… is a good offense. Even if ATF reform is going to be tremedously difficult to get through The House, given the anti-gun leadership there, we can get people on record in the Senate, and that will be worthwhile. I will be watching Senator Specter very closely on this one. Will he sign on to the bill?
UPDATE: You know, I just noticed that Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, was a sponsor of the bill. He’s not exactly Mr. NRA, with a D rating last time he ran for Senate. What’s up with that? Did someone at ATF piss in his cornflakes? No matter, we’ll take all the help we can get. If Senator Leahy wants to get all kissy kissy with gun owners, I’ll gladly pucker up. Let’s hope this is the start of Senator Leahy looking to live up to his state’s impeccable pro-gun reputation.
Probably not.
ATF anti-gun? I don’t believe it. Josh Sugarmann says it’s an NRA beachhead.
You know, it is possible for someone to have a poor overall rating from the NRA without voting in lockstep with the Feinsteins and Schumers of the world.
Much as the gun community needs to get past the Democrat = anti-gun BS stereotype, we also need to look at individual gun rights votes by Congressmen and Senators and give them as much positive feedback when they do the right thing as we waste yelling at their lapses.
If you simply disregard them as an “anti” you lose any influence. Better to help train them in the right direction and show that there are positive effects to voting pro-freedom.
Matthew, it is also important to not let any particular Democrat play gunnies for suckers.
The Democrats have built up lots of bad blood over the years. And recent examples of supposedly pro-gun Democrats, like Senator Webb who made a radio ad giving cover to Obama on gun rights, don’t help.
Reforming ATF need only consist of repealing the federal laws that they enforce, thus leaving them without a firearms function and saving hundreds of millions in tax dollars.