New RW smear ad: Kerry will take away your hunting guns

[quaoar]

There is a group called Vote Your Sport that urges hunters and other sportsmen to vote for candidates that will preserve and enhance their traditions. Here's a snip from a press release on their website:

NEWTOWN, Conn. - In a new television commercial that began airing today, Hunting and Shooting Sports Heritage Fund President Doug Painter stresses the importance of sportsmen taking the time to evaluate political candidates’ positions on hunting and firearms rights. Painter asks sportsmen to “Vote Your Sport” in federal, state and local elections.

“When it comes to the future of our sports, our hunting partners in Washington D.C., can make all the difference. It’s your freedoms that are at stake,” says Painter in the commercial.

The commercials will air until Election Day, November 2, on cable TV stations, including The Outdoor Channel and Outdoor Life Network.

The Vote Your Sport campaign also includes print and radio advertisements, direct mail initiatives and more than 2 million pocket fact cards designed to reach consumers through distribution at shooting ranges and firearms retailers. A Web site, VoteYourSport.com, urges hunters and shooters to become registered and more informed voters.


Sounds innocuous enough. Sounds reasonable and fair.

Except that this same group is also running an outrageous ad in the September issue of Outdoor Life magazine. It has a picture of Sens. Chuck Schumer, Dianne feinstein, John Kerry and Ted Kennedy smiling and giving a thumbs up sign after leaving the Senate chamber on March 2.

The text of the ad says:
"What's so d*!# funny about banning your guns?!
That's what this bunch just voted to do.
Right before they posed for the camera.
They voted to ban semiautomatic shotguns like your duck gun.
And they voted to ban semi-auto rifles like the one you use for plinking.
And they voted to ban deer-hunting rifle ammo.
And they voted to shut down gun shows.
And they voted to blame the gun industry for the acts of criminals.
Are these the people you want to put in charge of your rights?"

Well, the gun bill the Senate voted on on March 2 was a Republican bill to give immunity from lawsuits to gun manufacturers. Democrats succeeded in attaching amendments that would have extended the assault weapons ban and closed loopholes for background checks at gun shows. Republicans then scuttled the entire bill.

So here is this group -- http://www.voteyoursport.com/ -- telling outrageous lies in a magazine read by hunters and fishermen.

[emulatorloo]

1. Then Kerry will take all your money, confiscate your Bible, and force

your wife to have an abortion. After that, you'll be required to divorce her and marry a man.

[cheezus]

2. the sportsmanship issue seems to make environmentalists out of hunters

they know that they'll be able to continue to hunt without assualt weapons (or even certain hunting guns -- i question their facts, but don't know myself)... but they won't be able to hunt if there is no habitat and no animals.

imo, that's the perfect counter from the left.

[DrFunkenstein]

8. That Was Exactly What I Was going To Say

n/t

[MrBenchley]

3. Nothing is too scummy for the gun lobby....

nor too stupid to influence the hardcore gun nuts.

Incidentally, the disgraceful bill that was voted down was being rushed through to protect the manufacturer of the Bushmaster assault weapon that was used by the Beltway sniper and the Bulls Eye Gun Shop in Tacoma that sold it to him. Bulls Eye sold a gun to white supremacist Buford Furrow, who shot up a Jewish daycare center and killed a Asain American postman in LA in 1999.

""He stated that the postal worker was a good 'target of opportunity' to kill because he was 'non-white and worked for the federal government,'" Mayorkas said. "According to Furrow, the mail carrier appeared to be Hispanic or Asian."
Furrow also was charged with the attempted murders of Isabelle Shalometh, 68, a receptionist at the center, counselor Mindy Finkelstein, 16, and three little boys, Benjamin Kadish, Joshua Stepakoff and James Zidell.
The victims were shot during a barrage of 70 bullets fired in the community center's lobby. Police said Furrow used an Uzi submachine gun -- part of a larger arsenal he carried. "

http://www.cnn.com/US/9908/12/california.shooting.03/

Between that crime and 2002, when the weapon the Beltway Sniper was traced to Bullseye, the store "lost track of" more than 200 guns. Bushmaster knew there were problems at the store, but continued to sell them guns. After the Beltway Sniper's weapon was traced to them, the owners of Bullseye hurriedly filed a police report claiming the gun had been "stolen."

The proposed bull would have short-circuited the victims' lawsuit and a number of others, including lawsuits by Chicago, Gary, Ind., and NYC.

"In a landmark settlement, the Washington State gun dealer who "lost" the assault rifle used by the DC-area snipers, and the manufacturer of the rifle, today agreed to pay a total of $2.5 million in damages to settle a civil lawsuit brought by the victims of the DC-area snipers. The settlement represents the first time a gun manufacturer has paid damages for negligence leading to criminal violence. The settlement is expected to be approved by the court within the next few weeks."

http://www.bradycampaign.org/press/release.php?release=583

[StClone]

7. Thanks MrBenchley

Keep up the good work.

[MrBenchley]

11. Thank you.

You might recall that in 2000, Heston actually called on NRA members to lynch Al Gore...

[Skarbrowe]

4. A nice young man I know believes this to be true.

I was visiting relatives in rural Ohio near Cincinnati this summer and this really nice kid, I think he's about 17, and I got into a political discussion. I can't help it. I spread the word every where I go. :) This young guy is really a good kid. Courteous, smart, willing to help out neighbors, works hard on his father's land and at school. We start to talk about the difference between Kerry and Bush. I'm trying to hold back my hate for Bush and all of sudden this sweet kid says "But isn't Kerry going to ban all guns, even rifles"? My jaw dropped. Yes, he's too young to vote, but this was the only reason he said he wouldn't vote for Kerry if he could vote. I told him that was totally ridiculous and a good example of listening to people around you instead of doing the research yourself. I don't know if he did change his mind later. All I know is that he told my Aunt that I was "pretty smart". :)

Anyway, lots of young rural men will believe this garbage. The threat of taking away their huntin' rifles is enough to get them to vote for Bush. Unless they have a wise old friend like myself to guide them.

Ha!

Skarbrowe

[drdigi420]

6. Here's a formula for you:

D - G = V

Where
D = Democrats

G = Gun issues

V = victory


There would NEVER be another Republican president if we took this issue away from them. NEVER.

Democrats minus the gun issue equals victory.

It's that simple.

[Mr Blond]

9. Agreed!

The 2nd Ammendment isn't about hunting. Never was, never will be.

[progressivebydesign]

5. Ummm.. Kerry's a hunter!

Not that I like that about him, but this type of shit plays SOOO well with the ignorant masses. Assualt weapons to kill a duck... makes preparing dinner that much easier! The duck meat is already minced.

[HootieMcBoob]

10. He'll also shoot your dog and run off with your wife

man those people are pathetic

[Romulus]

12. been de-bunked here before

This "list" comes from the NRA talking points against Kerry. Here is the "real" scoop (sorry I don't have time to link to the bills at issue):


They voted to ban semiautomatic shotguns like your duck gun.

- this seems to be about SB1431, which I don't think has actually been voted on yet. SB1431 bans semi-auto firearms that have a "grip," which is vague enough to mean *all* firearms. It doesn't seem that banning all guns is the intent of this bill, which probably was meant to target protruding pistol grips on firearms.

- SB1431 also has a provision that assumes that any semi-auto firearm used by federal law enforcement agencies or the military be banned, regardless whether the firearm has a pistol grip or not. Per the admin procedure before the ban would start, you could petition to have the ban rejected by showing the firearm was "particularly" suitable for sporting uses. Since some police departments have adopted semi-auto shotguns that are also used by hunters (like the Remington 11-87), this provision COULD affect hunters. But that remains to be seen, since the bill talks about FEDERAL law enforcment.


And they voted to ban semi-auto rifles like the one you use for plinking.

- may be the same with SB1431 (not sure).
- If this point was about the AWB, the fact of the matter is that the AWB didn't ban firearms from the market, just the certain cosmetic features of those firearms, like the bayonet lug, etc., that don't affect how the gun actually fires.


And they voted to ban deer-hunting rifle ammo.

- this is probably about the "armor piercing ammo" bill (the number I can't remember). The bill would give the Atty Gen'l the authority to identify and ban (for civilian sale) ammo that specifically is designed and marketed to be "armor piercing." The fact that most any rifle ammo used for deer hunting can defeat police body armor would NOT put that ammo in the banned list. The ban would only apply to ammo marketed and designed to penetrate hard armor (like HMMV armor, etc).

And they voted to shut down gun shows.

- this is probably about the bill to demand background checks on all sales at specifically-defined "gun shows." All this bill says is that any firearms transfer taking place on or around a gun show has to go through a federally licensed dealer, so the dealer can run the instant background check on the buyer. Plenty of dealers sell at gun shows, and more would come out just to offer this service at gun shows if this bill created a demand for it, so this wouldn't "shut down" squat.

And they voted to blame the gun industry for the acts of criminals.

- this is the lawsuit bill, which "blames" nothing. All the bill does is shut the door on negligence suits against "moranic" gun dealers who let guns slip into the hands of criminals because of their own incompetence (like Bulls Eye). Manufacturers who continue to supply these incompetent dealers would be on the hook for not policing their distributors (like how the maker of Oxycontin polices the pharmacies where that drug is sold).

Hope that helps! :hi: