So what to do?
As usual, The War on Guns has prepared a questionnaire, designed to separate the Freedom Fighters from the Fuddites. And as usual, I don't expect any candidate to put their stance in the public record for scrutiny, so as usual, I don't expect I'll be voting (again) this year.
Here it is. If you're a candidate who wants my vote and endorsement, fill in the answers, send it back to me, and if you get them right, I'll do what I can to support you.
To those of you who are voting members and would like to see candidates answer these questions: Use them yourselves. One of the reasons these are ignored is because I'm the only one asking them. If each candidate received numerous demands, do you think they'd be so quick to discount any need to respond? If you get a reply, let me know about it.
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1. Do you believe that the Constitution is the "supreme law of the land" and that the Bill of Rights acknowledges the birthrights of all Americans?2006 Questionnaire
2. If so, should these rights be proactively protected from infringement by all levels of government, including city, county and state?
3. Please give some examples of gun laws you consider constitutional.
4. Please give some examples of gun laws you consider unconstitutional.
5. Does the right to bear arms include the right for any peaceable citizen to carry them concealed without a permit, as in Vermont?
6. Do you believe that Americans have a right to own, use and carry weapons of military pattern?
7. Do you support or oppose Project Exile, and do you agree with current NRA management’s call to “enforce existing gun laws”?
8. Do you support or oppose licensing requirements to own or carry firearms? Why?
9. What specific gun laws will you work to get repealed?
10. If elected to the NRA Board, will you back your words of support for firearms rights up with consistent actions? How?
11. Do you agree with the way NRA assigns political ratings? If not, what would you change and why? Who would you have given a different rating to, what would it been and why?
12. Do you disagree with any policies being promulgated by NRA management? What is you biggest area of dissent? Have you offered superior alternatives and worked with others to implement them?
13. Have you ever publicly spoken out against an NRA position because you thought it was wrong? When, where, and what were the results?
14. What reforms do you think are needed at NRA and why?
15. If elected, how will you inform members of your performance and voting record? Will you let us know when you dissent and why?
16. Do you agree with Executive VP Wayne LaPierre, who stated: "[W]e believe in absolutely gun-free, zero-tolerance, totally safe schools. That means no guns in America's schools, period ... with the rare exception of law enforcement officers or trained security personnel"? If not, what do you plan to do about it?
2005 Questionnaire
10 comments:
David Codrea it's a write in
I'm not eligible to vote so I'm obviously not a candidate. I am not, however, afraid of being on public record for the questions you pose.
1. Do you believe that the Constitution is the "supreme law of the land" and that the Bill of Rights acknowledges the birthrights of all Americans?
Yes, with a caveat. The Bill of Rights is the birthright of all UNITED STATES CITIZENS. Not just people born to some other nation on this continent.
2. If so, should these rights be proactively protected from infringement by all levels of government, including city, county and state?
Yes. The U.S. Attorney General's office should be used to sue cities, states and counties which seek to contravene the Constitution and its Amendments. The "provide for the common defense" clause of the Preamble should be taken seriously. Common defense of all citizens from infringement by locations that feel they are "special" should be a priority. We don't allow states to impose slavery, why do we allow them to impose laws which go against the 2nd Amendment?
3. Please give some examples of gun laws you consider constitutional.
The law in Stone Mountain, GA requiring all households to own at least one firearm is a law I find constitutional. It imposes no penalty for violators so someone who is really opposed to the idea faces no penalty.
4. Please give some examples of gun laws you consider unconstitutional.
The NFA, the GCA, the Washington, D.C. ban, every anti-gun law in every state, city, county, park and most especially all federal ones.
5. Does the right to bear arms include the right for any peaceable citizen to carry them concealed without a permit, as in Vermont?
Yes. It does. The Amendment doesn't specify that those arms must be visible. It specifies non-infringement. Non-infringement means keep and bear everywhere.
6. Do you believe that Americans have a right to own, use and carry weapons of military pattern?
No. I consider it a DUTY to own, use and carry weapons of a military pattern. You can have others, too, but you should have at least one that can chamber a round common to the military. Our military is now much more diverse than when the "assault weapon" of the day was a Brown Bess. I would suggest something that can mount a bayonet in .308 or .223 but a 12 guage shotgun or a 9mm or .45 caliber handgun is acceptable.
7. Do you support or oppose Project Exile, and do you agree with current NRA management’s call to “enforce existing gun laws”?
I am opposed to it since I oppose all gun laws as being unconstitutional. If someone is a danger and can not be trusted with a firearm why are they walking around free?
8. Do you support or oppose licensing requirements to own or carry firearms? Why?
I oppose licensing requirements. I support TRAINING requirements, but not licensing. Licenses are a way to infringe and the 2nd Amendment says that the Right shall not be infringed.
9. What specific gun laws will you work to get repealed?
Easier to state which ones I won't. I won't work to repeal gun laws that require households to possess a gun.
10. If elected to the NRA Board, will you back your words of support for firearms rights up with consistent actions? How?
I would seek out candidates that are 100% for us. Partial support. Half-hearted support. Fair-weather friends are all worthless. Deny ratings and funds to anyone who even casts one anti-gun vote. No second chances. No forgiveness.
11. Do you agree with the way NRA assigns political ratings? If not, what would you change and why? Who would you have given a different rating to, what would it been and why?
See my above answer. To paraphrase Yoda "Endorse or not-endorse, there is no grade."
12. Do you disagree with any policies being promulgated by NRA management? What is you biggest area of dissent? Have you offered superior alternatives and worked with others to implement them?
I disagree with any support for existing gun laws as I see them all as unconstitutional. The alternative is for a strict reading of the 2nd Amendment and allowing no deviation. Does the ACLU tell their members "well, we'll let them abridge this freedom of speech and that freedom of association, but we are gonna get tough one day!" No, they don't. They get involved specifically with unpopular positions to prevent erosion of the 1st Amendment. Going along to get along just means you get washed down the gutter into the sewer.
13. Have you ever publicly spoken out against an NRA position because you thought it was wrong? When, where, and what were the results?
I'm doing so on this well-travelled blog.
14. What reforms do you think are needed at NRA and why?
The NRA needs to focus like a laser beam on 2nd Amendment issues. They have a big stick in the form of the money they can gift a polititician. They should start using it. No more giving RINO Republicans a better grade than they deserve just because of an R after their name. Watering your gun powder doesn't make it go further.
16. Do you agree with Executive VP Wayne LaPierre, who stated: "[W]e believe in absolutely gun-free, zero-tolerance, totally safe schools. That means no guns in America's schools, period ... with the rare exception of law enforcement officers or trained security personnel"? If not, what do you plan to do about it?
No, I don't agree with that policy. It has lead to victim disarmament. It is a policy that grants increased safety to every pervert who wants to prey on children.
Criminals who commit acts of predation on school property should face enhanced penalties, but don't disarm the victims.
I told the NRA to take a hike about 3-4 years ago. They don't even call anymore, (especially after the last reaming they received).
Hyunchback said...
3. Please give some examples of gun laws you consider constitutional.
The law in Stone Mountain, GA requiring all households to own at least one firearm is a law I find constitutional.
You mean Kennesaw, not Stone Mountain, GA.
While I appreciate the support that places like Kennesaw supply, I do not believe their ordinance is any more constitutional that I believe a ban would be.
An unalienable right is exercised at the volition of the holder of that right. When that personal volition is removed so is the right, just as in the case of a ban or unconstitutional infringement which is any (ANY) infringement.
I do see a way for Kennesaw and other venues with gun ownership requirements to get constitutional. An ordinance or policy of placing an unarmed victim of crime at a lower priority would not be a violation of the constitution. If an individual values his possessions and his life or body less than than his neighbor values his own, he has declared those concerns to be of a lower priority than his armed neighbor did.
This does not violate the tenet of equal protection under the law, so long as the police answer calls to crimes in progress equally for all.
After the fact, those not willing to have taken steps to protect themselves prior, should be put at a lower priority, if for no other reason than for being an encouragement for crime and an extra drain on the community and community services.
Harsh? I don't think so. If someone insists on being part of the problem or, at best, relies on others to always do for him what he should be prepared to, at least,attempt to do for himself he should realistically expect to not be favored over those who are trying to be part of the solution.
Once investigations are complete and the courts take jurisdiction, all cases should be treated equally with the equal dedication.
As a practical matter, which makes me feel somewhat hypocritical, I am glad Kennesaw and a few other venues have done the household gun requirement thing.
If nothing else, they have proven the gun control advocates are wrong as can be. And I am not so principled that I don't want to give a little tit for tat.
Shame on me for that, but right, wrong or indifferent, I almost always elect to hit back.
They're all good questions, David, but let's be honest... Some of them are far too open ended and there are far too many total questions to expect a thorough response to the questionnaire. Maybe if it were a little more succinct you'd have better luck.
Disagree, Reason--Based on results, Kent McManigal had no problem doing it (see "Q&A" link) and neither did Hyunchback.
If a candidate doesn't already know the answers to these questions and can't spend a small amount of time to articulate their 2A platform, they're not serious enough for me to care about. One of our cultural problems is short attention spans fixated on sound bites. If this is too difficult for them to wade through, how can I expect them to have a grounded understanding of the Constitution, the Federalist Papers, or even the NRA Bylaws?
Yep. I flunked the geography portion of this questionaire.
Can I still win Mis(ter) Congeniality?
Sorry HB, the judges gave that crown to Straightarrow. But don't fret, we've picked you for Best in Show.
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