Analysis
Anti-Gunners Praise Tells of Election Crisis
by Dave Workman
Senior Editor
After months of relative quiet, the gun ban lobby is suddenly all over the Internet with endorsements and fawning congratulatory messages to political candidates as the 2006 mid-term elections loom on the horizon.
Gunowners interested in protecting their gun rights should pay close attention to the politicians garnering lavish praise from the Brady Campaign and its soul mate organizations such as CeaseFire Maryland and other so-called “CeaseFire” state-level groups.
What many voters seem never to take into account is that with a change in majority parties comes a change in committee leadership. If, for example, Democrats were to regain control of Congress after being the minority party for 14 years, Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, would likely be the new chairman of the House Judiciary while Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) might have that job on the Senate side, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi would become Speaker of the House, the third most powerful position in government, and the most powerful office on Capitol Hill. All three are devout anti-gunners, who would without a doubt put restrictive gun legislation squarely on the front burner.
Most assuredly, there would be an effort to impose a new and expanded ban on so-called assault weapons, affecting more firearms. When anti-gunners lost that political feather in their cap two years ago, they set out to get it back. If Democrats re-take Congress, many gun rights leaders suggest that will be one of the first pieces of legislation they propose.
There would likely be federal legislation aimed at regulating gun shows out of business.
Legislation designed to expand the type and nature of “disqualifiers” for gun buyers and gunowners—making them ineligible to buy firearms or even keep the ones they already own—would surface.
And gone would be any chance of putting another conservative or even a pro-gun moderate on the Supreme Court, or putting more conservative, pro-gun judges on federal benches around the country. Gone also would be any opportunity to push through legislation mandating that all states recognize the concealed carry licenses issued by other states.
In the process, the “all or nothing” crowd that continually fails to see the proverbial forest for the trees would wind up with nothing, and perhaps less than nothing.
Thanks largely to the Brady Campaign’s flood of news releases following the September primaries, gunowners in many states already have a pretty good idea for whom they should not vote in many races.
For example, the Brady Campaign essentially pinned “vote against” signs on the backs of Maryland Senate candidates Jim Rosapepe, who edged out incumbent John Giannetti, and newcomer Mike Lenett. Both were endorsed by the Brady Campaign and CeaseFire Maryland. Rosapepe actually was praised by the Brady Camp for hounding Giannetti “for killing the state’s assault rifle ban in a prior session.”
The chest-pounding rhetoric from the anti-gun lobby identifies both Lenett and Rosapepe as people gunowners should work to defeat. Said CeaseFire Maryland President Lisa Delity: “They (Rosapepe and Lenett) will champion a ban on deadly assault rifles and protect public safety by pushing strong and sensible gun laws in Maryland.”
On the other hand, Marylanders also have a clear choice in who to send to the US Senate in a race between conservative African-American Republican Lt. Gov. Michael Steele and liberal white Democrat Ben Cardin. Gunowners looking to change the Maryland political landscape a bit may turn out en masse to vote for Steele, and his election would create a big dilemma for anti-gunners who would have a tough time criticizing a pro-gun black senator.
In another release to the press, the Brady Campaign further helped identify key races in which gunowners must play a role.
“In Illinois and Wisconsin,” said the Brady release, “incumbent governors will be running for re-election on policies squarely on the side of sensible gun laws. Both candidates for the US Senate in Rhode Island and Ohio will be supporters of sensible gun laws. Some key House races like the Colorado one, in states like Pennsylvania, will feature passionate debates on the issue.”
Pennsylvania’s US Senate race pitting incumbent Sen. Rick Santorum, a pro-gun Republican, against Democrat Bob Casey could be a downer without a strong turnout of gunowners. Santorum is trailing Casey in the polls, and his loss would give the Democrats one more critical Senate seat that would narrow the Republican majority and might weaken Republican resolve to confirm conservative, pro-gun judges, and stop anti-gun legislation that might come out of a Democrat-controlled House.
Tennessee
There’s also a critical race underway in Tennessee, where Democrat US Rep. Harold Ford and Republican Bob Corker are in a virtual dead heat to fill the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Bill Frist, the current Majority Leader. Tennessee was a state claimed by gunowners in 2000 when they swung the electoral votes to George Bush and turned their backs on Al Gore because of his anti-gun position.
In New Jersey, Republicans stand to gain a seat if Tom Kean Jr., son of former Gov. Tom Kean, beats Sen. Bob Menendez, who was trailing Kean at last report. A win there for Kean could help offset a loss suffered in other states, thus helping retain a pro-gun Republican majority in the senate.
In New York state, anti-gun leader Sarah Brady personally noted that Democrat Andrew Cuomo, running for the office of Attorney general to succeed anti-gunner Eliot Spitzer, “has been in our corner for many, many years. I was very happy to support him, and I’ll work hard to help him win in November.”
Statements like that give gunowners even more reason to support Cuomo’s opponent, Republican Jeanine F. Pirro, a former Westchester County district attorney.
Wisconsin, Illinois
Two gubernatorial elections in which gunowners could play pivotal roles are unfolding in Wisconsin and Illinois.
In Wisconsin, anti-gun Gov. Jim Doyle has infuriated gunowners by twice vetoing concealed carry legislation. When the National Rifle Association held its annual convention in Milwaukee earlier this year, they kicked off a “Dump Doyle” campaign. Gunowners are backing Republican challenger Mark Green in hopes that a change in the governor’s office will give the legislature the impetus to pass a new concealed carry bill and this time get it signed, making Wisconsin the 49th state with a carry statute.
And that would leave only Illinois as a concealed carry holdout. There, anti-gun Democrat Gov. Rod Blagojevich—who gets much of his support from the Daley political machine in Chicago—is facing a challenge from Judy Baar Topinka.
In a remarkable attack on Topinka, Sarah Brady sent the Republican candidate a letter in which she accused Topinka of having “extreme views” on gun rights. Extreme in Brady’s opinion is any kind of support for gun ownership, and even the slightest opposition to the most Draconian gun restrictions.
Once again, Brady’s nasty mail to Topinka gives gunowners a clear indication of who they should support in that race.
Michigan, Washington
A third gubernatorial race is between incumbent Democrat Jennifer Granholm and Republican challenger Dick DeVos. Granholm, a naturalized citizen from Canada, is seen by gunowners as soft on gun rights and hunting issues, and lately that race has been a dead heat.
Out in Washington state, gun rights activists have an opportunity to displace consistently anti-gun Sen. Maria Cantwell with Republican challenger Mike McGavick, though his campaign is in trouble and he is trailing in the opinion polls.
And Democrats are pouring huge amounts of money into that state’s 8th Congressional District race in an attempt to drive out first-term Republican Rep. Dave Reichert, the former King County sheriff, and replace him with Democrat political novice Darcy Burner.
In one race, a Republican’s consistent anti-gun politics may cost him his Senate seat. Ohio Sen. Mike DeWine is in trouble, and it appears gunowners figure they have nothing to lose with a Brown victory, as he is also anti-gun. The loss of an important Senate seat to a Democrat seems far less important than sending a message that Buckeye State gunowners have had enough.
The same goes for Rhode Island gunowners, who will likely sit out the race between anti-gun Republican incumbent Lincoln Chafee and Democrat challenger Sheldon Whitehouse. Chafee was nearly beaten in the primary by the more conservative Stephen Laffey, mayor of Cranston. The Republican’s anti-gun votes could cost him an important conservative core segment.
Montana, Missouri
Backlash of a different sort may unseat Montana Republican Conrad Burns, whose name has been linked to lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Challenger Jon Tester, a rural Democrat and a state Senate President best described as a populist, was running ahead of Burns. Tester is widely seen as strong on the gun rights issue. Tester is also reportedly an opponent of the Patriot Act, which Burns supported. A Burns loss may not mean a loss for gunowners.
In Missouri, Republican incumbent Jim Talent is facing a strong challenge by Democrat State Auditor Claire McCaskill, seen as an anti-gunner. This is a race in which Missouri gunowners could play a critical role by turning out strongly for Talent.
And some other key races important to gunowners, according to Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee, include:
Three Indiana contests, the 2nd District challenge of Republican Chris Chocola by Democrat Joe Donnelly, the District 8 race pitting incumbent John Hostettler against Democrat challenge Brad Ellsworth, and incumbent Republican Michael E. Sodrel, facing a challenge from Democrat Baron Hill.
Staunch pro-gun Republican Congresswoman Marlin Musgrave is facing a stiff challenge in her Colorado 4th District race from Democrat challenger Angela Veronica Paccione.
Out in Arizona, veteran Republican Congressman J.D. Hayworth is being challenged for his Fifth District seat by Democrat hopeful Harry E. Mitchell.
Kentucky 3rd District Republican Rep. Anne M. Northrup is facing a challenge from Democrat John A. Yarmuth.
In Ohio’s 1st Congressional District, Republican Steve Chabot, the incumbent, is being targeted by Democrat John Cranley.
New York’s 29th District voters will determine whether Republican incumbent John R. Kuhl Jr. keeps his seat or loses to Democrat challenger Eric Massa.
Virginia’s 2nd District race, pitting Democrat challenger Phil Kellam against Republican incumbent Thelma Drake is also crucial to gunowners.
And in Michigan’s Senate race, gunowners have an opportunity to replace Democrat incumbent Debbie Stabenow with Republican challenger Michael J. Bouchard.
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