This is a good refutation of the argument "... yeah, but why should I vote
for the Republican - they're no good on guns, either." Pass it on. We can't
afford to lose in 2006 or in 2008.
 
Quote: 
Republicans have controlled the House of Representatives, the Senate, and
the Presidency for over five years. What have they done to restore our
rights under the 2nd Amendment?  


First, the Republicans have NOT controlled the Senate for over five years.
Remember "Jumping Jim Jeffords"? During the first two years of the Bush
administration Democrats controlled the Senate. During the second two years,
the Republicans had a 1 vote edge, which is "control" of the Senate in the
same way that driving a car with your feet is "control" of your car. It can
be done; but it is a little more challenging. Despite that this is what
Republicans have accomplished in the past five years:

1. UN Small Arms Restrictions blocked by US

2. Attorney General declares Second Amendment is individual right - reverses
35 years of previous Justice Department doctrine on the matter.

3. Attorney General refuses to allow legitimate purchase of NICS data to be
used for fishing expedition - Ashcroft stops grabbers from sifting through
NICS data of legitimate purchasers to look for "terrorists".

4. Ashcroft changes NICS data holding from 90 days to 1 day - NICS data on
legitimate purchases will now be purged from the system in a single day as
the law intended rather than being held onto for 90 days per Clinton policy

5. Bush signs lawsuit preemption bill

6. Bush ends taxpayer funding of useless HUD gun buybacks

7. Signs bill closing loophole that prevented cargo pilots from being armed

8. Signed the appropriations bill containing the Tiahrt Amendment that
protects gunowner privacy by making item #4 the law of the land.

9. Gets chance to have several things he claims to support (lawsuit
preemption, gunshow background checks, semi-auto ban) on a single bill. Bush
instead sends letter to Congress asking them to consider only lawsuit
preemption.

10. Sponsored a few pro-gun bills in the 109th Congress.

11. Lawsuit preemption bill declares Second an individual right incorporated
under the 14th Amendment. Might be useful in front of SCOTUS?

12. House votes for repeal of D.C. gun ban.

13. Signed exemption for gunsmiths from manufacturing taxes for creating
custom firearms.

14. Twice "filled the tree" as suggested by GOA on legislation in order to
prevent it from being used as a vehicle for an AWB (once in July 2004 on a
tort reform bill and again during S.397). I can't find another instance on
any bill where the Senate has taken this action for any other group.

15. Bucked public opinion showing 68% of American supported renewal of
assault weapons ban (including almost a third of NRA members) to kill ban
not once; but three times.

Quote: 
And don't start with the sunset of the AWB, that doesn't count because they
didn't have to take any action on it.  


So when Republicans sank their own legislation in the Senate, not once; but
at least twice (and arguably three times) in order to prevent Feinstein from
attaching a renewal to their bill, that doesn't equate to action in your
book?

Quote: 
Besides, Bush supported the renewal of the AWB.  


Strange that someone who was lecturing me that just because the entire
national leadership of the Democratic party is anti-gun, it doesn't mean
that all Democrats share their views would ask me to defend the Republican
party and then focus solely on Bush.

Look I welcome pro-gun Democrats. I have no desire to base my hopes for gun
rights solely on the Republican party. At the same time, anybody running as
a Democrat has a few hurdles to clear before I trust them in spite of the
horrible record of their party on RKBA>

1) First they must show that they are not just talking about gun rights,
they are acting on it by supporting and introducing legislation. Fighting
the political battles, etc.

2) They must convince me that they aren't going to get a serious case of
Clinton/Gore/Deanitis and reverse their previous primarily pro-gun stance
the moment there is a chance in hell they will get a position of power in
the national leadership of the Democratic party.
 
http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=2271148&postcount=24
 
 
David