President's brother gives gun owners shot in the arm

[2dogs]

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/27/1051381853028.html

President's brother gives gun owners shot in the arm
April 28 2003





The Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, has thanked the National Rifle Association for helping elect his brother President of the United States in 2000.

Mr Bush, the keynote speaker at the gun lobby's annual convention, said that, based on exit polls, 48 per cent of the voters in the 2000 presidential election were gun owners.

NRA support played a key role in several states, including Florida, where the vote was so close that the Supreme Court eventually had to settle the matter of disputed ballots, and in Tennessee, home state of George Bush's Democratic opponent, Al Gore.

"Were it not for your active involvement, it's safe to say my brother would not be President of the United States," the younger Bush said on Saturday.

The Governor said he and his brother supported the NRA contention that the Second Amendment to the Constitution, which cites "the right to bear arms", was an individual right with few restrictions.


"The sound of our guns is the sound of freedom," said Mr Bush, to thunderous applause.

The previous president, Bill Clinton, blamed the NRA for ending Democratic Party rule of Congress in 1994, when Charlton Heston, an NRA member, made television commercials targeting Democratic candidates.

On Saturday, Heston, 78, not quite ready to leave the limelight after stepping down the day before as NRA president, made an unexpected reappearance before an adoring crowd.

As in years past, the former actor raised a rifle above his head and in a weak voice issued the challenge "from my cold dead hands" to those who wish to limit gun ownership in the United States.

Heston, who served three terms as NRA president, made public last year that he had symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease.

 

[Sam Adams]

As we come closer to some kind of legislative action on the "Assault Weapon Ban," I hope that Jeb reminds GWB where his bread is buttered.

 

[Waitone]

Hey, Jeb!

You would do well to remind your brudder where he is and why he is there. You might also remind him that Second Amendment supporters ain't in no mood to play politics. He gets one chance to get it right. No more!

 

[Standing Wolf]

"Were it not for your active involvement, it's safe to say my brother would not be President of the United States," the younger Bush said on Saturday.

The Republican party keeps soliciting me for contributions, but doesn't seem to remember who tipped the balance in its favor last November—nor does the Republican Senate seem to understand it wasn't elected to roll over and play dead.

I've been sending my contributions to the N.R.A. and G.O.A.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

Well, I'm happy to know that my 17 votes for Bush in the last Florida election were not in vain. Ooops, forgot. That was for President Bush in the 2000 election. It was down to only 4 votes by the 2002 Governor's race. Could have been more, but no one called for a recount.

 

[Navy joe]

Problem: The NRA and gun rights in general now has enough clout to lose an election for anti gun pols. It is not yet enough of a force to win an election.

Example: If GWB refused to sign an AW ban renewal placed on his desk, the negative publicity would lose him more swing votes in moderate repubs, particularly mothers; than he would gain from NRA and gun rights folks lining up to vote for him in thanks. Deep down he knows an evil anti-gun canidate increases RKBA turnout, but that most gunowners will choose the evil of two lessers in the end. You know, kinda like the dems count on the "black vote" being theirs.