John McCain and the Second Amendment: Where Does He Stand?

A Mixed Bag...


...But not as bad as Clinton or Obama

"He is really hard to get a fix on with gun rights."

John McCain and the Second Amendment: how does he stack up?

When we tackled the question, we have to confess, we didn't know. We assumed that McCain's record on Second Amendment issues would be the same as the rest of his record: more conservative than most Democrats, but not an advocate for the gun owner.

And at the conclusion of reading McCain and gun control articles by various Second Amendment groups and gun owners' rights websites, that's the evaluation that remains.

After reviewing all the information on John McCain and his record on Second Amendment issues, we have to agree with gun rights website, Front Sight's, appraisal.

"He is really hard to get a fix on with gun rights."

Some groups hold McCain's feet to the fire whenever he teams up with Democrats on any gun control legislation.

That's fair.

Government never takes away rights in one fell swoop: it is almost always incrementally, over a period of time that citizens lose their rights.

And government, especially the U.S. federal government, is especially jealous of the power it gets. Once it gets power, it almost never ever (the 21st Amendment being the only exception we can think of) gives it back.

A quick survey of what's been said of the Republican front-runner on gun rights from around the web.

The Buckeye Firearms Association:

As if there wasn't already plenty of evidence that Senator John McCain is the wrong choice for pro-gun Republicans in the Presidential primary, the Columbus Dispatch has added one more item to the list:

The specter of Mike DeWine as U.S. Attorney General.

BFA then cites a story from the Columbus Dispatch titled, "DeWine Could have a Shot in a McCain Cabinet". The Buckeyes weren't too fond of DeWine, describing him as "an anti-gun candidate sporting a Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (formerly Handgun Control Inc.) endorsement, [who] proved himself out-of-touch with Ohio voters on the Second Amendment, [and] was drummed out of office just over 1 year ago."

The Ohio report then lists a little bit of background about Mike DeWine and his attitude toward Americans and firearms.

In 2006, Human Events Online named DeWine among the Top 10 anti-gun U.S. Senators. And shortly before his defeat, DeWine took a position in opposition to legislation which barred gun manufacturers, distributors, dealers or importers from frivolous lawsuits designed to put them out of business. He consistently cast his votes on the side of the most rabid anti-gun Democrats in the Senate. And now he wants you to cast your vote for Senator John McCain.

Approximately 1/2 million people have hunting and/ or concealed handgun licenses in Ohio. According to the Minneapolis StarTribune's Dennis Anderson, Ohio gun owners made up 27 percent of the total vote in Ohio in the year 2000.

And they were none too happy with Mike DeWine, McCain's possible Attorney General.

Another gun website was unhappy at McCain in 2001: www.gunowners.org. It gave the Arizona Senator "Two Thumbs Down" for his appearance in a trailer attached to "Pearl Harbor", then showing in theaters nationwide.

Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona has appeared onscreen in many theaters, peddling a dangerous and very explosive propaganda -- thanks to an anti-gun group based out of Washington, D.C., which is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to run the political ad as a trailer in theaters this spring.

Urging parents to lock up their guns at home, Sen. McCain says "we owe it to our children to be responsible by keeping our guns locked up." This might sound "responsible" at first blush, until one realizes this one-size-fits-all approach can be deadly.

The reason? People don't know exactly when they will wake up and find themselves under attack. Like the Japanese zeros, criminals do not phone ahead and tell their victims to prepare for an assault.

Locking up one's guns might sound to some like the "responsible" thing to do. But if, God forbid, you should have to use your gun in an emergency, you can be sure of one thing: the thug in your home will not have a trigger lock on his gun.

Click on image to enlarge McCain warning label

In 2002, McCain sponsored legislation with Joseph Liberman(CN) to crack down on private sales at gun shows. According to a NewsMax story:

The gun-grabbing senators are now threatening to insert their bill (S.890), banning private sales at gun shows unless all gun buyers undergo background checks, as an amendment to other bills, according to Gun Owners of America (GOA).

Americans for Gun Safety(AGS)--(Ed. note: a gun control group]--has already claimed there was a link between terrorism and gun shows. No such link was ever demonstrated. It was all immersed in deception used to exploit the 9-11 tragedy. Americans paid no heed to this nonsense and instead rushed to buy firearms for self and family protection.

Gun owners should be concerned. As GOA declared in a press release: "Even more ominous, the McCain bill would threaten the very existence of gun shows. S. 890 would impose a five-year jail sentence on any gun show organizer if a single attendee of the show were not notified of his obligations under the Brady law. Obviously, if this bill were passed, an organization would be foolish to even sponsor a gun show."

The gun site, Front Sight, is more charitable about McCain's gun record: it calls it "mixed".

It has an excellent summary of John McCain's statements, votes and record on almost every gun control and 2nd Amendment issue that has come before the Senate during McCain's tenure there.

Front Sight's summary on McCain:

John McCain suffers from “senator’s disease” as a presidential candidate: as a long-time U.S. Senator, he has the most documented track record on the issues of all the top echelon candidates for 2008. Living up to his reputation as a maverick and a free thinker, McCain has not toed the gun rights party line. His record is profoundly mixed. Sometimes he has been with us; sometimes he has been very much against us. At times he has advocated positions such as mandatory gun locks and background checks at gun shows and then voted against the legislation when it finally came to a vote. Also he has voted against particular issues and then later advocated them in public statements. He is really hard to get a fix on with gun rights.

For a complete breakdown on McCain's record on guns, visit the Front Sight article, "John McCain on Gun Control".

In conclusion, we'd have to say that John McCain is more conservative on this issue than on many others. Whether McCain is a conservative, as McCain, his backers, the New York Times and other Mainstream Media outlets insist, is problematic.

On many issues, the Arizona Senator and the Senators from Illinois (Barack Obama) and New York (Hillary Clinton) have virtually identical records or stands.

We think he's definitely better on this issue than the two Democrats running for president.

However, that's a decision that each voter, particularly Second Amendment enthusiasts, will have to make.

John McCain and gun control.

What do you think?

by Mondoreb
hat tip: pat
images:
* joebluhm
* Bob McCarty
Sources:
* John McCain on Gun Control
* Gun Shows and Gun Control
* Another sign John McCain is no friend of Gun Owners
* DeWine could have a shot in McCain cabinet
* Two Thumbs Down for John McCain's Gun Control Ad



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Mix-and-Match John McCain's Ever-Shifting Stand on the Issues

McCain: In His Own Words

Straight Talk--or Else!

Those who have followed John McCain's political career have noticed the number of times the Senator has "misspoke", "been misquoted" or "been taken out of context". This does happen to any public figure, but in McCain's case, the number of times this happens is approached perhaps only by the Clintons.

So that we can't be accused of a "hit piece", we'll let John McCain's own words do most of the talking in this post.



An outstanding two minute documentation of John McCain's stand on basic issues. These are not hair-splitting issues, these are basic, fundamental ways a person thinks.

Apparently, the way John McCain thinks depends on the reaction he thinks he'll get.

As such, his principles are up for debate--sometimes in a matter of seconds.

Here he changes his position on Iraq in 47 seconds.



Next, on Ethics Reform.



The arrogance of the Arizona Senator shows through in this soundbite, as he states "we will have to determine which conservative groups are legitimate".

Apparently, those who agree with John McCain stand a much better chance of obtaining his blessing for legitimacy.

Although we agree with John McCain's foreign policy--at least what he says he says his foreign policy is at the moment--we also think that John McCain is foremost and first, a politician.



McCain's record on the pro-life issue is no more clear than on the issues above.

And, as always when talking about McCain, his sheer arrogance when talking of those who disagree with him is breath-taking.

Whether the issue is abortion or last summer's immigration debate, when you disagree with John McCain on principles, he assumes that you--like himself--doesn't have any that aren't up for negotiation or discussion. Any disagreement is portrayed as either a calculated decision or racially motivated.

But what's his stand on wildlife?


If you don't like McCain's stand on an issue, wait awhile.

It's sure to change.

Paraphrasing what Joe Biden said about Rudy Giuliani, ""There's only three things he mentions in a sentence: a noun, and a verb and when he was a prisoner of war".

And if the reader thinks that this is an unkind assessment, here is his statement today on Roe v. Wade' anniversary.

"I join you today in marking the 35th anniversary of the tragic Roe vs. Wade decision made on January 22, 1973. I salute you for taking the time to show that the cause of Life is alive and well in the hearts of millions of Americans.

As a prisoner of war at the hands of a communist dictatorship, I saw firsthand the perils faced when human dignity and human life are not respected."

We could go on--and we may at a later date delve deeper into the Senator's shifting stands on particular issues--but this is enough for now.

As we said, we agree with Senator McCain's foreign policy: he's been steadfast in his support of the War on Terror.

It's just a question of whether that position, like so many others, is open for negotiation when things get tough politically.


by Mondoreb
[image: oldudavaigeorge; blog.kir;
Source:
* Statement by Senator John McCain



Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

More From the Man Who Defined "Is"

Bill Clinton and The New York Times are both definitive.

The New York Times, defines the term "unintended understatement" while reporting on the man who defined "is".

Meanwhile, Bill informs the American public of his latest version of what he did when, how and to whom:

During a campaign swing for his wife, former President Bill Clinton said flatly yesterday that he opposed the war in Iraq “from the beginning” — a statement that is more absolute than his comments before the invasion in March 2003.

Before the invasion, Mr. Clinton did not precisely declare that he opposed the war. A week before military action began, however, he did say that he preferred to give weapons inspections more time and that an invasion was not necessary to topple Saddam Hussein.

At the same time, he also spoke supportively about the 2002 Senate resolution that authorized military action against Iraq.

Former Soviet misinformation specialists are at this moment taking notes.

Conversations between Bill and Hillary Clinton must take on a Kafka-esque hue whenever they discuss their stands on--anything?

Mom always advised to look on the sunny side, however. So one can take heart in the thought that the Clintons are safe from terrorist kidnapping plans.

Any attempts at extracting information from either would turn the tables on their would-be torturers.

by Mondoreb

We're not CNN--But we got video proof! Or rather PPP's got proof. Political Party Poop serves up a trio of Clinton Golden Oldies! * Hear what he said! * See him say it! * Scratch your head in Utter Amazement! Clinton Flatly Asserts He Flatly Opposed the War at the Start Breath-taking Clintonian Powers of Prevarication in Living Color! Posted by a Pundit in Living Color!

Bill Clinton Flatly Asserts He Opposed War From the Beginning



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