Posted on 04/16/2008 5:46:18 PM PDT by holymoly
ABC News' Sunlen Miller and David Wright Report: Timing is everything in politics and, for Barack Obama's campaign, today's endorsement by the American Hunters and Shooters Association showed both good and bad timing.
The good news, for Obama: the support of this gunowners' rights group may help him overcome the controversy over his suggestion that small voters "cling to guns and religion" because they're "bitter."
The bad news? Today was the anniversary of the deadly Virginia Tech massacre.
“Sen. Obama will be a strong voice an unabashed voice for America's hunters and shooters and it is with great pleasure that we endorse his candidacy,” President of the Association Ray Schoenke said, citing Obama’s commitment to the traditions of gun ownership.
Schoenke said they had reached out to the Obama campaign several weeks ago to offer their support – but the announcement wasn’t made public until today. Schoenke added that the timing amid the controversy was important.
“We believe recent attacks on Sen. Obama’s stand on the 2nd amendment and his commitment to the hunting and shooting heritages are unfair.”
He said Obama’s vote for the Vitter amendment proves that Obama is committed to the 2nd amendment. The Vitter amendment prohibits the confiscation of firearms during an emergency or major disaster.
“Imagine how the citizens felt during hurricane Katrina when government agents kicked in doors to confiscate law biding citizen’s guns at a time when they needed them the most. We know Senator Obama gets it.”
Schoenke said on the other hand that Senator Clinton has “failed to grasp the importance of this critical issue to hunters and shooters and voted against this amendment, turning her back on American gun owners.”
The Republicans dismissed Obama's endorsement, and suggested the American Hunters and Shooters Association is an ersatz version of the National Rifle Association with dubious credibility among gun enthusiasts.
“Should Barack Obama be the Democrats’ nominee, he will probably be the most anti-gun general election candidate in political history," said Republican National Committee Spokesman Danny Diaz. "The AHSA’s endorsement of Obama will not provide him any credibility on the Second Amendment.”
During the Q and A, Schoenke was asked what Obama’s position was on banning hand guns generally – and referenced the DC gun ban case.
“I’m not sure I think in talking with the campaign that Senator Obama has not taken a position on the DC gun ban case,” but said that they were conformable enough with his position that he supports individual rights under the 2nd amendments to endorse him.
Today Senator Obama released a separate statement on the Virginia Tech anniversary. “Clearly, our state and federal governments have to strengthen some laws and do a better job enforcing others. But we all have a responsibility to do what we can in our own lives and communities to end this kind of senseless violence,” he said
Like his speech in the immediate aftermath of the shootings last year, Obama's statement does not include the words “gun control.”
Knock me over with a feather! /sarcasm
For those unfamiliar with this organization, they support "reasonable" gun control, such as bans on semi-automatic "military style assault weapons", and "cop killer" bullets.
I don’t know the group. Are they “hunters” like the ACLU cares about “civil liberties?”
First I’ve heard of them....
They’re prominently profiled in the NRA magazines. They’re only just slightly to the right of The Brady Campaign and Handgun Control, Inc.
They held a press conference at last year’s NRA annual convention. NRA journalist Ginny Simone was physically escorted out of the presser.
Lie. Former members of Handgun Control are at its helm, I believe. Calling it a rights organization doesn't make it so. (And you should know that, you disgusting pigs in the dinosaur media who wrote this trash.)
They are an offshoot of Handgun Control Inc designed to drive a wedge between hunters and 2A supporters who see the constitutional reason for RKBA. These people would certainly support Obama because they are comprised of the “Usual Socialist Suspects”. I would not be surprised to see some Soros funding behind this group.
Liberal or loser, take your pick...
Fixed it.
The AHSA is the proverbial "wolf in sheeps' clothing". An anti-gun organization, masquerading as pro-gun & pro-Second Amendment, in a rather transparent attempt to give credibility to anti-gun proposals, and anti-gun politicians.
Search FR using the keyword "AHSA". There are several threads about them.
ABC News reports that Barack Obama has collected the endorsement of a guns rights group, the American Hunters and Shooters Association:
"Sen. Obama will be a strong voice an unabashed voice for America's hunters and shooters and it is with great pleasure that we endorse his candidacy," President of the Association Ray Schoenke said, citing Obama's commitment to the traditions of gun ownership.Schoenke said they had reached out to the Obama campaign several weeks ago to offer their support – but the announcement wasn't made public until today. Schoenke added that the timing amid the controversy was important.
"We believe recent attacks on Sen. Obama's stand on the 2nd amendment and his commitment to the hunting and shooting heritages are unfair."
Actually, it is Obama's record on firearms that is unfair to Americans, but don't expect Ray Schoenke to know much about gun rights, even if the Daily Kos diarist is the President of the American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA).
Schoenke, a failed Democratic candidate for governor of Maryland, has donated thousands to Handgun Control, Inc, a virulent anti-gun organization that was the forerunner of Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence. He has donated tens of thousands more to anti-gun Democratic politicians including Ted Kennedy.
AHSA executive director Robert Ricker has testified as a paid witness against the gun industry and consults for several anti-gun groups, and John Rosenthal, President of the AHSA Foundation, is a former member of Sarah Brady's Handgun Control, Inc, and is leader of Stop Handgun Violence, a Massachusetts anti-gun group that has contributed to that state's intolerant anti-gun guns.
Just as Obama's record of claiming he is in favor of the Second Amendment even as he pushes for gun ban is dishonest, so is this endorsement from a trojan horse gun control organization masquerading as a group that respects American's rights to life and liberty.
Update: SayUncle examined this group earlier this year in greater detail. Posted by Confederate Yankee at April 16, 2008 04:05 PM
“Ginny Simone was physically escorted out of the presser.”
Fill me in.....
Thanks.
What does this ABC author mean by "small voters?"
Shirley he jests.
American Hunters and Shooters AssociationJoseph J. Vince, Jr., a member of the Board of Directors is the former chief of the BATF's crime guns analysis branch. Currently, he is a principal of Crime Gun Solutions. HCI has hired Crime Gun Solutions in order to support numerous gun control laws,[14][15] to support HCI's lawsuits against firearm dealers[16] and he was a signer on a letter submitted to Congress opposing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act[17]
“The good news, for Obama: the support of this gunowners’ rights group may help him overcome the controversy over his suggestion that small voters “cling to guns and religion” because they’re “bitter.”
This group is an HCI front with about 3 members. Nothing but an anti-gun, money laundering operation with a fax machine.
Do you think for a millisecond any legitimate 2nd Amendment organization would support this muz-slime Marxist puke?!?!?
“Calling it a rights organization doesn’t make it so. (And you should know that, you disgusting pigs in the dinosaur media who wrote this trash.)”
The MSM is truly a liberal propoganda outlet. What a blatantly misleading article.
IIRC He's also contributed anti-gun screeds to the Huffington Post.
BTW Thanks for all the info. Great post.
“The MSM is truly a liberal propoganda outlet. What a blatantly misleading article.”
The MSM knows full well who these pimps really are. They fit their (MSM’s) agenda perfectly.
You forgot
One thing’s for sure, their primary issue no longer consists in preserving the 2nd Amendment.
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