Election Day 2008: A Message from our Chairman
By Jim Irvine
Election Day 2008 is finally here. Today we learn if we worked hard enough over the past few months to enable our candidates to win.
If our candidates win, we can work with them to improve our laws. If not, then we are we need to take a long hard look in the mirror to see where we failed. Then we'll need to work desperately hard to hold on to our recent gains.
Don’t believe the media and the polls. Get out and vote. There will be several elections so close that a recount will be required. Some elections will turn on less that 1% of the vote. In past years we have seen many elections decided by a few hundred votes, some by a couple dozen. It is impossible to predict which races will be this close ahead of time, so it’s important that all gun owners get out and vote. Think of it as drafting your team for next season.
Supreme Court – Remember to vote for Evelyn Stratton and Maureen O’Connor. This is a non-partisan race (no party listed on the ballot) and may be the most important vote you haven't thought about.
A message from the NRA's Wayne LaPierre and Chris Cox sums up the presidential race:
In 2000 and 2004, American gun owners rose to the occasion and defeated tough, seasoned opponents of the Second Amendment -- Al Gore and John Kerry. And those opponents got craftier each election cycle in camouflaging their true beliefs about gun ownership.
Today, we face a different challenge. Barack Obama has such a long, openly anti-gun record that he cannot hide his true stance. All he can do is try to paper it over with platitudes. "If you've got a gun in your house, I'm not taking it," Obama says on the campaign trail, although he voted in Illinois to do just that. And he goes on to admit the real obstacle: "Even if I wanted to take it away, I couldn't get it done. I don't have the votes in Congress."
In contrast, we have John McCain and Sarah Palin. Make no mistake about it, the best hope to protect the Second Amendment is the election of John McCain. Sen. McCain has a strong record of supporting the Second Amendment, and Gov. Palin would be a stellar new voice for gun owners in Washington.
The record is clear. Barack Obama, with his career of supporting every gun control scheme he's ever encountered, would be the most anti-gun president in American history.
Our mission -- and our duty to protect the Second Amendment -- is to defeat Barack Obama, now.
The only thing I would add is that the Heller case addressed one simple issue. Do you have the right to own a gun in your own home? Obama said no! If you don’t have that right, you don’t have any rights. Cast your vote accordingly.
If you are not sure who supports your rights to own a gun and use it for hunting or recreation or self-defense, get a personalized voter guide.
We will post updates on Ohio as results come in. For national results we recommend you listen to a special edition of Cam and Company at NRANews.com
Jim Irvine is the Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman.
