Posted on 07/01/2010 7:08:29 AM PDT by Ogie Oglethorpe
Multiple sources tell me the National Rifle Association is planning to endorse liberal Harry Reid against pro-gun champion Sharron Angle.
Two weeks ago, I told you about the carveout the NRA received in exchange for their support for the DISCLOSE ACT deal.
Then this week, RedState broke the story of the “gag order” the NRA issued to members of its Board on the Kagan nomination.
Now, I’m getting credible reports that the NRA is leaning toward endorsing Harry Reid, even though the NRA is finally saying it will score a vote on Kagan — something that was not a sure thing.
Why would they do this? Why would they go out of their way to protect a Senator who has demonstrated a repeated hostility to the Second Amendment in his votes and his leadership?
Well, I thought perhaps the NRA carveout in the DISCLOSE Act might be the answer. But, there is more. It turns out, Reid secured a $61 million earmark for a gun range in Clark County, Nevada.
NRA members were recently treated to a three-page spread in the American Rifleman about a visit to Nevada by Wayne LaPierre and Chris Cox to “thank” Reid for the earmark. The article even includes a cliché picture of Reid cutting a ribbon with a gigantic pair of scissors. (Every good porker has his own giant pair of gold earmark scissors.) More here.
Here is a video of the event from Reid’s youtube site.
At 3:25, you can hear LaPierre touting Reid’s record on guns saying, “I also want to thank you, Senator, for your support every day for the Second Amendment and for the rights of American gun owners. “
The American Rifleman article also commends Reid’s Second Amendment record noting, “His dedication to this project is just one of the ways Sen. Reid has demonstrated his support for gun owners and the Second Amendment.”
Well, that’s all very nice. What politician representing a pro-gun red state wouldn’t want Wayne LaPierre to come out for a personal photo op at their earmark ribbon cutting.
But, here is the problem. Reid has not supported the Second Amendment “every day.” Or ever.
Reid has a lifetime rating of “F” from Gun Owners of America (who Ron Paul once called “the only no-compromise gun lobby in Washington”). GOA is actively supporting the 100% pro-gun Republican nominee, Sharron Angle, in her campaign to unseat Harry Reid.
But if you don’t believe GOA, see for yourself below the fold. Then call (800) 392-VOTE (8683) before it is too late and make the NRA knows they’d be betraying second amendment voters by endorsing Harry Reid.
Below are just a few of the votes that demonstrate Reid’s longstanding hostility to guns and the Second Amendment. Not included in this list is the long list of consistent and active support for anti-gun nominees to the Federal Judiciary and to high level cabinet posts. The reason I did not include anti-gun nominees is because he supported every last one of them.
June 28, 1991. Vote No. 115. Voted for a 5 day waiting period for handgun purchases.
October 21, 1993. Vote 325. Voted to eliminate the Army Civilian Marksmanship Program. Only the most fringe anti-gun Senators voted for the amendment.
November 19, 1993. Vote 385. Allow states to impose waiting periods over and above the 5 days waiting period required under the Brady Bill.
November 19, 1993. Vote 386. Voted to eliminate he 5-year sunset in the Brady Bill.
November 19, 1993. Vote 387. Voted to close off debate on the Brady Bill.
November 19, 1993. Vote 390. Voted to close off debate on the Brady Bill.
November 20, 1993. Vote 394. Voted for the Brady Bill, which imposed a 5-business-day waiting period before purchasing a handgun.
August 25, 1994. Vote 294. Voted to close off debate on the Clinton Crime Bill, which contained the ban on so-called “assault weapons.”
August 25, 1994. Vote 295. Voted for the Clinton Crime Bill, which contained the ban on so-called “assault weapons.”
April 17, 1996. Vote 64. Voted to expand the statute of limitations for paperwork violations in National Firearms Act from 3 years to 5 years.
June 27, 1996. Vote 178. Voting to destroy 176,000 M-1 Garand rifles from World War II, and 150 million rounds of 30 caliber ammunition, rather than giving them to the Federal Civilian Marksmanship program.
September 12, 1996. Vote 287. Voted to spend $21.5 million for a study on putting “taggants” in black and smokeless gunpowder.
September 12, 1996. Vote 290. Voted to make it a Federal crime to possess a gun within 1,000 yards of a school.
May 12, 1999. Vote 111. Voted to give the Treasury Department expansive new authority to regulate and keep records on gun shows and their participants, and criminalize many intrastate firearms transactions.
May 13, 1999. Vote 116. Voted to ban the importation of ammunition clips that can hold more than 10 rounds.
May 14, 1999. Vote 119. Voted to criminalize internet advertisements to sell legal firearms in a legal manner.
May 18, 1999. Vote 122. Voted to for Mandatory triggerlocks.
May 20, 1999. Vote 133. Voted to create new Federal regulation of pawn shops handling of guns.
May 20, 1999. Vote 134. Voted to give the Treasury Department expansive new authority to regulate and keep records on gun shows and their participants, and criminalize many intrastate firearms transactions. The vote was 50-50, with Vice President Gore casting the tie-breaking vote.
May 20, 1999. Vote 140. Voted for the Clinton Juvenile Justice bill, which contained a package of gun control measures.
July 29, 1999. Vote 224. Voted to close debate on the Clinton Juvenile Justice bill, which contained a package of gun control measures.
February 2, 2000. Vote 4. Voted to make firearms manufacturers and distributors’ debts nondischargeable in bankruptcy if they were sued because they unknowingly sold guns to individuals who used the gun in a crime. 68 Senators voted against Reid’s position, including 17 Democrats including Bryan of Nevada.
March 2, 2000. Vote 27. Voted to say that school violence was due to the fact that Congress “failed to pass reasonable, common-sense gun control measures” and call for new gun ownership restrictions on the anniversary of the Columbine shootings.
March 2, 2000. Vote 28. Voted to say that school violence was due to the fact that Congress “failed to pass reasonable, common-sense gun control measures” and call for new gun ownership restrictions on the anniversary of the Columbine shootings (reconsideration of vote 27).
March 2, 2000. Vote 32. Voted to use Federal taxpayer funds to hand out anti-gun literature in schools and to run anti-gun public service announcements.
April 6, 2000. Vote 64. Voted for a gun control package including new onerous restrictions on gun shows.
April 7, 2000. Vote 74. Voted against an amendment to provide for the enforcement of existing gun laws in lieu of new burdensome gun control mandates.
May 16, 2000. Vote 100. Voted to commend the participants of the so-called “Million Mom March” for their demand for more Federal restrictions on firearms ownership, and to urge the passage of strict gun control measures.
May 17, 2000. Vote 102. Vote to overturn the ruling of the chair that the Daschle amendment (commending the participants of the so-called “Million Mom March” for their demand for more Federal restrictions on firearms ownership, and to urge the passage of strict gun control measures) was out of order.
May 17, 2000. Vote 103. Voted against an amendment stating “the right of each law-abiding United States citizen to own a firearm for any legitimate purpose, including self-defense or recreation, should not be infringed.”
May 17, 2000. Vote 104. Voted for an amendment commending the participants of the so-called “Million Mom March” for their demand for more Federal restrictions on firearms ownership, and to urge the passage of strict gun control measures.
February 26, 2004. Vote 17. Voted for mandatory triggerlocks.
March 2, 2004. Vote 25. Voted for Federal regulation of gun shows.
July 28, 2005. Vote 207. Voted for mandatory triggerlocks.
March 5, 2009. Vote 83. Voted against a ban on the United Nations imposing taxes on American citizens after France and other world leaders proposed a global tax on firearms.
“NRA Now Leans Toward Endorsing Harry Reid”
If they do, they are dead to me.
“What happened to the NRA?”
What happened to the GOP?
Interesting! April Lexington, Life member of the NRA, now leans toward telling the NRA to shove it... Hello GOA!
Wayne is walking on some VERY thin ice here. If they endorse Reid I'm leaving and so will millions of others. I fear our beloved NRA has turned into a pack of whores...
Call me another skeptic.
Ditto.
Reid has had very good relations with the NRA, and this endorsement has been in the works for some time now, comes as no surprise at all.
Maybe it has to do with the Mob connections of Nevada’s favorite son, I mean really, without unrestricted access to firearms, there would *be* no organized crime.
wow. This is messed up.
Will not be donating to NRA for a few years because of this....
I read your post and went back to my June edition of American Hunter.... I was STUNNED at the puff piece & glowing article that Am Hunter aka the NRA, wrote about Dirty Dingy Reid and his so-called support for the NRA, more specifically his total lack of support for the 2nd Amendment.
Tomorrow there will be an angry call to NRA-ILA to demand WTH is going on with the NRA? Endorsing demoRATs who will turn around in a split second and backstab any 2nd Amendment efforts.
Our country is being methodically destroyed day in & day out. We need a 2nd Civil War or Am Rev II before it is too late.
99.999% of the time I would agree with this, but I think once in a while it's good for rank and file members of associations to do this: To demand that the association be true to its principles--even if it's only because of a rumor.
The immediate result of the Reid rumor is that people will be burning up the NRA's phone and internet lines, and the NRA will get blue in the face denying a Reid endorsement. The upshot will be that they will not dare endorse Reid, whether or not they were flirting with it.
So what's wrong with that?
Otherwise, I think. associations have a tendency to slowly, incrementally, slide to the left. There was once a time that foundations like Pew and Ford were patriotic and pro-American---what today we would call "conservative." Per Wikipedia,
Today these foundations are dedicated hard-left, anti-American stalwarts, and no one bats an eye. After a few generations of "best and brightest" new hires from Ivy League and other "prestige" schools, their viewpoint got pushed slowly and incrementally to the Left.
I read the history of these organizations, and you know what? I wish there had been the equivalent of "internet rumors" back then that had people furiously calling up these foundations, demanding accountability. Things might be different today.
Yes, I know that it's Bloomberg so I should have known better.
I contacted NRA twice about Harry Reid and got a auto reply..
Check out post 79.....
Has the Chicago thuggish play or pay extortion traduced the NRA?
If they continue with this, the annual general meeting of the NRA will be more than riotous.
“It’s clear the NRA would be committing suicide if they endorse Reid. 5million gun owners would end their membership, myself included. Are these people STUPID? “
Or is this anti-NRA propaganda? Time will tell, don’t go off half-cocked!
No, it is an opinion article on one of the most popular conservative websites. You are free to agree or disagree. Personally, I have seen enough evidence to agree with Erick's conclusion.
It's illustrative of the problems of the Internet.
Yeah, that darned internet thingy. Life was so much better in the good old days, when Uncle Walter and his two counterparts regurgitated the New York Times and told us all what to think.
One person starts a rumor, and now it has been posted here, with no backup, twice, this time as breaking.
You are free to refute anything in the article. Somehow I don't think refutation will be coming from you anytime soon.
Remember how these these fools were a pain in my rear back in 01-02? That organization needs to be cleaned out and restocked with new leadership.
Thanks, I read your post #79.... good investigative article that you wrote. That being said, I have a problem when the NRA supports or endorses ANY demoRAT politician. My socialist congress criter fatso commie pig Tim Walz D-MN(1) proudly touts his NRA endorsement and the dumb asses here in MN vote for this commie pig. My belief is that, just as Bart Stupek and the so called pro-life demoRATs sold out on the 0b0z0 deathcare bill, the so-called pro-gun demoRATs would sell out in a heartbeat if necessary to advance their socialist ideology & agenda. I don’t believe there is any real such creature as pro-life demoRAT or a pro-gun demoRAT. They are RAT BASTARDs pure & simple.
NFW....
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