A couple weeks ago, on behalf of the American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA), I endorsed Barack Obama for President. I explained in that endorsement that on the issue of firearms, Obama "gets it." As the primary battles ensue in Indiana and North Carolina, I wanted to explain just what that means: Obama understands the individual right to own firearms. That is a fundamental starting point for any serious discussion about firearms policy.
Absent that understanding, there is really no room for a dialogue with hunters and shooters.
While campaigning in Iowa last December, Obama explained his position on the Second Amendment. The conservativeWeekly Standard picked it up:
When a student asks Obama for his views on the Second Amendment, he reminds his audience that he taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago and is thus familiar with the arguments regarding the right to bear arms. He acknowledges 'a tradition of gun ownership in this country that can be respected,' and says that his academic studies convinced him gun ownership 'is an individual right and not just the right of a militia.' But he was not finished. 'Like all rights, though, they are constrained by the needs and the rights of the community.' Obama then spoke of 34 students who were killed on the streets of Chicago and called for sensible gun control to prevent senseless death. He speaks of the importance of parental involvement in education before listing the many ways in which he would expand the role of the federal government in the schools."
Obama’s thoughtful view is shared by most gun owners I know. Public opinion research confirms that view is widely held among hunters. We fundamentally believe that the Second Amendment confers an individual right to keep and bear arms. But, that right also brings responsibility and a concern for our communities.
Now, the NRA types, led by Wayne LaPierre and Grover Norquist, will undoubtedly challenge Obama – and never give him the credit he deserves. But, he had the chance to put his money where his mouth is on July 13, 2006 in the United States Senate. That is the day the Senators really had to put their true policy positions on the second amendment to the test.
Senators had the opportunity to vote on an amendment offered by Senator David Vitter "To prohibit the confiscation of a firearm during an emergency or major disaster if the possession of such firearm is not prohibited under Federal or State law."
As far as I know, there has never been a vote on the issue of government confiscation of firearms. That word, confiscation, strikes fear into the hearts and minds of gun owners.
84 Senators, including Barack Obama, defended gun owners. 16 Senators, including Hillary Clinton, voted against us.
For those non-gun owners reading this post, I want to make it clear that there is no clearer distinction from a gun owners perspective that between those who would allow confiscation and those who would oppose it.
We can argue about background checks and other measures to keep our community safe, many of which I support.
But confiscation, without lawful justification, is the clear dividing line.
That’s why AHSA believes it is important to highlight the record of Senator Obama and Senator Clinton on the confiscation vote -- now. This hasn’t been an issue in the primaries til recently, but come the fall, I can assure you, the confiscation vote will matter.
Despite her recent talk about guns, when it mattered, Hillary Clinton went over the line. Believe me, that vote gives the NRA all the fodder it needs to oppose a Clinton candidacy. On the other hand, Obama’s vote opens up the lines of communication with most gun owners for a dialogue about these and other issues, like climate change, road-less rules and public access. Hillary Clinton can’t have that same dialogue. Every single gun owner will know she voted for confiscation exactly when law-abiding decent citizens may need their guns for self-protection the most -– when the police aren’t even capable of responding to an emergency.
We want gun owners to know now that on this critical issue of government confiscation over individual rights and freedom, Obama was right. Clinton was wrong.