WP - On Gun Control, Dean Aims for the Center

[maddezmom]

On Gun Control, Dean Aims for the Center


By Jonathan Finer
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 9, 2004; Page A01


BARRE, Vt. -- It was a brisk winter evening outside the Elks Lodge here on Dec. 2, 1998, but inside, Gregory Costa was on the hot seat. Angry members of Vermont's two largest gun rights groups had a pointed question for the National Rifle Association's state representative: Why did he go against the wishes of many of them and endorse Howard Dean for governor?

"He got a real hard time that night," said Monty Butterfield, president of Gun Owners of Vermont, who was at the meeting. "People just felt that Costa hadn't listened, that Howard Dean was not the supporter of gun rights or the friend of sportsmen that the NRA seemed to think he was."

As governor of Vermont -- a small, rural state whose gun laws are among the least restrictive in the country -- Dean earned a national reputation as an opponent of gun control and worked closely with the NRA, a requirement for survival in this state's politics.

But he also feuded with some of Vermont's most ardent gun rights advocates, who saw him as unwilling to take strong stands on firearms issues, attend their candidate forums or respond to their questionnaires. The Burlington Free Press recently described his support for gun rights while governor as "more platonic than passionate." That was enough to earn the NRA's backing -- and A rating -- in eight consecutive elections, but it disappointed other gun enthusiasts.

Now, as the gun-friendly front-runner in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Dean is again walking a fine line on firearms issues, staking out a position he hopes will be palatable to liberal primary voters while winning him support among conservatives as he looks to the general election.

~snip~

more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1483-2004Jan8.html


This is a good move by Dean.

[tedoll78]

1. A very smart move indeed..

Many liberals I know are willing to cede the gun issue if it'll make holding-onto the midwestern Gore states easier (MI/PA/WI/MN/IA), along with probably putting-up a really good fight for Ohio and West Virginia.

[Bombtrack]

2. If he seems to appose things like mandatory trigger locks

and other mild safety laws, as it seems he does, he may lose more urban support than gain rural and suburban gun-nut support.

[maddezmom]

3. kick

:kick:

[Hep]

4. Dean doesn't AIM anywhere

More claptrap from a weak, complacent press.

Dean stands where he stands. He doesn't AIM, he stands right there and let's everyone else decide where they want to put him on the political spectrum.

[maddezmom]

6. sorry you don't like the article

but it made me feel a lot more comfortable about his view on gun control.

[Hep]

8. That's fine

but I warn you to be careful about how much you let the press sway your opinions on anything. Dean's position on gun control has remain unchanged since I joined the campaign a year ago.

[maddezmom]

9. that's even better

but since I'm not part of his campaign, I'm finding out things now. :)

[Romulus]

5. Dean's trying to have it both ways

Sometimes he looks like he's saying whatever it takes to get elected. But leaving specific laws up the respective states is the best compromise, for now. Either the 2d Amendment right to self-defense applies throughout the US or it doesn't. Last time I checked, the 13th Amendment prohibited slavery throughout the U.S.; no state could "opt out."

Dean is the best a Dem firearms owner can hope for, seeing as how most of the other candidates are completely in the "ban all firearms and kill their owners" mode. That's too bad, because I otherwise would be a Kerry guy . . .

(edited to clarify below)

To explain my view of the other candidates:


Kerry/Lieberman: tout their support from national anti-firearms-owner groups like the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (both of which aim to "stop gun violence" by eliminating firearms ownership). See also the Gephardt story below.

Clark: See "Gephardt." Also wants to start a back-door gunowner "round-up list" by using gun purchase background check forms and so-called "ballistic fingerprinting" records to compile lists of firearms owners. "Ballistic fingerprinting" is the equivalent of taking a tire print of your car at the factory and then using that print to match a later crime scene tire print to your car.:eyes:

Gephardt: Wishy-washy stand on semi-auto weapons. He only publicly advocates banning SOME of these firearms ("assault weapons") while dishonestly ignoring the fact that to achieve the goal of "ridding the streets" of these types of firearms means confiscating all semi-auto firearms, like granddad's squirrel gun, uncle's turkey hunting shotgun, and brother's deer hunting rifle - all of which do the exact same thing, in the eexact same way as the scary "assault weapons."

Kucinich/Braun/Sharpton: All of the above, plus requiring the formation of "gun owner round-up lists", AKA firearms owner licenses.

Edwards: I have yet to see Edwards say anything about the issue. That is seen by me as a negative. At least the others took a stand.

[Hep]

7. Actually, Kerry's position is not far off Dean's

Kerry has a very sensible position on gun control. And I'm a big Dean supporter.

[Romulus]

10. fine

If being "sensible" means being the legislative branch of the extremist organizations that seek to ban all handguns and eliminate the use of firearms for personal self defense. But I don't consider that "sensible." And Dean seems to be nowhere near that position (at least publicly).