Brady Camp for gun-grabbers claims major victory with President Elect Obama

[jody]

Guns & The 2008 Elections: Common Sense Gun Laws Won, The NRA Lost, & What it Means

QUOTE
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

• The elections were a major victory for common sense gun laws. In Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Americans elected a President and Vice President as supportive of strong common sense gun laws as any in American history. Strongly endorsed by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Obama and Biden voiced a reasonable approach to addressing the gun violence that threatens the nation, while rejecting the division and extremism of the gun lobby. (Pages 7-9)

• The Brady Campaign, and candidates supportive of sensible gun laws, won big. (Pages 14-16, 20-22)

o Brady endorsed candidates won over 90 % of their races. (Page 20)

o In U.S. Senate races between a Brady-backed candidate and an NRA endorsed or “A” rated candidate, voters chose the Brady candidate 100% of the time; in House races, 84% of the time. (Page 20)

• The NRA lost big. The NRA called 2008 “arguably the most important year” in its 137 year history, and promised to spend $40 million in the elections, mostly to defeat Obama, who they deemed would be the “most anti-gun president in American history.”

The NRA’s millions could not prevent victories by candidates supportive of sensible gun laws, including in states with significant gun ownership. Obama won almost every state where the NRA ran ads. (Pages 9-16)

o Voters in both primaries rejected pro-NRA extremists. In the GOP primaries, party loyalists supported one of the candidates most supportive of reasonable gun laws, and rejected a slate of NRA “A” rated candidates. In the Democratic primaries, the sole candidate who did not receive an “F” rating from the NRA was routed. (Pages 16-19)

o The NRA lost big in Senate, House, and state races. For the second election in a row, the NRA spent most of its money unsuccessfully opposing winning candidates, even in states with significant gun ownership. (Pages 20-22)

o The NRA was discredited. In an election cycle in which voters turned away from misleading ads and over-the-top rhetoric, the NRA’s fear-mongering claims of gun grabbing did not go over well. Fact checkers exposed many NRA ads as misleading and worse, prominently discrediting the NRA. (Page 11)

• Single-issue “NRA voters” were insignificant. The NRA derives much of its influence from the myth that even though a small minority supports its agenda, it can deliver a significant block of single-issue “NRA voters.” In 2008 (as in other years), those voters were insignificant in number, and did not make a critical difference in the primaries, the general election, or any down ticket races. (Pages 23-24)
ENDQUOTE

If “common sense gun laws” mean renewing the AWB in a revised draconian bill like H.R. 1022 and banning handguns we Dems can easily lose the House in 2010.

[Double T]

1. Leave the Second Amendment and the guns alone.

The founders included it for a damn good reason, which has become painfully obvious!

[msongs]

2. perhaps you could tell us some ways it is "obvious" nt

[Double T]

3. Can't help you; you're obviously not paying attention.

[jody]

5. Suggest you read SCOTUS decision on Heller, link below.

http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/07pdf/07-290.pdf

[jeepnstein]

10. We came very close.

Under the present Administration we came very close to a situation where the Executive Branch could unilaterally act in any way it saw fit regardless of what anyone had to say about it. What happens when someone like that decides to suspend the rule of law and rule by decree? All they needed was a good pretense, like the way they worked a terrorist attack into a war against a nation that had nothing at all to do with it. Do you think under that circumstance people like him would worry one second about your rights or well-being?

Yeah, yeah, I know. "Who could possibly stand up to the might and power of the Government? You'd just get mowed down." Maybe some of us would prefer to die as free men than live as slaves. Wow, I never thought I'd ever have to even say something like that in America.

It can happen. Just because we are coming out of what could have been the beginning of a national nightmare is no reason to start tossing our Constitutional Rights aside. I've seen just enough in the last eight years to make me never, ever, trust the Federal Government again.

[jmg257]

12. If 8 yrs of Bush aren't a MAJOR clue, you will never get it. nt

[doc03]

4. If the Democratic party and Pres Obama pass a

ridiculous AWB and ban handguns I will vote for the Republican in 2010. Both Biden and Obama went all over this country telling people they are not going to take their guns and denied the accusations from the NRA. I'm starting to feel we were lied to again I had arguments with friends that said Obama was going to take our guns and it is starting to look like we were deceived.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[doc03]

7. What are you talking about if Obama lied like

Bill Clinton did why the hell should I be loyal.

[krispos42]

8. Obama didn't run on a platform of controlling guns

It was not in his stump speech, nor was it a focal point of his campaign.

[jody]

9. If he had, his victory over McCain may have been closer. n/t

[SteveM]

11. So is the Brady Center the only GOP interest group to claim "major victory?"(nt)

[derby378]

13. Didn't the Bradys claim that the 2006 elections were a major victory for their agenda?

Here's the short version of the story:

No major gun-control laws were enacted in the past two years.

San Francisco's total ban on civilian handgun ownership, which the Bradys considered "sensible," has been struck down.

Carolyn McCarthy's HR 1022 is still stalled in committee.

The Brady Camapign has been steadily losing money over the past few election cycles; their major donors are finding greener pastures.

The American Hunters and Shooters Association is poised to siphon even more money away from them - AHSA president Ray Schoenke was, once upon a time, a Brady donor, and now he opposes any new ban on semi-automatics smaller than .50-caliber.

In their post-election report, the Brady Camapign even admitted on page 4 that guns were not the dominant issue - but failed to mention that the economy drove voters to the polls. (This is what we call "whitewashing.")

Make no mistake - the Brady Campaign is going to pull out all the stops over the next two years. They have to. Their very future is at stake. But where pro-RKBA Democrats once sat in silence, we must be ready to rise up and refute their agenda once and for all.

[username_5]

14. thanks Derby

Loved reading your post. I too am a more or less liberal/democrat, but despise the gun grabbing portion of the party.

I really hope the brady bunch go the way of the dinosaur now that we have a democrat president. Unfortunately I suspect (and hope I am wrong) that the assault weapon ban, at a minimum, will again come up for vote and if it passes I really doubt Obama will veto it.

Even after all this time there seem to be millions of people who still think the assault weapon ban actually banned automatic weapons. Heck, I was listening to the radio the other day and the 2 DJs clearly didn't even understand what the difference was between and automatic and semi automatic rifle.

It is sad, but true that in this day and age millions still think 'assault weapons' are the guns terrorists and criminals use even though the FBI says less than 2% of gun related crimes are carried out using guns banned under the assault weapon ban.

The assault weapon ban is just the gun grabbing lobby exploiting those ignorant of firearms and I am ashamed that there is a portion of the democratic party supporting it.