Frist no friend of gun owners

WorldNetDaily ^ | Posted: December 23, 2002 | By Jon Dougherty

[George Frm Br00klyn Park]

CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Frist no friend of gun owners
Candidate for Senate leader has history of anti-firearms support

Posted: December 23, 2002
11:25 a.m. Eastern

By Jon Dougherty
© 2002 WorldNetDaily.com

More questions have arisen about the GOP senator most likely to replace Mississippi Republican Trent Lott as majority leader, this time from gun-rights groups who say he is no friend of the Second Amendment.

According to an analysis posted on firearms rights website KeepandBearArms.com Frist has a poor record of standing up for gun rights.

And Gun Owners of America, a 300,000-member group based in Springfield, Va., has given Frist the grade of "D" in regards to his record of votes regarding gun rights – despite his being a top recipient of donations from the National Rifle Association.

Among Frist's anti-gun votes, he:


• helped kill a filibuster on the Shays-Meehan campaign finance reform bill that conservatives believe squelched the voice of pro-gun groups;


• voted against a filibuster and in favor of sending an anti-gun crime bill to a House-Senate crime committee;


• voted with Democrats to help pass the Lautenberg anti-gun crime bill;


• supported two other gun control proposals.

"Trent Lott has been an unprincipled disaster - the sooner he is made to fall on his sword, the better," wrote David Codrea, a co-founder of Citizens of America, a national gun-rights advertising campaign. "But Bill Frist is a completely unacceptable replacement. Republicans will elect him Senate majority leader at the risk of enraging and alienating the most reliable constituency they have ever had" – gun owners.

Lott resigned Friday, thanking his supporters.

"In the interest of pursuing the best possible agenda for the future of our country, I will not seek to remain as majority leader of the United States Senate for the 108th Congress effective Jan. 6, 2003," he said.

"To all those who offered me their friendship, support and prayers, I will be eternally grateful. I will continue to serve the people of Mississippi in the United States Senate," he added.

Bush praised Lott for his decision.

"It was a very difficult decision Trent made on behalf of the American people," said the president in a statement. "Trent is a valued friend and a man I respect. I am pleased he will continue to serve our nation in the Senate and look forward to working with him on our agenda to make America safer, stronger and better."

Lott faulted himself for the controversy. He said he had fallen into a "trap" set by his political enemies and had "only myself to blame."

The Washington Post reported Monday that Frist is poised to become the first majority leader "elected" by telephone.

Frist, an ally of Bush who is the Senate's only physician, also has a history of backing supporters of other controversial measures that are not palatable to most Republicans, like abortion and stem-cell research.

WorldNetDaily reported Friday that the junior Tennessee senator championed the nomination by President Clinton of former Surgeon General David Satcher, a fervent supporter of unrestricted abortion and someone who actually performed abortions.

And, Frist – a heart surgeon – once told National Public Radio that there are no absolute right, absolute wrong answers in medicine. During last year's stem-cell debate, he proposed using leftover embryos from in-vitro fertilization clinics for scientific research. The Weekly Standard also noted that Frist believes there is a moral imperative to use one unsalvageable life to save another.

Sen. Pete Dominici, R-N.M., threw his support to Frist last week, telling Fox News he wanted to move up a Jan. 6 Republican conference meeting to debate the party's fate and affirm Frist as the party leader.

Virginia's two Republican senators, John Warner and George Allen, backed Frist last week.

Over the weekend, other colleagues praised Frist and said they looked forward to his leadership.

"He personifies not just the rhetoric about idealism but as a life that has been lived," said Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., on Fox News Sunday. "There are actually hands-on examples of how he will make a difference. And I think it's a very exciting prospect."

Frist will "be a different face than what we've had," added Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. "I'm not criticizing what we've had, but I think Bill has a kind of a more moderate record and a more moderate approach toward things, and I think that it's going to be very difficult to criticize him."

Others predicted Lott's demise would be forgotten soon.

"In the long sweep of American history, this is going to be a blip," Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

THIS article at WND

[Poohbah]

What was the NRA ranking? GOA are bit players who never miss an opportunity to spit in the soup.

[laconic]

The usual complaints; some of the fringes would rather have a 100% liberal Democrat in power than a 95% conservative Republican to spite over the missing 5%.

[G.Mason]

"Just another establishment picked "leader" as is Hastert, and was Lott."

Establishment picked?

You mean they didn't consult with.........

Oh, never mind.....it's Christmas.....and you've got that Hillary broad to deal with.

[jim_trent]

A better analogy would be, "True belivers" gore their own.

[toddst]

Here are some of Frist's votes regarding firearms. On balance, he's a supporter of gun rights. He could be stronger, no doubt, but to paint him as anti-gun is completely asinine.

I expect Dr. Frist will move in the direction of supporting more gun rights because doing so will help him be a more effective majority leader. I suspect opportunities to demonstrate his position on gun rights will come before the Senate in the next few months.

[byteback]

What was the NRA ranking?

Frist has a lifetime rating of A. I guess because he didn't get an A+ that makes him anti-gun to some here.

[Poohbah]

I thought so.

GOA's attitude is that you can just turn this supertanker around right this instant.

[Digger]

As the guy said, there's not a dime's bit of difference between the two wings on the same bird of prey.

This is GW's guy. Now who in their right mind would call GW a conservative? This is/was exactly what the elites that run this oligarchy have been striving for this past century & that ol' Ronald Reagan got in their way & put their agenda back 25 years. But we got Bubba & now this guy & as Paul Harvey says, the rest is history.

[white trash redneck]

Frist isn't as pro-RKBA as I am, but on the other hand, I was never in the running for SML.

[texson66]

Oh no! Frist, another pretty-boy, rich RINO, anti-second amendment kinda-guy? If he is a gun control type, he should be dumped!

[texson66]

The media is reporting that...but is it true???

[Poohbah]

NRA gave him an A.

But facts never satisfy the unappeasables.

[RAT Patrol]

Frist told the Log Cabin Republicans that they were a very important part of our party and we can't win without them.

[RAT Patrol]

What I am figuring out is that Frist is not only a surgeon but also an EXCELLENT (???) politician. He has the ability to be all things to all people as did Clinton and does Bush. I really HATE that quality but I cannot deny its effectiveness. I am unclear on how, with these types, you figure out just what that REALLY stand for.

[Remedy]

Politics is The Art Of The Possible. It is unlikely that there exists a GOP Senator who would both mirror your 2nd Amendment position AND be suitable and electable as Senate Majority Leader.

Senator Samuel D. 'Sam' Brownback Kansas

2001: Based on the votes that the Gun Owners of America considered to be the most important in 2001, Senator Brownback voted in support of their preferred position 70 percent of the time.

1999: On the votes that the Gun Owners of America considered to be the most important in 1999, Senator Brownback voted their preferred position 60 percent of the time.

[ImphClinton]

I would imagine he will have to vote and govern much more pro gun to keep his position as ML. He now represents more than one state. We just have to make it clear to him our position.

I doubt he will fillibuster now the ML seldom does this. We could be in better shape as this will most likely be one less vote the anti-gun people will have.

I also wonder if he was the deciding vote on any of these bills. Could be his home state is more anti-gun and thus his voting record.

[Dead Corpse]

The GOA is a plce for those who felt that the NRA's "some gun control is OK" stance was unacceptable.

Are you STILL having trouble with the word "infringed"?

[jjm2111]

DemoncraticUnderground.com is disgusted with him, too.

But not for the same reasons.

[dd5339]

Thanks for the link, I'd like to see him take an even stronger pro gun position though.

Semper Fi