McCain really isn't THAT bad...

[NRAJOE]

In sharp contrast to Obama’s desperate attempt to hide his anti-Second Amendment stance, finding out where McCain stands on the Second Amendment is a walk in the park. To find McCain’s platform on the Second Amendment, all you have to do is go to his website, hit “issues”, and then at the bottom of the list is "Second Amendment". Dang, that wasn’t hard! So what does John McCain have to say about the Second Amendment? Quite a bit – let’s hit it point by point:



Quote:
"John McCain believes that the right of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms is a fundamental, individual Constitutional right that we have a sacred duty to protect. We have a responsibility to ensure that criminals who violate the law are prosecuted to the fullest, rather than restricting the rights of law abiding citizens. Gun control is a proven failure in fighting crime. Law abiding citizens should not be asked to give up their rights because of criminals - criminals who ignore gun control laws anyway."




Great start – couldn’t have said it better myself.



Quote:
"Gun Manufacturer Liability

"John McCain opposes backdoor attempts to restrict Second Amendment rights by holding gun manufacturers liable for crimes committed by third parties using a firearm, and has voted to protect gun manufacturers from such inappropriate liability aimed at bankrupting the entire gun industry."




Honest and direct here as well. Gun manufacturers were seen by anti-Civil Rights groups as a “soft target” by groups seeking to outlaw all firearms. If you attack the manufacturers, then there are no more firearms. As McCain indicates, such liability is “inappropriate” – it’s also dishonest and selective. I don’t see the same people trying to sue Ford or Toyota because someone drives drunk and kills someone in an accident.



Quote:
"Assault Weapons

"John McCain opposes restrictions on so-called "assault rifles" and voted consistently against such bans. Most recently he opposed an amendment to extend a ban on 19 specific firearms, and others with similar characteristics."




Great language here as well. McCain points out that the weapons targeted by Assault Weapon Bans aren’t really assault rifles in the truest sense of the word. A true assault rifle is a fully automatic weapon – which are covered by Class III regulations. Assault Weapon Bans target medium-power semi-automatic rifles.



Quote:
"Importation of High Capacity Magazines

"John McCain opposes bans on the importation of certain types of ammunition magazines and has voted against such limitations."




No problems here...



Quote:
"Gun Locks

"John McCain believes that every firearms owner has a responsibility to learn how to safely use and store the firearm they have chosen, whether for target shooting, hunting, or personal protection. He has supported legislation requiring gun manufacturers to include gun safety devices such as trigger locks in product packaging."




While I agree that all firearm owners have a responsibility to use and store their firearms safely, I do know a lot of Second Amendment supporters take issue to requiring that firearms be trigger locked when in storage. This sort of requirement virtually precludes the use of the firearm in a rapidly developing defensive situation (such as a break-in). While McCain’s stance doesn’t indicate that he believes that all firearms should be trigger locked when in storage, requiring manufacturers to include such devices with the firearm is only about a half step away from that stance. That being said, I have no inherent problem with manufacturers including locks with firearms – I just believe that people should use their best judgment when using them rather than it being a point of legislation.



Quote:
"Banning Ammunition

"John McCain believes that banning ammunition is just another way to undermine Second Amendment rights. He voted against an amendment that would have banned many of the most commonly used hunting cartridges on the spurious grounds that they were "armor-piercing.""




Again, ammunition is seen as a “soft target” by many anti-Second Amendment activists. If they can’t ban the firearm, they’ll go after ammo. The newest travesty in this area is “micro-stamping” and serialized ammunition. McCain doesn’t speak to these new tactics directly. While my gut tells me he’d be against them, I’d like to see his position paper updated to reflect the latest BS from the gun-ban crowd.



Quote:
"DC Personal Protection

"As part of John McCain's defense of Second Amendment rights, he cosponsored legislation to lift a ban on the law abiding citizens of the District of Columbia from exercising their Constitutional right to bear arms."




Hopefully the Heller case will settle this one for us...



Quote:
"Criminal Background Checks

"John McCain supports instant criminal background checks to help prohibit criminals from buying firearms and has voted to ensure they are conducted thoroughly, efficiently, and without infringing on the rights of law abiding citizens."




I don’t think any reasonable individual has a problem with a system to keep criminals from obtaining firearms through legal channels. The key is making sure such a system doesn’t infringe on the rights of law-abiding citizens. Thus far the background check system has done a reasonable job, but the key will be not adding additional onerous provisions to it.



Quote:
"Background Checks at Gun Shows

"At a time when some were trying to shut down gun shows in the name of fighting crime, John McCain tried to preserve gun shows by standardizing sales procedures. Federal law requires licensed firearm sellers at gun shows to do an instant criminal background check on purchasers while private firearm sellers at gun shows do not have to conduct such a check. John McCain introduced legislation that would require an instant criminal background check for all sales at gun shows and believes that such checks must be conducted quickly to ensure that unnecessary delays do not effectively block transactions."




The infamous so-called “gun-show loophole”. This is another hot button for a lot of people. The fundamental question is should a gun show be treated as a retail sale or a private sale. If treated as a retail sale then the background check would apply normally. If treated as a private sale, then no background check is required. Of course, for many closing the “gun-show loophole” isn’t about ensuring background checks at retail sale, it’s about banning private sales of firearms without background checks.

However, honestly for much of the country this isn’t an issue. I live in Ohio where most sales at a gun show are subject to the background check . The only people who don’t have to go through a background check are holders of an FFL – and then only for firearms covered by their FFL. I hold a C&R license, so while I can buy Lugers, Mosin Nagants, and Arisakas all day long (or until my money runs out, which ever comes first) without a background check, if I want to buy a Glock then I have to do the background check just like everyone else.



Quote:
"The Firearm Purchase Waiting Period

"John McCain has opposed "waiting periods" for law abiding citizen's purchase of firearms."




No problem here either...



Quote:
"The confiscation of firearms after an emergency

"John McCain opposes the confiscation of firearms from private citizens, particularly during times of crisis or emergency. He voted in favor of an amendment sponsored by Senator David Vitter prohibiting such confiscation."




When Hurricane Katrina hit, the first thing the City of New Orleans did was to instruct the National Guard to start rounding up the guns. It was a complete travesty and blatant violation of the Civil Rights of American citizens. So much so, that many states have passed legislation indicating specifically that the authorities CAN’T take such actions in an emergency. Good to see McCain acknowledges this point.



Quote:
"Stiffer Penalties for Criminals who use a Firearm in the Commission of a Crime

"John McCain believes in strict, mandatory penalties for criminals who use a firearm in the commission of a crime or illegally possess a firearm. Enforcing the current laws on the books is the best way to deter crime."




Last but not least – let the punishment fit the crime. At the end of the day the problem is not the firearm, but the criminal who will abuse the right to bear arms to infringe on the rights of others – and the misguided politician or demagogue who would take steps to take away the fundamental right to keep and bear arms. McCain recognizes this, and wisely advocates stiffer penalties for criminals and actual enforcement of the laws on the books. Which I and most Americans believe are entirely sufficient.

So at least on the surface, McCain’s stance on the Second Amendment looks fairly solid. I’ve heard a fair amount of grumbling about McCain’s historical votes and stances. Future blogs will look deeper – beyond the few sound bites on his campaign webpage – to see if McCain’s record actually lives up to the ideal of the strong Second Amendment stance he advocates today...

[TXplt]

Even though he hasn't been a glowing 2A drumbeater, John McCain has far more pro 2A views than either of the other candidates (and I'd place him no worse than either of the 2 Bushes in RKBA -- maybe better). I also trust him more on where he says he stands.

[Windwalker]

Once again, the lesser of the evils.

[NRAJOE]

Originally Posted by Windwalker

Once again, the lesser of the evils.

Alot lesser though...Obama and Hitlery have BIG agendas....

[Obsidious]

I'm still not voting for him.

[nathangdad]

. . . I feel sick when I think of him as the Republican front runner.
His '100 years in Iraq' statement puts him totally out of touch with an electorate interested in domestic issues. If you happened to see the internet news yesterday a new poll states 81% of Americans are not happy with the course of our nation.

The Republicans need an intellectual communicator concerned for the middle class (enrichment, expansion, and greater freedoms for) rather than a candidate all too often perceived as the justifier of George Bush.

[jmp8927]

^ Who're you voting for?

[Obsidious]

Originally Posted by jmp8927

^ Who're you voting for?

The candidate I think would make the best President out of the available options.

[tlarkin]

Yeah, he also voted against Martin Luther King, Jr day, he doesn't know the difference between a suni and a shiite muslim, and he is pro Iraq, which may lead into Iran, which I am totally against.

I will not decide to vote for just yet, but I don't really like McCain because the main issues that need to be dealt with he is not touching on at all.

[cma g21]

Obsidious,
Just curious what you mean by, "available options."
Available options could mean (with write ins) just about anyone.
If you look at viable options (those that actually have a chance to win), you're pretty much limited to McCain and Obama (with Hillary barely hanging in as a long shot).

[Obsidious]

Originally Posted by cma g21

Obsidious,
Just curious what you mean by, "available options."
Available options could mean (with write ins) just about anyone.
If you look at viable options (those that actually have a chance to win), you're pretty much limited to McCain and Obama (with Hillary barely hanging in as a long shot).

I mean viable options.

[knightRider]

Originally Posted by Obsidious

I'm still not voting for him.

not even going to say anything here.

Home <------ liberals with guns website

weird , i need a shower , i never thought oh god , soooo sick ,head hurts ow ow ow

[Obsidious]

Originally Posted by knightRider

not even going to say anything here.

Home <------ liberals with guns website

weird , i need a shower , i never thought oh god , soooo sick ,head hurts ow ow ow

I can understand why you might be bothered by the idea of liberals being able to shoot back at you. I guess you would prefer that we all be passive and unarmed? Ironic.

Here is another link for you, for after your shower.
2nd Amendment Democrats

[knightRider]

no i was speaking of the whole thing <libs with gun rights as a issue> it was surreal , it must suck to be liberal and like guns , because your party is made up primarily of gun haters/grabbers .

Originally Posted by Obsidious

I can understand why you might be bothered by the idea of liberals being able to shoot back at you. I guess you would prefer that we all be passive and unarmed? Ironic.

Here is another link for you, for after your shower.
2nd Amendment Democrats

trust me i am not scared of any liberal , well maybe troy.

[Obsidious]

Originally Posted by knightRider

no i was speaking of the whole thing <libs with gun rights as a issue> it was surreal , it must suck to be liberal and like guns , because your party is made up primarily of gun haters/grabbers .

Sure you were.

I'll take you at your word on that, for diplomacy's sake.

I don't really have a "party". I split ways with the Democrats in 2007. I'm far more liberal than most Democrats anyway. I guess I'm more of an independent socialist.

And there are FAR more pro-gun liberals than you think. But even if I was the only one, I'd still feel that way. In my opinion, I don't think it is right or morally consistent for ANYONE to call themselves a liberal and support gun control. Furthermore, I don't think it makes any sense for someone to call themselves a conservative and NOT support gun control. But, thats just me.

trust me i am not scared of any liberal , well maybe troy.

You sound scared.

[knightRider]

what? i am not attacking you I am stating my opinion that its just strange to see your beliefs, when it doesn't jive with 90 % of your party's . Please don't threaten me again.

[Obsidious]

Originally Posted by knightRider

what? i am not attacking you I am stating my opinion that its just strange to see your beliefs, when it doesn't jive with 90 % of your party's . Please don't threaten me again.

Don't recall making a threat. Sorry if I gave that impression. Just making a little joke. Should have followed that up with a smile face. Like this

Also, saying that my ideology or beliefs makes you so sick that you need to take a shower...kinda does come across as an attack.

[knightRider]

thats how i roll

[Obsidious]

Originally Posted by knightRider

thats how i roll

Thank you for the concession.

[jashoffa]

TXplt, I couldn't agree with you more, I think John McCain is the most trustworthy and honest one running, I also think his stand on guns is much better than either of the dems'.