I sent an email to the AHSA!

J

just one question

New member
I went to their site and sent them an email here it is.
.........................................

You seem less extreme then the NRA GOA etc. Where do you stand on the assault weapon ban and the 1986 import ban? What types of guns do you think should be legal? All of them, or just bolt action rifles and over and under shot guns?

Is it true that you have a multitude of anti gun politicians giving donations to you?

The reason I ask this is I want to join all the pro gun organizations I can but many of my friends say you are the Brady Campaign in disguise.

...............

I am curious to what they say because I went to their site and they seemed pretty moderate not that gun grabberish. I think they may not be as bad as you guys think.
 
What about PAX: Real solutions to gun violence? is thier real solution taking care of crime, endorsing self defense, or gun control?
 
For the simple-minded among us (like me) would you please clarify to whom you sent an email?

Was it the Arabian Horse Society of Australia, Apple Hill Surgical Associates, the American Hampshire Sheep Association or the Association of Home School Attorneys?

Thanks! :)
 
Yes, the thread was poorly titled, but..

I woulda figured that someone who frequents gun forums would have known about this pseudo gun group.

John Lott wrote a column about it... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lott

Just googled...

Oh, crapola, even Wikipedia is onto their stuff...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Hunters_and_Shooters_Association

Stated Purpose

Americans who love the outdoors and the shooting sports deserve an organization that represents their views, avoids angry political rhetoric and delivers well thought out, rational programs and policy proposals.
We believe sportsmen and sportswomen overwhelmingly agree that an organization that brings the right message to policy makers on such issues as the safe use of firearms, our environment and protecting and training our nation’s first responders is long overdue.
We invite you to join us today in fighting to protect our sport and our community!
AHSA presents itself as a force of moderation in the gun control debate in the same vein as Americans for Gun Safety Leadership
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Criticism

This organization has been the target of much criticism from gun rights activists who claim that AHSA is merely a front organization for gun control groups. They point out the sparse nature of the website along with faults in the website's information such as the example listed below.

The procedure for cleaning all firearms is essentially the same:

1. Make certain the firearm is unloaded
2. Check for obstructions in the bore and malfunctions
3. Run a patch, brass brush, or fine steel wool soaked in bore solvent down the bore
4. Run dry follow-up patches to dry the bore and check for traces of rust
5. Once clean, run a patch with a light coat of gun oil down the bore
6. Clean all exposed parts of the action
7. Clean and oil all exterior metal parts"

These steps are normal for gun cleaning, except for using steel wool, which would damage the bore beyond repair.

The issue positions of AHSA on the Assault Weapons Ban and rifles chambered in .50 BMG mirrors those of the Brady Campaign.
Gun rights activists also point out that the leadership of the organization is composed of longtime advocates of gun control.
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Here is the NRA's take...

http://www.nraila.org/CurrentLegislation/Read.aspx?ID=1702

Sometimes The Enemy Wears Camouflage

Sunday, August 14, 2005

You might have recently heard of a new organization claiming to represent hunters and gun owners. The new group calls itself the American Hunters and Shooters Association, a friendly sounding name designed to earn the trust of gun owners and hunters. The reality is that AHSA is nothing more than the enemy in camouflage.

At first glance, everything about AHSA sounds just fine. They even have one useful tool on the website, a history of wildlife conservation laws in America--strange thing is it was lifted nearly word for word from www.NRAILA.org.

In their "Firearms Safety and Training" section we begin to see some curious remarks. For instance in the "Range Safety" section they never once mention that firearms should always be pointed downrange, the first rule in range safety. Another section recommends that shooters use steel wool to clean the barrels of their guns, an idea that makes most gunsmiths cringe. The rest of their safety tips appear to be written by someone who has never hunted. Never once do they mention the three basic rules of safe gun handling by which all shooters know and abide.

A look deeper into the AHSA website quickly reveals that this is no hunters' rights group. You quickly realize that they want to allow the FBI to keep records on law-abiding citizens who buy guns and put an end to gun shows as we know them. Not to mention the fact that they want to regulate .50 caliber rifles in the same way that machine guns are regulated.

The most telling thing about AHSA is its leadership. A quick look at their website shows that Bob Ricker is listed as AHSA Executive Director. Readers will remember that Ricker is a former NRA employee who switched sides and has actively worked for gun control groups for many years now. A few years ago, Ricker was part of an attempt to sell out your rights by brokering a deal with the most anti-gun administration in history. He then appeared with Bill Clinton in a White House photo-op. Most recently Ricker was paid by a Virginia based anti-gun group, where he lobbied to shut down gun shows and put further restrictions on gun owners.

A little further down in the leadership section John Rosenthal is listed as President of the AHSA Foundation. Rosenthal is one of the founders of the Massachusetts based group Stop Handgun Violence, a group that has been a major force in passing some of the most Draconian state gun laws in the nation. Gun laws that Rosenthal would like to see exported to other states.

With leadership like that, there is no doubt about the true goals of AHSA. They are trying to fool hunters and gun owners with a soft sell--a la John Kerry--while working behind the scenes to end the sport that we all love. I fully expect that in the 2006 elections we will see anti-gun Congressional candidates boasting about their AHSA endorsements. Unfortunately, some gun owners will be fooled by this ploy, so help us spread the word that AHSA isn't what it claims to be.
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AHSA presents itself as a force of moderation in the gun control debate in the same vein as Americans for Gun Safety Leadership
Click to expand...



Well, we know that Americans for Gun Safety is as anti-gun as they come, and their name is a total lie -- unless you think that the best way to "gun safety" is to simply not have any of them!


So, here AHSA is saying, "We're no less moderate than this here extreme group."

Is that supposed to be comforting? :rolleyes:


-blackmind
 
Is there any law to prohibit pro-gunners from making a pseudo-gun-control organization and taking donations from the soccer moms only to use the money to defeat gun control legislation?


If not, why aren't we doing the same crap they're doing against us?


-blackmind
 
Isn't not-fighting-to-the-best-of-your-ability one of the reasons we lost in Vietnam? I mean, if fighting with "honor" against someone who wants to destroy you and fights without "honor" will almost guarantee you lose, why fight with one hand tied behind your back? Why even fight, if you're not fighting to win?


-blackmind
 
Blackmind, you're right about fighting dirty -- the thought did cross my mind.

Unfourtunately, there's the matter of public support... Both the US in 'Nam and pro-gunners are "clean". Both the NVA/VC and antis are playing "dirty".

The public, in both cases, overlooked the dirty players... The difference stops there.

In 'Nam, the pockets of dirty US fighting were emphasised by the enemy, causing lack of public support, and eventual loss.

In the pro/anti struggle, we've got the antis who fight dirty, the public all too unaware. On the other side is us -- we're playing it clean, but as soon as we play dirty, what do you think the antis are gonna do? My bet is that they'd do their best to tell the public about how pro-gunners have to turn to deceit, etc right away.

If it weren't for the antis superior public (dis)information campaigns, I'd agree fully that we need to start using their tricks.

Wolfe.
 
:D The thing about bore cleaning with steel wool sounds like pretty classic destructive disinformation. Imagine how different would have been WW-II if somebody had slipped that little jewel into the German and Japanese training manuals!
 
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