NRA Endorses Bush for President

[Cool Hand Luke 22:36]

How could this be? Kerry is a lifelong hunter who has spent time crawling around on his belly in the brush stalking deer with his $3,500 over-and-under shotgun. Why, he even almost once bagged a 16 point buck "huntin' down the cape" (most regular guys like Kerry drop the "g" from huntin', it's a regular guy thin') an incident that's "seared into his memory."

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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,135308,00.html

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

WASHINGTON — The National Rifle Association (search) endorsed President Bush for re-election on Wednesday, promising millions of dollars for ads, phone banks and other get-out-the-vote efforts.

"The Supreme Court is going to be crucial to the future of the Second Amendment (search), and President Bush will appoint justices that respect the Bill of Rights (search)," NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre (search) told The Associated Press in a phone interview before announcing the endorsement at a news conference in Duluth, Minn.

Bush also supports legislation to protect the firearms industry from lawsuits and opposes centralizing files on gun owners, LaPierre said, calling the difference between Bush and Democrat John Kerry (search) on guns "day and night."

LaPierre also planned news conferences in Flint, Mich.; Youngstown, Ohio, and Pittsburgh.

The gun-rights group's political action committee has already spent roughly $1 million on TV and other advertising opposing Kerry.

The NRA plans to spend about $20 million in all, focused on 10 to 15 targeted states, with efforts including radio, television and newspaper ads, phone banks, door-to-door voter contacts, up to 10 million pieces of direct mail and election messages in magazines that go to the group's 4 million members.

Kerry says he has been a hunter from childhood and a gun owner who supports the Second Amendment. But he has voted in favor of gun control and has supported extending a now-expired ban on assault-style weapons and requiring background checks at gun shows. He opposes granting gun makers immunity from civil lawsuits.

Kerry's campaign has derided the NRA's leaders as tools of the Republican Party and said they are out of touch with their membership.

Kerry has been endorsed by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. The gun-control group said Wednesday that it is joining with the Million Mom March to air a TV ad criticizing Bush's failure to press for renewal of the assault-weapons ban. The ad will air in Philadelphia, Cleveland and Miami over the next week, with an initial buy of $100,000, spokesman Peter Hamm said.

 

[Standing Wolf]

I'm not convinced it makes any sense for the N.R.A. to endorse Bush, who has, after all, endorsed the leftist extremist so-called "assault weapons" ban. Just because he's somewhat less evil than that Kerry creature doesn't make him worthy.

 

[Smurfslayer]

I agree...

Now, what do you want to bet this comes up now as a debate question, or, by Kerry who will paint Bush as beholding to the NRA.

This endorsement should not have come until after the debate. If Bush is pushed to answere whether or not he supports the AWB, what will he do? He's now painted into a political corner. I hope that the Pres has practiced a good way to disrupt the AWB question, because what good is the NRA endorsement, for a president who supports infringing the 2nd Amendment?

 

[RavenVT100]

If Bush is intelligent, when presented with an AWB related question he will highlight the differences between his agreement to reauthorize it if it reached his desk vs. Kerry's attempt to pass legislation that would have banned thousands more rifles and shotguns.

 

[Ultima-Ratio]

NRA /My Money!

Hello, I'm the NRA or so the NRA ads tell us to say eh?
TWENTY Millions of dollars! My first thought is..."How Many Public Shooting Ranges could that buy?"
I believe more ranges with accociated NRA training and of course required membership for insurance purposes would give so much more NRA exposure than currently seen.

 

[Dbl0Kevin]

My first thought is..."How Many Public Shooting Ranges could that buy?"

What good will a shooting range do you when you have nothing left to shoot?

 

[motoman]

Bush never really supported the AWB

I am glad the NRA endorsed President Bush for re-election. He has been a friend to gun owners. He did say he would sign an extension to the AWB "if" it reached his desk. I think he had to do this to appease the soccer mom's. If he wanted an AWB, we would have one. I remember about 2 years ago, the White House Spokesperson said that W supported the AWB as currently written (another words no extension) then the liberal press and the Dems jumped all over that position so they had to change strategies. The President said he supported signing and extension, and then told Republican leaders not to let it get to his desk. I guess that will have to do! We no longer have a AWB, so I guess it worked.
<BR>
<BR>
G.W. Bush has also supported tort reform against manufacturers and dealers, and his Attorney General and Bush himself have said that the Second Amendment is an individual right. No “as currently interpreted†crap like that Kerry creature said.
Not to mention GW signed concealed carry into law as the Governor of Texas.
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<BR>
I can’t agree more with the NRA on this!
<BR>
<BR>
Mike

 

[CentralTexas]

Wouldn't a better move be

to endorse a true Second Amendment supporter?
The NRA endorsement is symbolic at best or makes the antis use the nod as propoganda.
An endorsment of Badnarik would put the Repubs on notice that if they vote/act like Democrats they won't get the nod.
Just a thought....
CT

 

[RealGun]

to endorse a true Second Amendment supporter? The NRA endorsement is symbolic at best or makes the antis use the nod as propoganda.
An endorsment of Badnarik would put the Repubs on notice that if they vote/act like Democrats they won't get the nod.
Just a thought....

No, how it works is that Congress yields to lobbying by NRA, and NRA endorses the GOP. It's a deal that better not be broken. It's payback time for expiration of the AWB and all the stuff that didn't pass earlier this year.

 

[RavenVT100]

Let's be fair, here. I am not anywhere near to being in the GWB fan club. But being able to own an AR without a flash hider and not being able to own an AR at all is a damn huge difference, and if I had a choice between one or the other, I pick being able to own an AR. We need to take small steps toward our goal, otherwise we risk falling victim to the anti's strategy of small steps toward theirs.

If the NRA did not compromise about certain issues, it would not exist in its current form, period. That is how politics work. Bush's support of the AWB was retarded, but he is the only viable candidate for the NRA to support.

I see this as an absolutely predictable choice on the NRA's part.

 

[GLOCKME]

Go W...

How can anyone debate the choice between Our President and the "reborn" JFK...

W has NEVER signed or voted against a piece of gun legislation..Signed a MAJOR bill for concealed carry for LE..

Skerry meanwhile has voted against gun rights over 50 times..

Lets agree on one thing---We need President Bush..

 

[Brett Bellmore]

They're gonna be awfully embarassed if the subject of gun control comes up tonight, and Bush starts talking about all the new gun control laws he wants.

 

[Selfdfenz]

Don't know if W would do it....
Don't think W would do it...


...but after the election he can sign or not sign any legislation he wants as long as it "does get to his desk" and be 20 mill to the good.

If he signs something dumb, the NRA will have egg or worse on their face....and let's agree on one thing for sure.

W is a moderate at best.


S-

 

[rick_reno]

It's a logical choice given the opponent.

 

[StandOnGuard]

Doesn't this make President Bush only the 2nd presidential candidate EVER to be endorsed by the NRA? (Him and Reagan)

 

[sigman69]

motoman I totally agree with you

 

[Stebalo]

Good, it's time to bring out the big guns.

I hope the NRA can bat 1.000 at swinging an election.

 

[GSB]

I'm not convinced it makes any sense for the N.R.A. to endorse Bush, who has, after all, endorsed the leftist extremist so-called "assault weapons" ban.

It was carrot/stick thing. You'll notice they refused to make an endorsement pending the AWB sunset. It was a gentle reminder to W about keeping his mouth shut on the issue and letting it die. This is just the treat to reinforce the proper behavior.

 

[45Cal]

It's much better to support Mr. Bush over Kerry
as the latter is the Brady Bunch, M&M and VPC candidate of choice.

 

[Andrew Rothman]

In the debate last night, President Bush stated his continued support for a ban on scary-looking guns and added his support for universal background checks for any transfer of guns.

Emotionally, I tend to agree -- NRA should have endorsed a real Second Amendment supporter.

The rational part of my brain knows that the NRA, like many people, is choosing the lesser of two evils.

SCHIEFFER: Mr. President, new question, two minutes.

You said that if Congress would vote to extend the ban on assault weapons, that you'd sign the legislation, but you did nothing to encourage the Congress to extend it. Why not?

BUSH: Actually, I made my intentions -- made my views clear. [color=dark red]I did think we ought to extend the assault weapons ban[/color], and was told the fact that the bill was never going to move, because Republicans and Democrats were against the assault weapon ban, people of both parties.

I believe law-abiding citizens ought to be able to own a gun. [color=dark red]I believe in background checks at gun shows or anywhere[/color] to make sure that guns don't get in the hands of people that shouldn't have them.

But the best way to protect our citizens from guns is to prosecute those who commit crimes with guns.

And that's why early in my administration I called the attorney general and the U.S. attorneys and said: Put together a task force all around the country to prosecute those who commit crimes with guns.

And the prosecutions are up by about 68 percent -- I believe -- is the number.

Neighborhoods are safer when we crack down on people who commit crimes with guns.

To me, that's the best way to secure America.

 

[Smurfslayer]

I watched... Bush earned my vote.

I've been harshly critical of that "enforce the laws on the books" position, and thought that supporting the AWB was bad politics...

Schiefer did his level best to hang that stupid gun control BS around the president's neck, and I think it failed. The pres. was able to point out that it had less than zero chance of passing the House. The only issue I have is that Kerry was allowed to have the last word. The pres DID NOT endorse a new gun control law, and got out of the morass of gun control quickly.

I truly HATE the concept of voting defensively, but in this case, I think that if you own guns, and you value your right to own guns, carry them, and shoot them, you had better do everything in your power to ensure that John Kerry is sent back to the US Senate. The political reality is, that in order to do that, you need to vote for President Bush.

I did (absentee), and I'm damn glad I did. I don't support loosening immigration, or agreements with Mexico for a working partnership, I'd like to see companies penalized for outsourcing to India etc., and I'd like to see us kill some more terrorists outside of Afghanistan & Iraq... Still, I think a Kerry presidency would be a disaster for us.

 

[MP5]

The line from Bush that stood out most to me was

But the best way to protect our citizens from guns

I think he might have inadvertently revealed his mindset there. I know he was saying that in the context of prosecuting gun crimes, yet we need protection from the government that tries to take our guns, not from the guns themselves. But Big Brother Bush (think Patriot Act) wouldn't know about that.

 

[Brett Bellmore]

It's too late to have a good choice this year. It was too late quite some time ago. But if we really applied ourselves, we could make sure there's a good choice on the ballot four years from now. Find some decent Republican who's not afraid to be openly pro-gun, and play king maker in the primaries. We DO have enough votes to do that, if we dedicate ourselves to it.

 

[client32]

StandOnGuard

Doesn't this make President Bush only the 2nd presidential candidate EVER to be endorsed by the NRA? (Him and Reagan)

I think his dad was endorsed for the first term but not the second.