The Brady’s have to go digging over a decade ago to find reasons to praise Bart Stupak. I’m not sure why the Brady folks are airing out Stupak’s dirty laundry now that he’s announced he’s retiring, but I have my suspicions.
The history of Congressman Stupak for the last decade, at least on the Second Amendment, is one of working his way back to an A, and an NRA endorsement last election, from a C back in the days the Brady Campaign is speaking of. A Tiger can’t change his stripes, but politicians sure can, and often do. It’s worth noting that, despite what Congressman Stupak’s prior position was, he’s not listed as a co-sponsor on the current “gun show loophole” bill in Congress.
Perhaps the Brady Campaign believe that Stupak’s position on the gun show bill is a careful political calculation, and are hoping to influence him on his way to retirement to “do the right thing,” and join them in helping get a bill passed, or at least advanced. I think the odds of Congress wanting to pick up a major piece of gun control legislation before the 2010 midterms are low, but retiring legislators are more amenable to changing their positions than most, so it was probably worth floating a press release just to see if anyone in Stupak’s office bites.
I know what a shooting is, but what is a shootnig??