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Gun Control Advocates Call Clinton a Hypocrite
February 05, 2008 8:19 AM
Yesterday we took a look at Sen. Barack Obama's pro-hunter preaching in Idaho, wondering how it fit with a 1996 questionnaire in which he supported banning all handguns. Sen. Hillary Clinton implied Obama was a flip-flopper. (Read more HERE.)
This aroused the ire of some gun control advocates, who pointed out that even if one considers this an Obama flip-flop (and Obama says that questionnaire was filled out incorrectly by a staffer), Clinton has made a much more dramatic flip.
In an email to me, Andy Pelosi of Gun Free Kids, writes, "quite frankly, there are many gun control advocates that find it distasteful that Clinton appears to be running to the right of Obama on guns."
Running for the Senate in 2000, Clinton appeared before newspaper publishers in May of that year to say that gun control was part of the raison d'etre for her Senate campaign.
"We have to do more to stand up to those who refuse to believe the reality that guns do kill and that common-sense gun measures can make a difference," she said to the Newspaper Association of America's annual convention in New York. "I believe we need a comprehensive plan to stop gun violence, and it is one of the reasons I am running for the Senate."
Part of this, she said, was a national gun registry.
"We license drivers before they get behind the wheel to make sure they can drive safely," she said. "We register cars to make sure someone is responsible for every vehicle on the road. But we don't do the same for deadly weapons."
But last month she backed off this proposal.
At a Democratic debate in Nevada she said something different.
She said she was against "illegal guns," she said she wanted to get guns "out of the hands of young people," she called for a registry of "felons, people who have been committed to mental institutions like the man in Virginia Tech who caused so much death and havoc" and "we need to enforce the laws that we have on the books. I would also work to reinstate the assault-weapons ban."
These are generally the steps supported by the Republican presidential candidates as well. Which is fine - but it's quite different from how she sounded in 2000, when she was calling for far more liberal gun control measures.
"You know, I believe in the Second Amendment. People have a right to bear arms," Clinton said at the Nevada debate, "but I also believe that we can common-sensically approach this."
Inquired Tim Russert, "But you've backed off a national licensing registration plan?"
"Yes," Clinton said.
Bryan Miller, Executive Director of Ceasefire NJ , writes that "Clinton"s attack (on Obama on guns) is an obvious effort to frighten some with the false specter of gun confiscation under an Obama presidency, a prospect that is clearly not in the cards in this country, whoever is in office."
He goes on: "Clinton's attack is highly ironic, as well, both because she has changed positions on guns even more rapidly than Obama..." He says "there's more than a bit of the pot calling the kettle in Clinton's carefully parsed, but transparent and toxic attack. So, not only is Clinton's arithmetic incorrect as to Obama's so-called 'rapidly changes position,' but her own stated stance on gun regulation has both changed dramatically and done so in a much shorter time frame. No hypocrisy there, right?"
What say you?
- jpt
February 5, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (36)
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oldgaman When did the republicans debate and name call?
Drugs and bad education is the cause of crime.
Simple solution to stop drugs that is CLOSE THE BORDER!!
Look at history people - Hitler's first step was to remove guns from the individual citizens and have them registered the same goes true for the socialist countries.
Posted by: spock | Feb 5, 2008 11:17:21 AM
Worf you are so right, the reason being though is because they do not like education, they are owned by the teachers unions the Democrats that is, and the less history and education someone has makes them dependent on government and the libs who believe in socialism. And low education leads to high crime.
Posted by: spock | Feb 5, 2008 11:10:05 AM
Where and when did you run a story on Obama about his misleading comments regarding gun control? I was on you site all day yesterday and I saw nothing negative about Obama. I never do when it comes to media reporting unless it's hidden at the back of the newspapers or under a non-divisive headline that takes several links to find on a web-site. I will be voting for Hillary Clinton today and I think a great many other folks will be doing the same thing - the media will try to cover their backsides again when the numbers come out tomorrow in support of Clinton, but those of us who vote with common sense and not because of the emotion generated by media hype know better.
Posted by: Mary | Feb 5, 2008 11:02:38 AM
Let's face up to the facts. We have hundreds of laws on the books to deal with criminals. Those preaching gun control would do better to preach criminal control. The laws already exist to deal with the problem. Why are they not enforced? Anyone committing a crime with a gun should be dealt with swiftly and harshly. Slap them down fast and hard. I'm sick of all the criminal rights crap. What ever happened to the law abiding citizens rights? We should be able to expect criminals to be punished and kept off our streets. Insted most criminals are back on the streets before the police officer can get his paperwork finished. We need to take action against the criminal NOT the law abiding citizen. I refuse to surrender my CCW license. Then I would be at the criminals mercy and we already know they don't have any mercy for thier victims.
Posted by: Action Jackson | Feb 5, 2008 10:55:12 AM
Funny how its only where Democrats and Liberals live the crime rate is through the roof. Now they blame the 2 admendment for the crime rather blame their owm policies.
Posted by: Worf ddk | Feb 5, 2008 10:37:40 AM
Liberals are bragging about the crack they used and defending its use. They don't realize that drugs are the #1 reason of crime. I have no problem against some juvenile drug experimentation. But ask people that live in areas infested with drugs why the cops can't stop the crime. Its not guns its drugs. No wonder Obama has all these drug induced drunken movie stars supporting him. Kennedys are included on the drunken drug heads.
Posted by: Smoke Crayola | Feb 5, 2008 10:23:36 AM
Funny how Republicans can't have a debate without hateful name calling. Young kids carrying guys in school and playgrounds is a serious problem in protecting our kids. True, upbringing and home environment is the cause, but keeping guns out of the hands of these kids is our responsibility. Has nothing to do with anyone having a gun at home for protection or to hunt. Altering your position in an 8 year period is not flipflopping. I would be more concerned with Obama never taking responsibility for anything that reflects badly on him. He won't have a "present" button in the White House if he gets there.
Posted by: oldgaman | Feb 5, 2008 10:22:59 AM
Gee, but the anti-gun libs from California, Pelosi, Boxer, etc want to take my guns away, but happily carry their CCW and their families? Guess that is equal rights in the their views. Are the other States the same?
Posted by: Maverick | Feb 5, 2008 10:11:15 AM
Obama wants to allow only the Goverment police to own and carry guns. Democrats are bad news for liberty. Get rid of the drugs and you will get rid of 99 percent of the crime. And most of this crime takes place where Democrats rule the cities
Posted by: John Wayne | Feb 5, 2008 10:09:21 AM
Make a list of guns and people who own them, make a list of fat people and smokers, and make a list of those who drive fast, or call in sick when they are not, a list of the infertile and the fertile, ones who wear glasses and skip voting, heck lets make a list of who you vote for and rank your dna against Hillary’s for disbursement of benefits. Make a list of restaurants that serve the obese and heart patients. Register those with a big toe smaller than the next.
Not until we have a list of every behavior will democrats be satisfied. Then what?
Posted by: flyover | Feb 5, 2008 10:04:30 AM
Since it's the Second Amendment that gives VP Cheney the right to go hunting and shoot his hunting companions in the face, I have to admit my support for this part of the Constitution as long as it's interpreted the way that Cheney does.
Posted by: chuck | Feb 5, 2008 10:01:30 AM
I will keep my weapons by force before I allow the Constitution to be further damaged
Posted by: Patriot2008 | Feb 5, 2008 9:59:52 AM
Guns are not the problem.
I am for Obama.
Posted by: J. Perez Acosta | Feb 5, 2008 9:57:19 AM
I am an Independent Liberal-
I believe in the Second Amendment, and I tell the truth.
Since you, Ben Franklin & Spock, have a magic crystal ball that gives you almighty truth and knowlege in knowing everything-
Why not save us all these petty comments, and justy go ahead and tell the rest of us how to make the world a perfect place.
And when your done, I'd like to borrow your crystal ball.
Posted by: Sally | Feb 5, 2008 9:53:02 AM
When is a liberal telling the truth about anything. All liberals want to take away guns. Drugs are the reason for high murder and crime rates in liberal controlled cities and they can't even control that.
Posted by: Ben Franklin | Feb 5, 2008 9:40:53 AM
First of all for any of the libs to say they believe in the 2nd amendment is a lie. So what else is new.
Posted by: spock | Feb 5, 2008 9:31:09 AM
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