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Democrats Resisting 'Anti-Gun' Label
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Democrats Resisting 'Anti-Gun' LabelBy Susan JonesCNSNews.com Morning EditorFebruary 26, 2002(CNSNews.com) - The head of the Democratic Party in Montana wants to shake off his party's anti-gun image - something that may be costing Democratic candidates votes, particularly in southern and western states.Wire reports quote Montana Democratic Party Chairman Bob Ream as saying, "In the rural areas, we've gotten targeted with the image that we're going to take people's guns away, which is false." He blames Republicans and the National Rifle Association for spreading that fear, but Republicans and the NRA say they're simply telling the truth about the Democrats' anti-gun stance.As part of their plan to counter the anti-gun label, Montana Democrats, in their contacts with local residents, are talking more about the rights of hunters and sportsmen - even adding the following language to the state party platform: "We support the right to keep and bear arms. We support increased efforts to keep guns out of the hands of our children and out of our schools...The Montana Democratic Party affirms Montanans' right to participate in hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation on our public lands as part of our state's heritage..."To spread that message with what it calls "clarity and regularity," the Montana Democratic Party says it is "organizing a series of roundtable groups designed to focus on the concerns of Montanans on topics such as gun ownership..." The first meeting of the Hunter and Outdoor Sports roundtable was attended by hunters and other outdoor sportspeople from Southwest Montana.The roundtable group is intended to "counter years of misleading statements from Republican allies that Montana Democrats are 'anti-hunting' or 'anti-gun'," said Montana Democratic Party Chairman Bob Ream.The Montana Democrats' pro-gun moves have the blessing of the national Democratic Party. A spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee told one wire service the national party is encouraging state parties to follow Montana's lead in softening the Democrats' anti-gun image. If the shoe fits...But some Republicans say it's perfectly accurate to hang an anti-gun label on Democrats. After all, their 2000 party platform supported numerous regulations on gun ownership, reading in part: "We need mandatory child safety locks, to protect our children. We should require a photo license I.D., a full background check, and a gun safety test to buy a new handgun in America. We support more federal gun prosecutors, ATF agents and inspectors, and giving states and communities another 10,000 prosecutors to fight gun crime." In that same 2000 Democratic Party Platform, the Democrats blame Republicans for doing "nothing" to keep guns away from those who should not have them.In their 2000 GOP platform, Republicans noted, "Individual rights - and the responsibilities that go with them - are the foundation of a free society."The Republican Party Platform addresses gun ownership thus: "We defend the constitutional right to keep and bear arms, and we affirm the individual responsibility to safely use and store firearms. Because self-defense is a basic human right, we will promote training in their safe usage, especially in federal programs for women and the elderly. "A Republican administration will vigorously enforce current gun laws, neglected by the Democrats, especially by prosecuting dangerous offenders identified as felons in instant background checks. "Although we support background checks to ensure that guns do not fall into the hands of criminals, we oppose federal licensing of law-abiding gun owners and national gun registration as a violation of the Second Amendment and an invasion of privacy of honest citizens. "Through programs like Project Exile, we will hold criminals individually accountable for their actions by strong enforcement of federal and state firearm laws, especially when guns are used in violent or drug-related crimes." http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=\Culture\archive\200202\CUL20020226c.html
Comments
PC=BS
Here's a thought: Let's make criminals responsible for their crimes ... ...Not blame society and the tools they use!kimberkid@gunbroker.zzn.com
? otherwise, you'll find an excuse.