Bill Richardson D-NM Gov, gets CCW

[gunsmith]

http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/42625.html

By DAVID MILES | The New Mexican
April 22, 2006

Legislators and lobbyists beware — Gov. Bill Richardson has just received a license to carry a concealed handgun.

Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said the governor picked up his license at Friday’s dedication of expanded facilities at the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy on the city’s south side.

The governor successfully completed all the requirements for obtaining a license, including a criminal background check and a firearms-training course, Gallegos said. “He aced the test,” the spokesman said.

Richardson owns a GLOCK pistol, Gallegos said. But Richardson’s veto pen likely will remain his most dangerous weapon around the Roundhouse because the governor says he doesn’t plan to pack heat.

Richardson, who describes himself as an avid hunter, said he applied for the license to lend his support to concealed-carry measures. “I just wanted to symbolically show my support for concealed carry,” he said. “I don’t anticipate carrying one.”
Richardson, who was flanked by state police officers from his security detail during an interview Friday, said personal safety wasn’t a factor in his decision to apply for a concealed-handgun license.

In 2003, Richardson signed into law a measure letting New Mexicans apply for licenses to carry concealed, loaded handguns. Requirements for applicants include completing a firearms-training course of at least 15 hours and submitting a $100 application fee and fingerprints for a criminal background check.

The law bars convicted felons, those judged to be mentally incompetent, alcoholics and drug addicts from receiving a concealed-handgun license. The prohibition also applies to people under indictment for felonies and those who have been convicted of certain misdemeanors related to violence, drunken driving or drug abuse.

Last year, Richardson signed another law lowering the minimum age of license applicants from 25 to 21 and extending the term of the license from two years to four years. The 2005 law also requires a two-hour refresher-firearms course two years after receiving a new or renewed license.

In addition to receiving his new concealed-handgun license, Richardson applied this year for a license to hunt elk. “I’m a hunter; I’m a sportsman,” he said Friday.

 

[gunsmith]

if he ran for president against gulianni and mcclib

he would get my vote.

 

[71Commander]

I,ve never voted for a Dem before. He might get my vote. One thing is for sure, never again for a Republican.

 

[garyk/nm]

Gentlemen, since you don't live here, I'll forgive you. Just this once.
Bill Richardson is one of the most corrupt, power mad career politicians that I have ever had the misfortune to be governed by.
Kickbacks, cronyism, pandering to special-interest groups, he's got it all.
Gov Bill uses his line item veto as a partisan sword; for the current budget, he chopped an astounding 67% of Republican-submitted projects, while cutting only 23% from the Dems. Anyone critical of Bill saw their submissions decimated.
He is in constant campaign-mode. Don't know when he has time to actually do his job. His getting a CCW was for one reason, and one reason only: to gain the gun-owner vote.
I sincerely hope that we can de-elect him in November, so as to put a crimp in his Presidential aspirations. Given the welfare-state mentality around here, I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

Richardson has an "A" rating from the NRA.

 

[Otherguy Overby]

If he ever actually did carry he might consider striking the stupid no guns where alcohol is sold law. In NM, you can't even carry into a gas station/convenience store because they all sell beer. Sure it's sold only for off premises consumption but it's the law... a felony, no less.

 

[The_Shootist]

I'm Republican BUT...

...Richardson would get an awful hard look in a presidential contest. Personally I like him - he's not perfect but he seems to have common sense and a respect for the 2nd Amendment.

Which means he doesn't have a chance in the Democratic primaries

 

[MCgunner]

...Richardson would get an awful hard look in a presidential contest. Personally I like him - he's not perfect but he seems to have common sense and a respect for the 2nd Amendment.

Which means he doesn't have a chance in the Democratic primaries
__________________

Yep, he'll get about as much attention from the DNC as Lieberman gets. You cannot HOPE to please the DNC unless you are socialist and whacko as possible.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I'd rather have a corrupt Democrat who recognizes and accepts the power of gun owners than a corrupt Republican who doesn't - and a fair amount of the current Republican candidates falll under that category.

However, I'm skeptical that the national party would ever accept someone who wouldn't toe the party line with regards to gun hatred. They might allow him to call it "gun safety" instead of "gun ban"; but it will be the same policy.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

I think the Democratic Party would be willing to sacrifice their anti-gun principles for a chance to return to power.

The Democrat leadership is no different really than Republican leadership. Both are willing to sacrifice what they believe in for money and power.

 

[macavada]

While Bill may have presidential aspirations of his own, I think if he runs, in the end he may end up as someone's running mate. He's got the Clinton method of triangulation down, though. He's been doing it for a while. Very cagey on the immigration issue.

On the line-item veto - it's a bad idea no matter what side of the aisle you sit on. It's too much power for an executive to have in a democratic society, with no way for another branch of power to check that power.

I like Bill. I was into supporting him since Kerry lost to Bush. I don't think the Dems can get back the whitehouse if they keep on running northeastern liberals. And, with his careful, precise rhetoric on the immigration issue, Richardson will get the Hispanic vote. The thinking being that he'd have a much gentler hand in addressing the issue than some of the other potential candidates.

 

[JerryM]

I live in NM. I would not vote for him for president.

Jerry

 

[American By Blood]

If he ran for President he'd likely start toeing the Democratic line on guns right quick. National donors and party stability would be at stake.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Dean make comments about national conditions being far different from those of Vermont to excuse his moving from a position that approved of permitless concealed carry to one that was more in tune with the DNC's big NY/LA donors?

 

[gunsmith]

yeah but

gulianni and mcclib have proven themselves anti gun.
at least it seems we can bribe Bill to be on our side.
gulianni and mcclib are dem's with R's in front of their names.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

McCain and Giuliani are the Republican front runners right now. I would vote for Richardson over either of them.

Richardson would be no worse of a president than any since Reagan left office.

 

[Sistema1927]

From the looks of this thread, old Billy boy sure has some folks snowed.

As has been stated, he is the most corrupt politician in New Mexico state history, and that really takes some doing.

 

[Sam]

On a personal level I dislike Richardson as much as the other NM respondents.

I will however say that he is a good politician. Once you buy him he stays bought.

Sam

 

[cbsbyte]

Not being familar with New Mexico politic, how is Richardson corrupt?

 

[Ira Aten]

Quote
"I think the Democratic Party would be willing to sacrifice their anti-gun principles for a chance to return to power. "


With all respect, I want to say that you are correct about that. For just as long as they can get a majority in the Senate, and in the White House. They will do it for as long as it takes to regain power.

And then, I truly believe, they will sign the United Nations Small Arm Treaty, and we will begin loosing ALL our rights to keep and bear arms, and it will have been done by the United Nations.

Chuck Schumer, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Bill Richardson all teamed up? Bill Richardson is about as pro-hunter, pro-gun owner as John "Watch me shoot this shotgun with my thumb over the sights in this photo op! Kerry.

No sir, we are in a bad way. We have Republicans that admit they are signing Unconstitutional law when they sign it as Presidents, and we have Democrats who are trying to con everyone into believing they are now, all of a sudden, pro-gun.

I don't believe a single, solitary word coming from any of them. We need to vote out every incumbent in office, and that is what I plan on voting this upcoming time. I am voting Liberatarian in the General election, and I am a Delegate to the State Republican Convention in June.

I am going to serve in the convention, to at least get my two cents in with the State Party, that I want them to go back to the foundation of the party, whish is to quit screwing with everyone's rights.

I am going to tell whoever will listen when I am at the platform discussion, that the Party has deserted me, just like the Democrat Party deserted Zell Miller, and I am voting for the Libertarian party candidates, and I don't even have an idea who they are.

It is a pretty bad situation, when a guy who is politically active, knows at least a little bit about the issues, and cares for his country, decides to vote for "none of the above" by voting for someone they do not even know the first thing about, other than a philosophy of "Leave me alone".

But you guys that are going to vote for the majors. Man, please don't believe all the candidates that are going to be coming out with "I'm a Hunter from way back, etc." because it just ain't true.

The NRA may have given him a favorable rating, but you have to remember, against who? They have to go with the clown that will take our rights away the slowest nowdays. But given a choice between serving his country, and retaining personal political power? Remember the Chinese money flowing into the White House when he was in the Clinton Administration? Anyone that would not quit his Administration in a second, after that, cannot be trusted for a second.

 

[Ira Aten]

Quote
"Not being familar with New Mexico politic, how is Richardson corrupt?"

He was U.S. Secretary of Energy under Clinton. Remember the missing Nuclear Weapon disarming code that were missing, which supposedly showed up behind a copy machine later?

Google Richardson, and Nuclear and you will find news articles about it.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

He was U.S. Secretary of Energy under Clinton. Remember the missing Nuclear Weapon disarming code that were missing, which supposedly showed up behind a copy machine later?

It is easy for Republicans to not hold Bush responsible for "faulty intelligence" on the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, yet somehow they want to pin all the blame for the above mentioned scandal on Richardson.

We call that partisan politics.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Bill Richardson is one of the most corrupt, power mad career politicians that I have ever had the misfortune to be governed by.
Kickbacks, cronyism, pandering to special-interest groups, he's got it all.

Shocking. Just shocking!

 

[Sistema1927]

Not being familar with New Mexico politic, how is Richardson corrupt?

Another example (only one of many):

Where many former Governors, both Democrat and Republican, have found existing state government positions and placed their friends and cronies in them, Bill Richardson has created jobs without legislative approval, and placed his cronies in these positions without any pretence that they are going to do real work or that they are qualified for the phony position job titles. In order to do this, he has shifted money from budgets that received legislative approval to these phoney jobs. Even Democrat legislators have complained about this, and many of them sent a letter to the Democrat Attorney General requesting that she look into these illegal hiring practices.

One more: Bill Richardson has his state police drivers shuttle him from place to place at obscene speeds. One example, I was sitting next to the wife of a Democrat Senator at the funeral of a woman whose family figured prominently in New Mexico Democrat politics. Looking around the church, I noted that the Governor was conspicuous in his absence. I asked my pew mate about this, and she flipped open her cell phone and called the Governor. He assured her that he would be on time, even though he was presently located far enough away that the trip would take 10-12 minutes at the speed limit (also figuring that the Governor probably didn't have to look for a parking spot). Lo and behold, he walked in the door three minutes later, and even my companion rolled her eyes, estimating that the trip happened at 90-95 miles per hour.

Recognize that the laws don't apply to "King Bill".

 

[The Cavalry]

"Richardson, who describes himself as an avid hunter, said he applied for the license to lend his support to concealed-carry measures. "

Here we go again, a Democrat claiming to be a hunter.

John Kerry claimed hunter status during the '04 election, that didn't stop him from voting with Schumer et. al. to ban centerfire ammunition.

Sorry folks, you fooled us back in '92 with Bill Clinton and we haven't forgotten it. That guy went from solidly pro-gun as Governor to banning guns as President, no reason to believe Richardson wouldn't do the same given the opportunity.

 

[ElTacoGrande]

It's cool that he did that and that he has an NRA A rating. Supporters from all parties are good for us.

That said, I'm sure that Al Gore and Bill Clinton were pro-gun back when they were governors of their gun-friendly states. I hope that if Richardson gets some federal power he doesn't follow the pattern of Gore and Clinton.