Reason 4 of 7 to Vote McCain: The Second Amendment

Gun ownership has reared up again as an issue in a national election, particularly for hunters and handgun owners. Sen. Obama promises that he interprets the 2nd Amendment to mean personal ownership and use are protected, and that the 'orderly militia' clause is separate, and does not impede on personal weapons ownership and use. Sen. McCain also clearly supports personal handgun ownership and use, as well as weapons and ammunition for hunters. It seems the only way to differentiate the position between the two men is to examine their records, and herein lies the trouble for Obama.

Obama has made a big point of appealing to SW Pennsylvania residents, West Virginians, southern Ohio residents, and any place where hunting has deep roots or where handgun ownership is an accepted and open part of the culture. Pasted below is his voting record on gun issues according to the Vote Smart website (a non-partisan website that tracks voting records).

Gun Issues
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Date	Bill Title	Vote	Outcome
02/25/2008	Prohibiting Funds in the Bill S 1200 from Being Used to Decrease Gun Ownership S Amdt 4070	NV	Amendment Adopted - Senate (78 - 11)
07/13/2006	Firearm Confiscation Prohibition Amendment S Amdt 4615	Y	Amendment Adopted - Senate (84 - 16)
07/29/2005	Firearms Manufacturers Protection bill S 397	N	Bill Passed - Senate (65 - 31)
07/28/2005	Child Safety Lock Amendment S AMDT 1626	Y	Amendment Adopted - Senate (70 - 30)

The federal voting record is a mixed bag as far as gun-rights are concerned, but his state voting record is much more consistent (and lengthy), and uniformly seeks to restrict 2nd Amendment rights both directly and indirectly. I've again pasted it in below.

• Ok for states & cities to determine local gun laws. (Apr 2008)
• FactCheck: Yes, Obama endorsed Illinois handgun ban. (Apr 2008)
• Respect 2nd Amendment, but local gun bans ok. (Feb 2008)
• Provide some common-sense enforcement on gun licensing. (Jan 2008)
• 2000: cosponsored bill to limit purchases to 1 gun per month. (Oct 2007)
• Concealed carry OK for retired police officers. (Aug 2007)
• Stop unscrupulous gun dealers dumping guns in cities. (Jul 2007)
• Keep guns out of inner cities--but also problem of morality. (Oct 2006)
• Bush erred in failing to renew assault weapons ban. (Oct 2004)
• Ban semi-automatics, and more possession restrictions. (Jul 1998)
• Voted NO on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers. (Jul 2005)

Here we see that while Obama may claim to support handgun ownership, his record shows him seeking to put onerous restrictions on ownership, such that they are effectively banned. He supported the handgun ban in Illinois for instance. **An aside, having lived near D.C. and Chicago, and having worked in Chicago, I saw first hand how totally ineffective the handgun bans were in both those cities. They are the strictest in the nation, and yet gun violence is rampant in both cities. How sensible is that? OK, back to the main topic. ** I fully support reasonable regulation, but some of the bills Obama has supported go far beyond reasonable. Here is the link to detailed statements he has given about each of these state bills.

It hardly seems necessary to lay out John McCain's record and statements, but he has clearly supported 2nd Amendment rights, while still supporting reasonable regulation of certain weapons types, etc. Below is his record from Vote Smart. I think it reasonable to say we can safely omit the VP records - both are very well-known, and on opposite sides of this issue.

02/25/2008	Prohibiting Funds in the Bill S 1200 from Being Used to Decrease Gun Ownership S Amdt 4070	NV	Amendment Adopted - Senate (78 - 11)
07/13/2006	Firearm Confiscation Prohibition Amendment S Amdt 4615	Y	Amendment Adopted - Senate (84 - 16)
07/29/2005	Firearms Manufacturers Protection bill S 397	Y	Bill Passed - Senate (65 - 31)
07/28/2005	Child Safety Lock Amendment S AMDT 1626	Y	Amendment Adopted - Senate (70 - 30)
03/02/2004	Firearms Manufacturers Protection bill S 1805	Y	Bill Failed - Senate (8 - 90)
05/20/1999	Gun Show Sale Regulation Amendment S Amdt 362	N	Amendment Adopted - Senate (51 - 50)
07/21/1998	Gun Lock Requirement Amendment S Amdt 3230	Y	Amendment Tabled - Senate (61 - 39)
11/20/1993	Brady Handgun Bill HR 1025	N	Bill Passed - Senate (63 - 36)
11/17/1993	Prohibiting the Possession of Semi-Automatic Assault Weapons S Amdt 1152	N	Amendment Adopted - Senate (56 - 43)
11/05/1993	Charging Teens as Adults for Crimes Involving a Firearm S Amdt 1117	NV	Amendment Adopted - Senate (64 - 23)

Do you want to protect your 2nd Amendment rights?

Vote John McCain for President!