Sen. McCain and Guns

Two articles on presumptive Republican presidential nominee Senator McCain's anti-gun stances and votes:

The first article, written by Brady Campaign president Paul Helmke, discusses Senator McCain's "common sense" (Helmke's words) stands on gun-control issues:

[Helmke's] staff did a little digging and found an interesting passage from a longer floor speech Sen. McCain delivered to the Senate in January 2004. In it, he takes three common-sense stands in favor of what are today key items in the Brady Campaign's legislative agenda.

First, Sen. McCain spoke against the restrictions on ATF trace data sponsored by Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), even as those restrictions were pushed by the National Rifle Association. (As Rep. Tiahrt said himself, "I wanted to make sure I was fulfilling the needs of my friends who are firearms dealers." NRA officials "were very helpful in making sure I had my bases covered," Rep. Tiahrt said.)

Next, Sen. McCain spoke against the requirement to destroy records of firearms transactions within 24 hours, preferring the 90-day rule that gave law enforcement time to catch prohibited purchasers not immediately rejected by Brady criminal background checks.

Finally, Sen. McCain spoke against the prohibition on ATF to conduct inventory audits of licensed gun dealers, which allowed law enforcement to keep track of "lost" or "stolen" weapons - like the Bushmaster assault rifle used by the DC snipers.

The second article, by Chad Baus of Buckeye Firearms Association, discusses Senator McCain's votes in 2004 on the bill to renew the infamous Assault Weapons Ban:

Four years later, however, it appears the NRA indeed may be on the verge of forgetting just that. You see, despite amendments that, according to the NRA-ILA's press release, "would have reenacted the 1994 Clinton gun ban and shut down gun shows", there were eight Senators who still found the bill worthy of their support. One of them is the candidate the NRA-ILA appears on the verge of offering their endorsement just four short years later.

John Sidney McCain.
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That's right - John McCain's "poison pill" amendment was one of the chief reasons the NRA was forced to kill the bill.
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We have said from the start that we would not allow this bill to become a vehicle for added restrictions on the law-abiding people of America," NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre told Senate supporters after the vote.

The next time you hear McCain claim to have once opposed an assault weapons ban, be mindful of another "added restriction" which prompted the NRA to kill S. 1805 - the Clinton Gun Ban renewal sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California. The amendment, which sought to ban the sale of 19 different types of semi-automatic rifles, became part of the bill on a 52-47 vote.

In speaking of both McCain's gun show 'loophole' amendment and Feinstein's Clinton Gun ban renewal, Sen. Ted Kennedy said "the Senate's adoption of these amendments today is a welcome step in the right direction, and I intend to do all I can to see that they are enacted into law this year."

The NRA's friends in the Senate responded to the organization's request that the poisoned bill be stopped, and it failed by a 8-90 vote. John McCain, however, made a statement about the status of his 'friendship' with gun owners that day, by voting (yet again) against the NRA's wishes and in support of the poison-pill laden bill.

The really sad part of the choice this November is that Senator McCain is still by far the more pro-gun -- or rather, the less anti-gun -- candidate likely to be on the ballot come election day.