all over the country) answer that questionnaire, and I don't think ANY others have answered it as well as Mr. Tucker did.
Why haven't Russ Carnahan and Ed Martin responded to these important questions.
The US Constitution is still the law of the land. It is a "Bill of Rights" and is not questionable!
Quite a few of us on the missouricarry.com website have visited Ed Martin's Facebook page and left comments questioning his failure to respond to that questionnaire. The comments disappear almost immediately. After a large number of people tried to post comments and more phoned his campaign, he did put up a generic "I support gun rights" page on his campaign site along with a John Kerry-like photo of himself with a folding shotgun. He supports the right of citizens to protect themselves in their home, he says, but says nothing about protecting oneself otherwise.
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