Editorial
Manchester Union Leader
November 22, 1999
Unprovoked, from out of left field, John McCain took a shot at gun collectors, owners and dealers on CNN's "Larry King Live" program last Monday night.
Larry King didn't even bring up guns with McCain, but when he asked McCain why congressional Republicans are held in "low esteem in national polls," the GOP Presidential candidate couldn't resist: "We need to pass the legislation on gun control," he responded after briefly mentioning the special interests' influence on HMO reform. "It (gun control) was passed through the Senate. We need to do things that the American people want us to do rather than being gridlocked by the special interests and we're gridlocked on both sides."
These special interests McCain is complaining about are the citizens _ many in New Hampshire _ who are trying to defend their right to buy a firearm from a gun show or private collector without the imposition of the federal government taking three business days to conduct a background check. This regulation is the one passed by the Senate, even though 95 percent of all background checks take no more than three hours, and gun shows usually last only one weekend.
McCain helped to kill this anti-gun owner bill last May, but after the national media expressed outage at the outcome the next morning, he panicked and demanded that the Senate do something to placate the likes of the New York Times and CNN. McCain then allowed the gun control bill to become the Senate's official position, despite the effort led by New Hampshire Sen. Bob Smith to kill it.
The gun issue reveals how McCain himself is too easily influenced by special interests _ in this case, the media elite. Wasn't he standing on principle when he voted against the gun show regulations? How, then, could he be so supple as to let it become the Senate position that is now under consideration by Congress as a whole?
A tragic school shooting in Conyers, Ga., took place immediately after McCain voted against the gun show ban, but that would have been an opportunity for McCain to demonstrate the courage he possesses by standing up to media pressure rather than capitulating to it. Just weeks earlier the Columbine, Colo., school shooting took place, but McCain held his ground against anti-gun legislation then. It was the media explosion that brought him to his knees.
This weakness was brought to light again Monday night, when McCain told Larry King exactly what the media elite like to hear: The Republican Congress is a flop because they haven't stopped citizens from privately buying and selling guns yet.
_ Bernadette Malone Connolly
Joe's Self Reliance & Preparedness Forum
[This message has been edited by nralife (edited December 18, 1999).]
Manchester Union Leader
November 22, 1999
Unprovoked, from out of left field, John McCain took a shot at gun collectors, owners and dealers on CNN's "Larry King Live" program last Monday night.
Larry King didn't even bring up guns with McCain, but when he asked McCain why congressional Republicans are held in "low esteem in national polls," the GOP Presidential candidate couldn't resist: "We need to pass the legislation on gun control," he responded after briefly mentioning the special interests' influence on HMO reform. "It (gun control) was passed through the Senate. We need to do things that the American people want us to do rather than being gridlocked by the special interests and we're gridlocked on both sides."
These special interests McCain is complaining about are the citizens _ many in New Hampshire _ who are trying to defend their right to buy a firearm from a gun show or private collector without the imposition of the federal government taking three business days to conduct a background check. This regulation is the one passed by the Senate, even though 95 percent of all background checks take no more than three hours, and gun shows usually last only one weekend.
McCain helped to kill this anti-gun owner bill last May, but after the national media expressed outage at the outcome the next morning, he panicked and demanded that the Senate do something to placate the likes of the New York Times and CNN. McCain then allowed the gun control bill to become the Senate's official position, despite the effort led by New Hampshire Sen. Bob Smith to kill it.
The gun issue reveals how McCain himself is too easily influenced by special interests _ in this case, the media elite. Wasn't he standing on principle when he voted against the gun show regulations? How, then, could he be so supple as to let it become the Senate position that is now under consideration by Congress as a whole?
A tragic school shooting in Conyers, Ga., took place immediately after McCain voted against the gun show ban, but that would have been an opportunity for McCain to demonstrate the courage he possesses by standing up to media pressure rather than capitulating to it. Just weeks earlier the Columbine, Colo., school shooting took place, but McCain held his ground against anti-gun legislation then. It was the media explosion that brought him to his knees.
This weakness was brought to light again Monday night, when McCain told Larry King exactly what the media elite like to hear: The Republican Congress is a flop because they haven't stopped citizens from privately buying and selling guns yet.
_ Bernadette Malone Connolly
Joe's Self Reliance & Preparedness Forum
[This message has been edited by nralife (edited December 18, 1999).]