NRA members skeptical of whether Trump's gun rhetoric matches his record

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

NRA members skeptical of whether Trump's gun rhetoric matches his record

Gun rights advocates question if Trump is a true second amendment
supporter before he speaks at annual meeting: ‘I don’t know if the
guy’s ever shot a gun’

Lois Beckett in Louisville
Friday 20 May 2016 14.14 BST

Donald Trump has pledged to end all gun-free zones on his first day in office. He has argued that recent terrorist attacks and mass shootings would have played out differently if more of the victims had been armed.

The candidate has said that he has a permit to carry a concealed weapon in New York, no easy feat in a city with draconian gun laws, and that he wants concealed carry permits issued in any individual state to be valid nationally.

But when Trump addresses a crowd of tens of thousands of National Rifle Association members at the group’s annual meeting in Louisville Friday, he will be facing a group of politically engaged conservatives with very mixed feelings about Trump’s record on guns – including some NRA members who worry that gun rights are just another bargaining chip that the dealmaker might trade away.

Ryan Baumgarten, 29, an NRA member from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, said he was skeptical that Trump is a true second amendment supporter.

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/20/nra-donald-trump-gun-record-skepticism

[CompanyFirstSergeant]

1. As a staunch 2A supporter....

...I see no value in a Trump presidency.

I don't believe anything he says.

[Lurks Often]

2. But they do know where Clinton stands on gun control

so expect most gun owners to hold their nose and vote for Trump, even if they aren't sure about where he stands.

[CompanyFirstSergeant]

3. True.

Very true.

[branford]

4. Indeed. At least Trump is claiming to support gun rights,

and he actually has a New York carry permit.

Conversely, Hillary praises the Australian model of involuntary gun buybacks, i.e., confiscation and bans, and claims to want to repeal the PLCAA.

If you were a one-issue, firearm rights voter, your election choice is unfortunately quite clear, and I anticipate that it might make a difference in swing states like Colorado, Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

[Eleanors38]

5. Yep. It's the swing states again. Where 2A makes a big difference.

[gejohnston]

6. I'm skeptical of all politicians,

even the ones I like.

[CompanyFirstSergeant]

7. "one-issue, firearm rights voter"

There are lots of them.

There are people, many people, who will not vote for Clinton for this reason alone.

[spin]

8. At least Trump has a carry permit in New York City. ...

He also says his sons own firearms, enjoy shooting their weapons and are quite knowledgeable about firearms in general.

That trumps Mitt Romney. "I'm not a big-game hunter," Romney said, then explained that his preferred prey were rodents, rabbits, and such--"small varmints, if you will."
http://www.ontheissues.org/2016/Mitt_Romney_Gun_Control.htm

Gun owners were not all that enthusiastic about either McCain or Romney as they were viewed as RINOs especially when it came to the gun control issue. Many gun owners feel that if strong gun control passes it will occur when a Republican is sitting in the Oval Office.

It remains to be seen if they will support Trump but you can bet that a high percentage of the estimated 80,000,000 gun owners do not support Hillary's position on gun control. If they show up at the polls they may make the difference in a close election.

Time will tell.

[branford]

9. Trumps sons are hunters.

To the surprise of no one, Donald has not been shy about posting the photos of the various exotic hunts and kills.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/31/donald-trump-sons-hunting-iowa-zimbabwe-pheasants

Trump's support for gun rights may not be as absolute or proven as some of his fellow Republicans, but there is no doubt he's much stronger on the issue than Hillary, who has (just like Bernie) "evolved" a far more more stringent gun control platform during our heated Democratic primary.

I will assume Clinton will try to "pivot" back to more moderate gun stances during the general election, particularly in swing states in the south and midwest, but the Republican commercials with her recent anti-gun rights positions and statements will be clear and unmistakable, to say nothing of how the issue may play in the debates.

Equally important to many voters, the NRA endorsed Trump today.

While the NRA's comments about Clinton are disingenuous, the endorsement will still carry a great deal of political weight and will help definitely unite Republicans against Clinton (rather than necessarily in support of Trump).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nra-donald-trump-endorsement_us_573f5ed3e4b045cc9a70f46f

The National Rifle Association on Friday endorsed presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, saying that gun owners and supporters must unite to block presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

“The damage that would be done by [Clinton’s] policies and her Supreme Court picks would destroy individual freedoms, and therefore destroy the America we all love,” said the group’s top lobbyist, Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Affairs. “We cannot let that happen. We have to unite, and we have to unite right now.”

The endorsement came after a fiery speech by NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre, the group’s longtime leader. LaPierre railed against Clinton, promising that she would strip Americans of their Second Amendment rights. Trump took the stage after Cox.

[spin]

10. I too expect Hillary to moderate her views on gun control in her campaign ...

for the general election.

Her problem is the that gun owners have long memories.

[pablo_marmol]

11. "Her problem is the that gun owners have long memories."

Yup. So as she pivots, she will appear pathetic for not realizing how pathetic she comes across.