Should gun owners abandon the Republican Party?

May 12, 4:30 PMMinneapolis Gun Rights ExaminerJohn Pierce

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Anti-Gun Republican Rudy Giuliani

The short answer is “Not unless they abandon us!”

But the GOP needs to clearly understand that gun owners are not a constituency that can be taken for granted. As the party struggles to reinvent itself and to reach out to new constituencies, it runs the risk of moving away from those beliefs in individual rights and responsibility that initially attracted the gun-owner vote to the party.

So how did I get on this topic? It started several days ago when Gun Owners of America sent their supporters, of which I am proud to count myself, an alert noting that prominent GOP leaders were pushing for anti-gun Republican Tom Ridge to oppose pro-gun candidate Pat Toomey in the Pennsylvania Republican primary. This primary is an important one for the GOP because the winner will be running in opposition to former Republican-turned-Democrat, Arlen Specter.

Clearly, these GOP leaders were more concerned about re-gaining the seat lost to Senator Specter’s defection than in supporting a pro-gun candidate. And while it is certainly their right to act in what they see as the best interests of the party, gun owners need to wake up to the fact that we need to act with the same degree of mercenary self interest.

Now … in the spirit of full disclosure, I should note that as a Libertarian I have always supported the Republican Party. I have done so because, of the two choices available, they have been by far the party least offensive to liberty.

However, like any other political organization, ultimately, the Republican Party has only one goal and that is the perpetuation of the party. It is our job as issue advocates to understand this and to constantly remind the party that it cannot do so without the support of gun owners.

But aren’t we talking about hypotheticals here? Surely the GOP has not moved significantly away from its support for gun owners has it?

Well … you be the judge …

John McCain – 2008 Republican Party Nominee for President

John McCain’s record on gun rights is spotty at best. In this 2000 video for anti-gun group American’s For Gun Safety, he calls for the abolition of private sales under the fiction of the so-called “Gun Show Loophole”

Michael Steele - Chairman of the Republican National Committee

In an October 14th, 2006 Washington Post interview, Steele was asked “Should people have access to buy assault weapons?” He responded “What do you need an assault weapon for?”

And in the debate between the candidates for the position of RNC Chairman, the candidates were asked how many firearms they own. While all of the other candidates were proud of their firearms ownership, Chairman Steele quickly passed the buck with a barely audible “None.”

Rudy Giuliani – 2008 Republican Candidate for President / Party Leader

The man who was nearly the Republican Party nominee for President in 2008 and who continues to play a leadership role today has a long history of supporting draconian gun control. Listen to the following if you can stomach it.

In summary, let the GOP beware … Gun owners are not blind apologists for the party and we expect those who want our vote to earn it. If pro-gun democrats begin to fill that role, then it might be an entirely different game.