Free Republic

Friday, April 18, 2008 As this unusual campaign season has unfolded, we’ve seen the candidates ratcheting up their politically expedient rhetoric in an attempt to distinguish themselves as the “candidate of choice” for every constituency, while testing the far reaches of credibility in the process. We’ve heard blatantly anti-gun politicians claim to be supportive of the Second Amendment. We’ve seen hypocrisy, and we’ve heard double-speak and insults to our intelligence. When it comes to campaign rhetoric on the Second Amendment, we’ve seen a change in the way many anti-gun politicians campaign. Rather than talk openly about their desire to ban...

When The New York Times runs stories about a former gun lobbyist who has become an expert witness for groups suing gunmakers and dealers, and (some 15 years ago) you were friendly with that guy and his wife, if you're a columnist, you get on the phone, you call the guy, you call people who know the guy and then you write a column on Bob Ricker. To anti-gunners, Ricker is a hero, a whistle-blower who bristled at the gun lobby's zealous resistance to any attempts at reform. To the "gunnies," he's a turncoat. Off the record, some of Ricker's...