Howard Dean,don't believe he is pro gun!

[gunsmith]

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=16592
Gun Legislation: The "A" rating that Dean has received from the NRA is chilling, but it has to be taken in context. As Lance Bukoff points out, "the NRA rating system is actually rather 'passive' in its assessment of politicians. Put simply but accurately, an 'A' rating is 'earned' by not voting for or promoting any laws which would restrict gun ownership. Dean observes that Vermont is not NYC or LA or Philadelphia. Vermont is a state where gun violence does not occur in any way significant enough [in 2002, Vermont had five homicides] to warrant restrictive gun control laws, unless you take the deer's point of view, of course. So he says Vermont does not need them, and he did not sign any, and he did not promote any as a governor, and as a consequence he gets an 'A' rating from the NRA, but not because he shares a duck blind with NRA members. He goes further. He says he supports the Brady bill, he supports the assault gun ban, and he supports closing the gun show sale loopholes. And he also tells voters in states like New York, 'We don't need gun control laws in Vermont, but you probably do, and if that's the case you should make them.'"

So H. Dean thinks it's ok for NY to send Navy Vet Ron Dixon to
jail for shooting a lifetime thug robber invading his home,in his
2yr's old kid room?
Dean thinks it's ok to deport the poor bodega worker to
Cuba for shooting an armed robber who was shooting
said bodega worker?
Dean is ok with letting rich folks have ccw while
poor minorities get jail?
They wan't me to believe Dean is my friend?

 

[Mark Tyson]

OK, let me play devil's advocate if I may:

How is he any worse than Bush? Keep in mind I want to like Bush, but if I'm not mistaken he too supports the same laws.

Of course, Bush is poised to sign the Lawful Commerce in Firearms Act, I don't know if Dean would do that ... but nevertheless.

 

[jsalcedo]

Who said Bush was any good about his stance on gun laws?

At least he hasn't signed any IIRC (not that he has been given a chance to)

 

[greyhound]

Don't worry, I don't.

And remember, its Vermont's Constitution that guarantees right to carry; Dean couldn't have changed that if he wanted to.

Ever since the "Yeah I said it but I don't believe it anymore" Tim Russert interview, I have an extreme distrust for this man.

And, no, I don't think President Bush is any friend of the self defense/govt. tyranny type of gun owner (Heck, all pols love them hunters, though ), but when you look at their positions on all things, hes a lot better than Mr. "Please don't bring up any old quotes".

 

[Old Fuff]

Since Gov. Dean thinks that present federal gun control laws are fine, and that states shouldn’t be discouraged from passing even more restrictions (like California) I don’t want to see him elected president. Mr. Bush is no poster boy for Second Amendment advocates, but he also isn’t going out of his way to push for more legislation at federal or state levels. While Dean has not overseen the enactment of gun control laws in Vermont he apparently hasn’t met any that he didn’t like.

It is said that in the Bush White House the NRA has some influence, where if a Democrat were President that role would fall to Sarah Brady and friends. Which would you prefer?

 

[PeteyPete]

Never trust the Dems w/ your guns...the Republicans as a whole aren't a whole lot better, but at least we have some ability to pressure them into seeing things our way. There is no type of coercion that can be used to make a Dem see things through the prism of our founders.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

How is he any worse than Bush?

Dean's support base, and Dean himself, would lobby heavily to grab guns.

Neither Bush, nor the overwhelming majority of his support base, would ever do so.

For those that can't understand something that simple, you have my pity.

 

[Malone LaVeigh]

He's not bad for a Democrat, but that's a long way from being "pro gun."

Then again, there are very few politicians from either party that could honestly be described as "pro" in a positive sense.

I like some of Dean's other positions, especially his early opposition to this stupid war. For that, I might reregister as a Dem to vote for him in the primary. I'm a bit closer to Dems than Repubs on most issues, and I would like to be able to vote for one that isn't interested in actively campaigning to confiscate my arms. At least he won't have any political debts to the Bradys and their ilk.

 

[Standing Wolf]

If he's a representative of the Democratic (sic) party, he's an active or passive anti-Second Amendment bigot, and as such, will never get my vote.

 

[HBK]

I'm not voting for his sorry ??? either. Hopefully nobody will.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Well, I am of two minds about this...

Dean hasn't supported anything that Bush doesn't also support regarding gun control laws. The real question is whether he supports them the same way Bush does, or whether he supports them in the more traditional style of the Democratic party.

The part that bothers me is I would like to see Dean the frontrunner for the Dems because he is the most pro-RKBA of the Dem candidates. However, if Dean gets the nomination and loses, a bunch of Dems will be waiting to point out that Dean was pro-gun and still didn't win so we should go back to pushing gun control - and you can bet they will. Hell look at all the gun control they are pushing right now even as they are "avoiding" the issue.

On the other hand, if Dean doesn't get the nomination, whoever they put up will be even worse on guns.

Having said that, if it comes down to Dean vs. Bush, Bush is very likely to get my vote even though I like a lot of what Dean has to say. The simple reason for that is not because I have any special love for Republicans but simply because the Republican party does not have destruction of the Second Amendment enshrined in its party platform. Until the Democrats address that issue, I am always going to vote for some other party if the choices are even close.

 

[HBK]

The whole Dean thing is like a fluke. I doubt he even gets his party's nomination.


If he actually becomes president, god forbid, I'll have to eat crow. A nation that elected Bill Clinton to two terms will elect anyone. Maybe I should run...