Clinton's biggest "gun gaffe" was her vote for confiscation

Ray Schoenke
By Ray Schoenke at May 5, 2008 - 4:20pm

Over the weekend, reports surfaced that Hillary Clinton had dropped an anti-Obama mail piece asking "Where does Obama really stand on guns?"

Those reports were true, but the mailing backfired. At the Politico, Ben Smith reported on Clinton's "gun gaffe" last night:

Sen. Hillary Clinton's mailing attacking Sen. Barack Obama's record on guns appears to include a striking visual gaffe: The image of the gun pictured on the face of the mailing is reversed, making it a nonexistent left-handed model of the Mauser 66 rifle.

To make matters worse, a prominent gun dealer said, it's an expensive German gun with customized features that make it clearly European.

"The gun in the photo does not exist," said Val Forgett III, president of Navy Arms in Martinsburg, W.Va. Forgett's company was Mauser's agent in the United States when the gun was released, and it sold Mauser guns here again in the 1990s. "The bolt is facing to the left side of the receiver, making it a left-handed bolt action rifle, indicating whoever constructed and approved the mailer did not recognize the image has been reversed."

Forgett said the error would be obvious to sportsmen.

"I find it laughable on its face," he said. "It's like a picture of Babe Ruth hitting right-handed."

Forgett is right. The mistake is obvious to real sportsmen. And, while it's laughable, it is not surprising. The real question gun owners need to ask is "Why is Clinton trying to hide her voting record on guns?"

Clinton's true feelings about our 2nd amendment rights became clear to all Americans on July 13, 2006. That's when the Senate took a vote on an amendment to the Homeland Security appropriations offered by Senator David Vitter, which reads: "To prohibit the confiscation of a firearm during an emergency or major disaster if the possession of such firearm is not prohibited under Federal or State law."

Look at the roll call: 84 Senators, including Barack Obama, defended gun owners. 16 Senators, including Hillary Clinton, voted against us. That vote says all anyone needs to know about where the candidates really stand on guns.

The contrasting votes of Senator Obama and Senator Clinton on the confiscation issue are definitive for most gun owners like me. That's one reason I endorsed Obama on behalf of the American Hunters and Shooters Assocation (AHSA).

So, the Clinton campaign's "gun gaffe" mailing shouldn't come as a surprise. Hillary Clinton really doesn't know much about guns nor does she care about gun rights. Her record proves that.

Gun owners recognized the mistake in Clinton's mailing. They'll also recognize the glaring mistake in her voting record.

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Tags: Gun Shows, John McCain, nra, Political News, second amendment, Wayne LaPierre

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