Op-Ed: Checking in with the Second Amendment

12:05am Friday, December 30, 2005

An outdoors writer from Crawfordsville, Indiana has published an excellent column on current events regarding gun control and politics.

Our first item is an article from the Boston Globe newspaper published on Dec. 17 that says the Democratic Party is “rethinking its approach to the gun debate to improve the chances of its candidates in the western states.” Apparently it has finally dawned on the national Democratic leadership that people who own firearms are not deranged sadistic rednecks but instead, ordinary American citizens who vote religiously.

Many Democrats, such as Senate candidate Paul Hackett from Ohio, are also concerned about the fallout of being cast as the chosen political party of anti-gun advocates. Hackett told The Globe that gun-friendly Democratic candidates “are depicted by some in our party as a bunch of yahoos and we’re not.”

National Democratic Committee Chairman Howard Dean is telling candidates to soften their stance on gun control laws by considering them a state-level issue that can be tailored specifically for rural “pro-gun” states or urban “anti-gun” areas. This whole concept of repackaging the party first gained steam during the last presidential campaign when candidate John Kerry tried to pass himself off as an avid hunter and shooter.

As an aside, this corner would be interested to see a copy of the Mr. Kerry’s current 2005 hunting license.

We mention this news item not as an anti-Democrat rant but simply a plea for all registered voters not to be fooled by politicians wearing hunter orange, regardless of political affiliation.

It has been predicted by this corner and various other commentators that the swamps, fields and shooting ranges of our great country will be crowded the next few years with pink-cheeked politicians swinging around brand-new shotguns, chafing in new boots and generally trying to appear as if they know which end of the duck call to blow. We beg concerned hunters and shooters to remember: even if something quacks like a duck, it isn’t necessarily a duck.

It might be a lying weasel.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.

Commentary from Larry S. Moore and Bob Harsanje:

Brent Wheat really hits the political "nail on the head" with this column. Going back to John Kerry's now infamous "duck hunt", looking at the Strickland for Governor campaign, and Paul Hackett, Ohioans are in the middle of the Democrats' possible change in gun policy and positions. I don't want to take anything away from Ted Strickland, who has always been good on our issue. But there are many concerns, especially at the national level, about whether the switch on the part of many Democrats is genuine or simply telling the voters what they want to hear so the candidate can get elected.

I certainly am suspicious of the motives of many of the candidates. I love the line in the story that "just because it quacks like a duck, it isn't necessarily a duck". That line reminds me of too many of our Ohio elected officials, such as Senator Mike DeWine, who consistently writes that he supports the Second Amendment but then routinely votes with Senators Clinton, Schumer, Kerry, and Feinstein! Can you spell, "hypocrisy?"

Wheat goes on to report that UCLA has discovered a "left-leaning bias" in the mainstream media. No kidding! What will they discover next, possibly that the sun rises in the East?
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Informed gun-owners have understood this even before Dr. John Lott wrote his book, "The Bias Against Guns - why almost everything you've heard about gun control is wrong." (Speaking of which - right now if you donate $50 or more to Buckeye Firearms Association you'll get a complimentary copy of this excellent book AUTOGRAPHED by the author).

All this underscores the importance of being involved in the political process. Contributing to candidates, supporting pro-gun organizations, and making informed selections at the ballot box are key. Collectively, gun owners in Ohio and across the United States have made great strides in the past few years.

But our mission is not complete. We must collectively and individually continue to aggresively promote and protect our freedoms. If we don't, be assured there are many left-leaning politicians lurking and eager to take them away, bit by bit, one by one.

Why not make it a 2006 resolution to visit the Buckeye Firearms Association website (www.buckeyefirearms.org) regularly and get involved? It isn't difficult -- we provide the links and information to make it easier to do your part -- which can be as simple as making a phone call or sending an email message to your local, State and Government representatives. Don't think your voice doesn't count. Politicians DO consider and respond to their constituents' input. Most of them tell us they are happy and even eager to hear your input. So, go ahead -- speak up and speak out.

Adding just a single voice to thousands of others makes a loud sound that is difficult for our representatives to not be heard.

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