Patrick Murphy has cosponsored H.R. 861, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act. According to Thomas, he signed on as a cosponsor on July 22nd. That’s a few days after we got a visit from one is his perky volunteers. I should note that Congressman Murphy has used his concealed carry license as political cover on this issue before. Hell, even I bought it before I had idea what his record would be.
But the fact of the matter is the guy signed on to a pretty serious and draconian ban of most semi-automatic firearms, including the most popular target rifles that are sold in the US today. He also is conspicously absent from the Congressional Amicus Brief supporting Mr. Heller in overturning the ban on guns in Washington D.C. Patrick Murphy was one of only six members of the Pennsylvania Congressional delegation who did not sign on to the brief.
One wonders how Congressman Murphy thinks we’re supposed to carry guns, when he doesn’t seem to have any issue with guns being banned.
So, is he trying to make amends, or is he jumping on the pro-gun bandwagon, which always seems to become more popular during election years?
Has he made any statements regarding his past record? Has anyone asked?
If he wants to make amends, he will withdraw his support of HR 1022
Oh, sorry. I missed his name on the cosponsor list. Does he ever reply to emails/letters/phone calls?
I don’t think I’ve heard anything from him.
His campaign staffer (likely a House staffer on “unpaid” leave) wouldn’t address the issue at all.
The interesting thing is that he signed on to this after they did door-to-door visits in this neighborhood where we are clearly not the only gun owners. There are NRA stickers around.
That’s great news. I think I’ll call his office to let him know that I think that he’s doing the right thing.
I had serious questions about whether he really was a friend to the second Amendment or just saying that he was.
It’s certainly good, but the question is, is he really doing it because he’s a true friend, or is he doing it so he has something to talk about when gun owners ask him about guns. Remember, this guy got 1000 dollars from the Brady Campaign for his 2006 election campaign.
And, he’s still leading the charge to ban guns, which is not the right thing. I wouldn’t congratulate anything, but rather warn that it doesn’t suffice to try and sign on to pro-gun bills when you declare you desire to ban guns in another.