John McCain Still Backs Closing Gun Show Loophole
Reader Comments
McCain: "Flag carrier for enemies of the Second Amendment"?
Not only does Sen. McCain still support closing the gun show loophole, he also (of course) continues to support the campaign finance law he co-sponsored with Sen. Russ Feingold - which the National Rifle Associated excoriated McCain for. Just a few years a ago they called him "one of the premier flag carriers for the enemies of the Second Amendment."
The NRA also consistently attacked McCain for teaming up with Sen. Lieberman in their bill to close the gun show loophole nationwide, and sort of melded pictures of their faces together in an issue of the NRA magazine to make them look like a someone who's just had a stroke. Not a lot of love there.
Marc Ambinder wrote about this yesterday: http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/having_followed_the_national_r.php
The NRA leadership making virtue out of necessity is one thing, but much of the gun community actually finds McCain's common-sense support of gun show background checks - and even the Secret Service ban on guns from the hall when he speaks to the convention - too onerous to handle.
Will be interesting to hear what NRA Board member - and possible libertarian candidate - Bob Barr will have to say afterward.
Doug Pennington, Brady Campaign, www.bradycampaign.org
