USAToday reported that Dan Cooper, founder and owner of Cooper Firearms, lost his job.  The reason: He's voting for Obama:

Montana gunsmith Dan Cooper has been ousted as chief executive of the rifle company that bears his name after pressure from gun owners who are angry that he is supporting Democrat Barack Obama.  

Today, on behalf of the American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA), I condemned the actions by the NRA and its cronies forcing Dan Cooper out.

The gun lobby's attempt to destroy a good man and small business owner, a loyal member of the gun fraternity, again reveals the desperate Joe McCarthy-like politics of fear that the NRA leadership and others put first.  They are trying to scare America's hunters and shooters into voting against Barack Obama -- but we have one thing to say: vote hope and not fear.

I have been campaigning in battleground states, including Ohio, Minnesota, Florida and Colorado for Barack Obama this fall.  I know first-hand that gun owners are voting for Obama. They know their gun rights are secure.  And they want a president who won't take their guns AND will focus on the economy and their jobs.  It's beyond appalling that hard-core gun activists would destroy the economic livelihood of a guy like Dan Cooper.  John McCain should be ashamed that his supporters have harmed a small business owner for political reasons.  That should never happen in the America.

Last year we witnessed what happened to prominent outdoor writer and commentator Jim Zumbo when he dared take a position contrary to NRA policy.  Now they are trying to do the same to Dan Cooper.

This is wrong, and rank and file gun owners who have no political ax to grind need to stand up, reject such underhanded tactics and have their voices heard. That's why AHSA was formed, to end this partisan bullying and to restore pride to the shooting sports.   This action against Cooper reinforces my commitment to making change happen by electing Obama - and by building an organization for hunters and shooters who are tired of extremism.

I just back from my third trip to Ohio where I spent the last couple days campaigning for Barack Obama. Something is happening out there -- this trip was tremendous -- you can feel the momentum growing.

With each campaign trip I do, I've found that gun owners are more receptive to Obama and his message of change. People are clamoring for it. I can't tell you how impressed I am with the Obama operation in Ohio and the way this campaign is changing the way gun owners are looking at him and his party.  

Ohio is full of hunters--and I've been talking to a lot of them.  Since Tuesday, I've been doing three or four stops each day across the state.  I was very pleased to be working side-by-side with members of several unions, including the United Mine Workers, Building Trades. Plumbers and Pipefitters, the Teamsters and Sheetmetal workers.  There are a lot of gun owners in their membership who are getting the right message about Obama.  And, they are working hard for him.

I even had the opportunity to go hunting on Lake Erie. I'll admit, I was surprised when that idea was first suggested. Years ago, when I used to play football in Cleveland, I never thought of Lake Erie as a pristine place for hunters and sportsmen. But, it is. (I also got to stop in Waldo for the world famous fried baloney sandwich. I was told it was the best sandwich in the world and it was really good.)

This year is different.  As president of the American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA) for the past couple years, I've talked to a lot of hunters and shooters who are Democrats so I know they're out there. Lots of them.  Obama understands that and is talking to them.  So, it's not a surprise to me that Obama is doing much better with rural voters than past Democratic candidates.    The latest poll of rural voters shows that Obama has pulled even with McCain. I have seen first-hand that rural America is coming to support Barack not only in Ohio, but on my other campaign trips to Minnesota, Colorado and Florida.

Don't get me wrong, the gun issue is a real issue. And, the NRA just keeps spewing its lies--all of which have been refuted. But, that doesn't stop them from trying. However, it is our side's message that is getting through.  Having our friends in the unions help spread the message and correct the record has been very helpful.

I couldn't be more excited about being part of this change. Gun owners understand that they have nothing to fear from Obama and that they have a place in the Democratic party. They're being welcomed. There is a conversation happening among people with different views and it's constructive. It's not the divisiveness that the NRA has been pushing for far too long.

While I've been talking to real hunters and gun owners, who are greatly concerned about the future and the economy, the NRA is continuing its assault on Obama and the truth. FactCheck.org just slammed the NRA again for it's latest false anti-Obama ad:

The National Rifle Association's misleading attacks on Obama continue. A new ad shows a terrified woman grabbing a gun after an intruder smashes his way into her home. It accuses Obama of voting repeatedly for a measure that would "make you the criminal" in such cases, and voting to "deny citizens the right of self-protection."

The NRA says the incident depicted is "a true story." Not quite.

Misleading. That's the NRA leadership's operating principle. They do a disservice to not only their members and but to all gun owners. I'm sick of being misled and lied to by the NRA.

That's the old way. What we're seeing this year is hard to describe. Barack Obama and his campaign are creating a climate where everyone has a place. This year, gun owners are part of the campaign. And, that means most of them aren't falling for the same old tired lies. They get that Obama respects the Second Amendment. That mean gun owners don't have to worry about their guns and can support him because of other issues like the economy.

If guns were the only thing the leaders of the NRA cared about, they'd be supporting Bob Barr, the Libertarian. He's on the NRA Board for crying out loud. While John McCain was fighting the NRA, Barr was their leading defender in Congress. But, they chose politics over principle. That's what makes their attacks on Obama even more disingenuous.

I know this post is long, but I want to extend my sympathies to the family of Tony Dean, one of the great conservationists of our time. I have enormous respect for Tony's vision and courage. This excerpt from his obituarygives a good sense of the man I was proud to call my friend:

Dean earned a reputation for standing up for conservation, no matter the financial consequences. He was criticized for supporting Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson and then again for backing Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

DeChandt said her husband's final work before he fell ill last month was recording commercials for Obama's campaign. If Obama were to win, she said, Dean was going to be on his transition team.

"He was absolutely thrilled. He felt strongly that Obama was the one with enough insight and was young enough" to appreciate land conservation, DeChandt said.

Future generations will benefit from the work of Tony Dean. He was right about Obama as he was right about so many things.

With less than two weeks left until the election we can do Dean proud by continuing his legacy and working hard for the candidate that supports his vision for conservation.  

We're in the last quarter of the game--time to dig deep and leave nothing on the field.

I'm back home for a day before I head back out on the road.  Wanted to get up a post about my trip to Minnesota.  I was heading there to speak to hunters about Obama, mainly because Todd Palin was going to be there doing the same thing for his side.

On my way to Minnesota, who did I see at the Detroit airport?  Todd Palin.  Did I go talk introduce myself to him?  You betcha.  I want him to know that his side doesn't have the exclusive on talking to gun owners this year.

Most of the articles about Todd mentioned the gun owners who support Obama, too.  That's exactly what we wanted.

The reaction in Northern Minnesota was very positive.

I did several stops, met with sportsmen for Obama and did quite a few t.v,, newspaper and radio interviews.   I had a good talk with the Bemidji Pioneer.  and had to love the headline, "American Hunters and Shooters Association founder: Obama will protect gun rights."  

Little did I know when I started AHSA a couple years ago, that we'd have a headline in the Bemidji Pioneer.  I'm going to excerpt part of the article because, to be honest, it reads just like what I've been writing in my diaries here at Daily Kos:

Schoenke said his AHSA is an alternative to the NRA for "gun rights, respect of the rights, that every law-abiding citizen can own a gun, but with those rights come civic responsibilities, and a huge commitment to land and conservation of our natural resources."

The NRA is totally lacking on policy for land conservation, he said.

"The NRA, in order to win this battle, in order to get McCain (elected), they want to scare, frighten gun owners into believing Obama is going to take away your guns," he said. "That dog doesn't hunt."

While the McCain campaign points out Obama's record "with a microscope," Schoenke said the same could be true about McCain. He cited the NRA's listing of McCain as "Enemy No. 1" in 2001 for his support of background checks at gun shows.

"McCain and the NRA were at each other's throats," he said. "When the McCain-Feingold (campaign finance reform) bill came out, they were adamantly against him."

The NRA, meanwhile, likes to label the AHSA as "the enemy in camouflage."

"But what the hell are they? Unless you're a conservative right winger, you cannot own a gun?" Schoenke asks. "Of course, Democrats own guns. Moderates own guns."

Schoenke said AHSA "doesn't believe in unfettered, unimpeded, unregulated access to guns. We believe that only law-abiding citizens should have the right to own a gun, and with that right goes civic responsibility, which means we don't want terrorists and criminals and people who harm themselves get guns. We want to do everything we can to make sure that doesn't happen."

The group also has a "huge commitment to conservation, which really separates us from the NRA, as the NRA is horrible when it comes to conservation issues," he said. "They're a one-issue organization. They're all gun rights."

The NRA claims to represent all 80 million gun owners in the U.S., but Schoenke said there is a wide gap between gun-banners and the NRA's wide open stance, and that gun owners wanted an alternative to the NRA.

"The gun rights issue is behind us and conservation is important," he said. "Obama is ahead of McCain, and I think he's clearly ahead when it comes to the economy. That's why I strongly urge hunters and shooters throughout Minnesota to look to Obama and support him."

I have a good feeling a lot of hunters and shooters in Minnesota will be supporting Obama.

I'm heading to Ohio this week for more campaigning.  Just over two weeks to go - none of us can let up.  And, I'll say what I've said before:  Obama is talking to gun owners - and they're listening.

I was in Florida over the weekend campaigning for Obama. I'm impressed with the way the Obama campaign will not cede any vote to McCain. This is the first time any Democratic presidential campaign has so aggressively fought for gun owners. I think it's working - and it's throwing the GOP-controlled NRA for a loop.

I like this headline from the Daytona Beach News-Journal: "Obama, McCain lining up gun groups"

Obama is actually lining up gun voters, which is most important. Wherever I go, I'm finding gun owners are open to Obama. This year, we're not being duped by the NRA's aggressively pro-GOP spin. That loyalty to the Republicans hasn't gotten gun owners much. Our environment is in danger and the economy in crisis. The NRA's leaders don't look beyond their own narrow self-interests.

I'm also very glad to see more Democratic leaders speaking out on this issue. Last week, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland delivered the message in Southern Ohio:

"There is probably no governor, I would say, in the United States of America, who has a stronger, better record in the support of the Second Amendment than does Governor Ted Strickland and I'm proud of that," Strickland told a rally in Chillicothe as he warmed up the crowd ahead of a speech by Obama.

Strickland, whose battleground state is a focus of intensive campaigning by Obama and Republican John McCain, said he spoke directly to Obama about the right to bear arms in the Second Amendment.

"If you are a sportsman, if you are a gun owner, if you are someone that honors and respects the Second Amendment, you have nothing to fear from Barack Obama," the Democratic governor said at a rally in the rural southern part of his state.

Governor Strickland is absolutely right. We're making progress -- Democrats are talking to gun owners and gun owners are listening.  I've been campaigning for Obama myself in Southern Ohio so I know Strickland's words carry weight with gun owners.  When these gun owners understand their guns are safe, they are willing to hear what Obama has to say about the economy.

It's also good to see the NRA's leadership being called out on their hypocrisy. Yesterday, the Los Angeles Times used the NRA's own words to undermine the case the group is trying to make for McCain:

The NRA on Thursday officially endorsed John McCain, though that was merely a formality given that it had already spent $2.3 million on attack ads targeting Obama. This puts the organization in the odd position of throwing its considerable political clout behind a Republican candidate whom its official journal once called "one of the premier flag carriers for enemies of the 2nd Amendment," and against a Democrat who never tires of telling voters that he believes in the right to bear arms. So what gives? Apparently, the NRA thinks that McCain's past legislative sins against gun ownership are forgivable, while Obama's are not.

The gun lobby was furious seven years ago when the McCain-Feingold bill threatened to limit the ability of advocacy groups like the NRA to sponsor political ads; McCain also prominently backed a bill that would have required dealers at gun shows to run background checks on buyers, a smart strategy for keeping guns out of the hands of criminals that horrifies the NRA. McCain's choice of lifetime NRA member Sarah Palin as vice president, on the other hand, seems to have erased any doubts about his loyalty to the Colt-hugging crew.

There was never any doubt that the NRA would endorse their one-time enemy, John McCain. The current leaders of the NRA put their own partisan politics first. This year, however, the NRA isn't the only game in town. Gun owners are hearing from both sides. And, this year, that is making a major difference. Along those lines, I'll be back on the campaign trail this week heading to Minnesota and Michigan.

I'm just back from doing eight campaign stops in Ohiofor Obama over the past couple days.  I want to get out my thoughts on the decision by the NRA to officially endorse John McCain.  They're playing pure partisan politics with this decision.  Based on the NRA's own standards, McCain doesn't deserve the endorsement.

But, today, the National Rifle Association demonstrated once again that it is a partisan political entity, not a organization committed to the best interests of gun owners.

In 2001, the NRA’s magazine, America’s First Freedom (no link), said that John McCain was "one of the premier flag carriers for the enemies of the Second Amendment."  That came after McCain introduced federal legislation on gun show background checks, which came after McCain’s appearances in television ads support referenda in Colorado and Oregon to require backgrounds checks at gun shows.  

The ad from Colorado is here.   McCain knew that the NRA was fighting these measures and rubbed his support right in the faces of the NRA leadership.

There's a pattern of the NRA endorsing Republicans even when those Republicans don't support the NRA's agenda.  In 2004 the NRA endorsed George Bush despite his long-standing support for renewal of the federal assault weapons ban., a measure also vehemently opposed by the NRA.  In fact, John McCain voted for the renewal of the assault weapons ban in 2004, when he supported S. 1805, which included an amendment on assault weapons.

This history is important.  It’s hard to imagine any Democrat getting a similar pass from the NRA.  In fact, the NRA has been going over Barack Obama’s state senate record with a microscope to find any bad vote.  Meanwhile, Obama has repeatedly expressed support for the Second Amendment and has even supported a key NRA bill, the Vitter amendment, in the U.S. Senate.

But, the NRA’s long memory on Obama is contradicted by its lack of honest scrutiny of John McCain and his record.  The GOP nominee mocked the NRA to its face by appearing in those t.v. ads in 2000 and serving as the lead sponsor for gun show legislation.  The NRA is holding Obama accountable for votes taken 10 years ago, but giving McCain a pass for his actions within the past 8 years.

But, the leaders of the NRA always put their own political interests first.  They’re willing to spend the millions of dollars of their members’ money to fight Obama when McCain has led the charge against the organization.  The NRA is spending those millions to deceive its members and other gun owners.  Three independent sources-- FactCheck.org, CNNand the Washington Post, have found the NRA’s ads misleading and false.

And, the truth is that NRA has been selling out hunters on conservation interests for years.  The organization that I head, the American Hunters and Shooters Association, put out a comprehensive report showing that the NRA has support Members of Congress with the worst conservation records (Read the report at: www.realhuntersrealconservation.org) Our report showed that the NRA has stood with George Bush, John McCain, and the corporate lobbyists instead of standing up for hunters and shooters' interest in protecting our forests and public lands.

Today’s action by the NRA wasn’t unexpected.  It just confirms that Wayne LaPierre has made that once great institution nothing but a pawn of the right wing conservative politicians.  

I'm in Ohio again--on the campaign trail for Obama.  The response I've been getting from gun owning Democrats is very positive.  It's been important to let them know Obama is on their side and values their votes - and I'm more than happy to be that messenger.

Our Sportsmen for Obama video already has 16,000 views.  And, the Obama campaign also launched a new t.v. ad with an NRA life-member talking about his support for the Democratic ticket.  Just more proof that the Obama campaign gets it and isn't ceding any vote to the NRA leadership.   For years, those NRA honchos have conveyed the idea that gun owners are a monolithic vote, which they control.  That's not true--this  year, we're proving it.

Over the weekend, the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund released its 2008 candidate ratings.  Our organization, American Hunters and Shooters Association (ASHA), did an analysis of the grades and endorsements, which show that the NRA continues to overwhelmingly support Members of Congress who have terrible records when it comes to protecting the environment.

The NRA clearly does not put any value on conservation.  In the 2008 ratings, the NRA gave an average "A" rating to the 161 House Members who have poor conservation records - a score of 25 or below from the League of Conservation Voters - and an average rating of a "D" to the 210 House Members with strong records on environmental conservation - 75 or above from the League of Conservation Voters.

The NRA gave an average rating of an "A" to the 10 Senators running for re-election who have poor conservation records and an average rating of a "D minus" to the 6 Senators who are running for re-election with strong conservation records.

These ratings and endorsements from the NRA confirm what American Hunters and Shooters first reported in August: The NRA leadership overwhelmingly supports Members of Congress who put the interests of Washington corporate lobbyists ahead of the interests that hunters and sportsman have in protecting America's public lands.

AHSA's earlier report, "SLASH AND BURN: Why Does the National Rifle Association Support Congress's Biggest Opponents of Conservation?" can be found here.

In our analysis, we looked at critical issues like the Roadless Area Conservation Act to protect America's National Forests from corporate loggers and clear-cutters; the 2005 Pombo-Gibbons Amendment that would have enabled the sale of public wilderness lands to corporate mining interests; and "Katrina Amendment" (Senate Amendment 1094), which recognizes the impact of climate change in future flood-control and other water resources projects.  Those are priorities for America's hunters and shooters--but not the NRA.

It's time for gun owners, hunters, and all Americans to repudiate the NRA's slash and burn culture war politics and join the movement to protect our gun rights and the lands we love.  

That's why AHSA, on behalf of hunters, shooters and conservationists, gives the NRA an F.

The Obama campaign released a video on gun issues. I think it's very good (and not just because I'm in it.)

The Obama campaign is fighting back hard against the NRA's campaign of lies and trying to get the message out to gun owners that Obama is on their side. I did a radio ad, which has been running in battleground states. And, I've been out on the campaign trail in Ohio and Colorado talking to a lot of gun owners who are Democrats. There are a lot of us and, this year, the Democratic ticket is talking to us about issues that matter to us, like conservation, public access -- and the economy. Because those issues affect us, too.

I'm heading out again next week to campaign for Obama.

Watch the Video: