What Do The Candidates Say About Second Amendment Issues?

This is not a raw political blog but when politics runs into hunting and outdoor issues, I believe it is important enough to discuss and share information. There’s basically three issues that are of the most concern to hunters and outdoor enthusiasts - hunting, guns and the environment.

In every campaign year, the candidates to some degree, make an attempt at addressing these issues. It doesn’t always take a rocket scientist’s intelligence to figure out when a candidate is talking out both ends and when they are sincere, especially when it comes to hunting.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think a candidate for political office has to be a hunter, a fisherman or much of an outdoorsman in order to be a good representative or president of the United States. It’s when they begin “puttin on the dog” in order to squeeze out a few extra votes that trouble surfaces.

We know Vice President Dick Cheney is a hunter - yes, I know, some would question that - and most Americans wouldn’t have known that had he not shot his hunting partner a couple years ago. Most candidates are not hunters and should leave it at that but when there are votes to be won, these people will stop at nothing.

This time around in the battle for the White House, we have at least one candidate who appears to actually be a hunter. I have taken the time to share a couple stories with you about Mike Huckabees hunting exploits in Iowa just prior to the caucuses and a more recent article about how voters are finding appeal with Mr. Huckabee. In that article I gave you a link to his website and provided quotes and information that he had about his views on the Second Amendment.

I’d like to take a few minutes and dig around on the other candidate’s websites and see what I can find there dealing with any of the issues about hunting and fishing, Second Amendment or the environment.

In no particular order, let’s begin with Mitt Romney.

We already know that Mitt Romney kind of stumbled and fell early on during his campaign when he claimed he was a lifelong hunter. From digging into his past, it seems he never held a hunting license and what hunting he did was on private land picking off squirrels as a kid.

Mary Katherine Ham of Townhall, interviewed Mitt Romney back in April about Second Amendment issues. Ham questioned him about his votes for an assault weapons ban. This was his response.

Well, you know, the weapon used here was not an assault weapon, so I’m not sure what the relevance is. And, that’s what we have to recognize. The people who want to remove Second Amendment rights will look for everything they can. You know, if there’s a weapon that puts our police at risk, like machine guns, of course, then that’s something I would, of course, consider. But, look, we’ve gotta fundamentally recognize the need to protect the right to bear arms and the fact that there are people who are trying to remove that right inch by inch, and we’re gonna have to defend against that.

Swinging over to Romney’s website, we find a couple of references to Second Amendment issues.

“I believe the Second Amendment is about more than just self-defense or sport; it’s about the basic freedom of lawful citizens to live their lives – to engage in the normal pursuits of society without the interference of the heavy hand of government.”

He states that he supports the interpretation of the Second Amendment as being an individual right.

The Governor applauds court decisions finding the Second Amendment protects an individualized right to keep and bear arms. As President he would support that interpretation and protect the right of every law abiding adult to keep and use firearms.

And then there’s this comment he made while speaking at the National Shooting Sports Foundation Show last January.

“Americans should have the right to own and possess firearms as guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.”

Rudy Giuliani’s approach toward the Second Amendment comes across in a different way. Many want explanations from him as to why he says he’s for gun rights yet has signed into law restrictions on gun ownership.

Rudy Giuliani is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. He understands that every law-abiding American has an individual right to keep and bear arms that is guaranteed by the Constitution. To deal with a city where crime was out of control, Mayor Giuliani worked to get guns out of the hands of criminals — resulting in a 66% drop in the murder rate and 72% reduction in criminal related shootings. The best way to deal with gun crime is to prosecute the criminals and enforce the laws already on the books. Rudy Giuliani will make sure that if someone commits a crime with a gun, they will go to prison for the mandatory sentence.

Both Giuliani and Romney have offered the explanation that they both served in liberal, anti-gun states where they had to make concessions in order to work with those opposed to gun rights.

John McCain dedicates an entire page of his website to explain his positions on Second Amendment issues quite specifically.

John McCain believes that the right of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms is a fundamental, individual Constitutional right that we have a sacred duty to protect. We have a responsibility to ensure that criminals who violate the law are prosecuted to the fullest, rather than restricting the rights of law abiding citizens. Gun control is a proven failure in fighting crime. Law abiding citizens should not be asked to give up their rights because of criminals - criminals who ignore gun control laws anyway.

John McCain opposes: Gun manufacturer liability, assault weapons bans, restrictions on magazines, gun locks, bans on ammunition, the Washington, D.C. gun ban, waiting periods for lawful citizens, taking of guns after a catastrophe like hurricane Katrina and more.

McCain does offer some thoughts about the environment although they are a bit pie in the sky political rhetoric with little real substance. He supports efforts to do something about global warming.

John McCain has a proud record of common sense stewardship. Along with his commitment to clean air and water, and to conserving open space, he has been a leader on the issue of global warming with the courage to call the nation to action on an issue we can no longer afford to ignore.

McCain has repeatedly stated that the worse that can happen if we work to fight global warming is to end up with a cleaner environment. This is in response to those who say that man-made global warming is a hoax. I’m not sure that approach is all the “common sense stewardship” he speaks of.

Barack Obama offers nothing at his website on guns, gun rights or any Second Amendment issues. However he does present his views on dealing with the environment.

Restore U.S. Leadership on Climate Change

* Create New Forum of Largest Greenhouse Gas Emitters: Obama will create a Global Energy Forum — that includes all G-8 members plus Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa –the largest energy consuming nations from both the developed and developing world. The forum would focus exclusively on global energy and environmental issues.
* Re-Engage with the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change: The UNFCCC process is the main international forum dedicated to addressing the climate problem and an Obama administration will work constructively within it.

And this:

Reduce Carbon Emissions 80 Percent by 2050

* Cap and Trade: Obama supports implementation of a market-based cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions by the amount scientists say is necessary: 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Obama’s cap-and-trade system will require all pollution credits to be auctioned. A 100 percent auction ensures that all polluters pay for every ton of emissions they release, rather than giving these emission rights away to coal and oil companies. Some of the revenue generated by auctioning allowances will be used to support the development of clean energy, to invest in energy efficiency improvements, and to address transition costs, including helping American workers affected by this economic transition.
* Confront Deforestation and Promote Carbon Sequestration: Obama will develop domestic incentives that reward forest owners, farmers, and ranchers when they plant trees, restore grasslands, or undertake farming practices that capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

John Edwards website carries nothing to do with hunting, fishing, outdoor recreation, guns, gun rights or any mention of the Second Amendment. He does offer his approach to dealing with the environment.

“Our generation must be the one that says, ‘we must halt global warming,’” said Edwards. “If we don’t act now, it will be too late. Our generation must be the one that says ‘yes’ to alternative, renewable fuels and ends forever our dependence on foreign oil. Our generation must be the one that accepts responsibility for conserving natural resources and demands the tools to do it. And our generation must be the one that builds the New Energy Economy. It won’t be easy, but it is time to ask the American people to be patriotic about something other than war.”

Hillary Clinton, like Obama and Edwards, offers nothing on Second Amendment issues but does provide some text on climate issues.

Centered on a cap and trade system for carbon emissions, stronger energy and auto efficiency standards and a significant increase in green research funding, Hillary’s plan will reduce America’s reliance on foreign oil and address the looming climate crisis.

YAWN!!

You know what truly amazes me? Think about two things for a moment if you will. Here’s the first. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there are just about 50 million licensed hunters and fishermen in this country. That’s 50 million. Most of those are adults old enough to vote or soon will be and yet not one of the candidates has much of anything to say about what they think about these pastimes. Why is that?

In addition to that, there are now an estimated 300 million guns in this country owned by the citizenry in approximately 150 million homes. That’s a lot of votes and yet only the republican candidates mentioned anything about our Second Amendment rights. Why is that?

The second issue which puzzles me is that the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of District of Columbia versus Heller - the D.C. gun ban case. A lower District Appeals Court earlier this year ruled that the gun ban in Washington, D.C. was unconstitutional. That was appealed to the Supreme Court and they have agreed to hear the case.

This is no doubt the biggest case the Supreme Court will hear in some time and could have one of the largest affects on the people of America. This debate and ruling is going to come amidst a presidential campaign and in all reality could determine the next president of the United States. All of this and only one man, John McCain, has made reference to this on his website.

Granted there are many issues that are important to a lot of people but issues that reach and affect over 150 million households is nothing to sneeze at. Maybe it’s time that we began demanding more of this from our candidates? What do you think?

Tom Remington