“In the 33 votes it counts, the group said Thompson was on the wrong side of gun rights, including supporting laws allowing minor offenses to cost people the right to own a gun and...”
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Is this true? Minor offenses, like a speeding ticket, will remove your right to own a gun?
Not that I am aware of. But I have read of the low assessment of Thompson. I'll believe it when specifics are supplied.
On the topic of having the NRA endorse a candidate, I think that it is premature.
The whole idea of how primaries are organized is to allow a small sample of US voters to indicate who they support. It denies the media any room to spin who is leading and denies them the influence of their biased polls.
An early primary in New Hampshire and Iowa puts those voters on record, but other voters can then assess how sensible those decisions are.
It would be early for the NRA to take sides, because they might pick a candidate who doesn't show well. Trailing candidates often take themselves out of the running if they get a disappointing showing.
That would be bad enough for the NRA to have to pick another candidate, one who they ignored, after their own drops out. Even worse, however, would be the prospect of a candidate showing badly but NOT dropping out.
If, for example, the NRA supports Huckabee, and then Thompson leaves Huck in the dust in the first few primaries, what then? If Huck is still running, does the NRA pick again, even though their first pick considers himself still in the race?
The NRA probably COULD do what I described, put it isn't very practical.
Maybe what the NRA should do is a negative "endorsement"? Maybe they could just put the hex sign on Rudy and Romney, hoping that the gun owners in the primary states will then choose from the others.
The “minor offenses” mentioned, were domestic-violence related.. you know.. wife-beating? Not all states regard this as a felony like we do here in CA, where you lose your gun rights anyway.
Clean-up on Aisle 18!!
(Would you clarify Fred’s gun voting record as distorted by GOA, please?)