Speaking in Virginia, Barack Obama tells sportsmen that he’s no liberal hippie gun-control peacenik. He’s got NO problem with firearms.
Sound Bite: “I believe in the Second Amendment. I believe in people’s lawful rights to bear arms. I will not take your shotgun away. I will not take your rifle away. I won’t take your handgun away.”
Sound Bite: “So if you want to find an excuse not to vote for me, don’t use that one. ‘Cuz that just ain’t true. It just ain’t true.”
Barack Obama says he supports the basis of the Supreme Court’s Second Amendment ruling today. He’s also in favor of “sensible, reasonable gun laws.” (No mention of how he feels siding with Justices Roberts, Thomas, Scalia and Alito for the second day in a row.)
Not surprisingly, the Libertarian candidate enthusiastically applauds the Supreme Court’s landmark Second Amendment ruling today (re: the Washington, D.C. handgun ban). The spot uses a riff from U2’s “Beautiful Day” in its intro and outro. (Bono’s lawyer on line 2, Mr. Barr.)
The New York tabloids had a field day slamming Rudy Giuliani for his endorsement of the Red Sox in the World Series (”TRAITOR!”). Hotline TV sees greater significance in this: Rudy, known for taking a stand and sticking to it, is pandering and less reliable.
Meanwhile, Air America’s Young Turks has a field day with Rudy saying that he’d be ok letting blind people carry guns — this from the mayor who sued gun manufacturers.
Rudy Giuliani explains why his aggressive enforcement of gun laws as mayor of NYC doesn’t mean he isn’t a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. States and communities should be responsible for implementing gun laws that are appropriate for their local situations, says Giuliani, “as long as nobody goes too far” in restricting individual rights.
An estimated 35-40% of Americans own guns and — what a shock — Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to own guns. So, not surprisingly, a recent Gallup poll (May 10-13, 2007), showed gun owners favoring Rudy Giuliani (66%) over Hillary Clinton (38%) if those two front runners faced off in the general election. When Democratic gun owners were asked who they supported among Democratic candidates, 51% preferred Southerner John Edwards.