I just got back from spending the holidays with my family out on the Eastern Shore of Maryland where I got in some great time with the grandkids. I was able to sneak out to the duck blind early in the mornings and do a little shooting.  That always gives me some time to think.  It's been a couple years since we started the American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA).  And, I have to admit, it's exceeded my expectations especially as I look back at the last year and what we accomplished.  While I was out there I realized it has been just over a year since I wrote my first diary on DailyKos, on the subject of how global warming was impacting hunting.  This community has been very suppo rtive of our work.   So many of you share both my commitment to gun rights and my love for the environment.

It’s been a crazy year, especially because of the NRA leadership’s vow to spend $40 million to scare voters into defeating Obama and his so-called "gun-grabbing" cohorts.

Let me tell you straight out, the NRA failed. In 10 of the 11 states where the NRA Political Victory Fund's efforts against Obama were concentrated -- gun-friendly regions in states like Colorado, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico – they lost.  They got Texas right; McCain won, but was that state was ever in doubt?  Today, as the new Congress is sworn in, we're seeing a slew of new members who defeated NRA-backed incumbents and candidates.  And in House contests, NRA-backed candidates in pro-gun states, like Ed Tinsley (NM), Bill Sali (ID), Steve Chabot (OH), and Phil English (PA), also lost.

For their efforts, the National Journal (sub. req.) ranked the group #2 in their "Bottom Five" of effective political gr oups. On the plus side, the NRA’s histrionics and fear mongering tactics did succeed in bolstering gun sales after the election, which is a good thing in this dreadful economy.

So why is the NRA "shooting blanks" these days? Because they don’t get it. The landscape has changed. With the Supreme Court overturning the D.C. gun ban, our gun rights are secure and government confiscation is off the table. Now, we can actua lly talk about responsible gun laws, conservation, public access, global warming – and even the economy.  

My organization, AHSA, is dedicated to these issues, and when we looked at the two candidates running for president, we saw clearly that only one of them "got it," and that was Barack Obama.  Obama didn’t pretend to be a gun owner, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t understand the concerns of sportsmen. In addition, he is a constitutional scholar who agrees that gun ownership is an individual right, and he knows that guns are viewed differently in different parts of the country.

So we went all out for Obama, I was a fulltime surrogate for the campaign and did more than thirty campaign events in Ohio, Florida, Colorado and Minnesota.  The campaign aired a radio ad in the battleground states and a YouTube video that featured me, and sent direct mail with my face on it as we ll. AHSA also ran an extensive outreach campaign to dispel the myths and lies the NRA was promoting in the swing states. The AFL-CIO also touted our endorsement of Obama in mailers to gun owners in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Furthermore, our success against the NRA was mirrored at the congressional level, too.  We worked to educate folks about nine Senate and House candidates this year.  Seven won and their terms start today.  This includes Senate candidates Kay Hagan (NC), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Mark Udall (CO) and Tom Udall (NM) and House Candidates Walt Minnick (ID-01), Harry Teague (NM-02) and Eric Massa (NY-29).  We also endorsed Delaware’s new Governor, Jack Markell.

At AHSA, we spent far less than the NRA’s $40 million dollars, but we didn’t campaign on fear. Time and time again the folks I met said they had enough of the NRA fear mongering and crying wolf. And as we move from the election into the inauguration of our new president, we are glad to see that the extreme right-wing agenda of the NRA has been exposed.  Folks are no longer buying their "snake-oil" style politics, and we are excited to see what change the Obama administration brings to our great country.  I've already met wi th the Obama transition team.  I'll do everything I can to make sure the new administration keeps our issues front and center.

As a former professional football player, I always knew winning was much more fun. And, Tuesday’s election result was the most fun I’ve had in awhile.

First, I owe a big thanks to Plutonium Page for the post, The Left to Bear Arms, about guns and Democrats on Sunday. That post was spot on.

I don’t like to sit on the sidelines or in the stands. I always want to be in the game. And, this year, because the Obama campaign took outreach to gun owners and sportsmen seriously, we had to play in this game. The Obama campaign knew it had to work hard to get gun owners to listen and they were prepared to do the work. We had organized our team at the American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA) and we were ready when they called. I really want to congratulate my fellow members of "Sportsmen for Obama." The campaign not only supported us, but they listened, which was very important.

The campaign sent me to Ohio three times. I also went to Minnesota, Colorado and Florida. The campaign staffers in those states knew exactly what needed to be done and I’m honored to have worked with them. And, I’m even happier that those key states went to Obama.

Obama’s campaign staff left no stone unturned when it came to outreach to gun owners. In the key battleground states, they ran a radio ad – and did multiple mailings -- with me talking to gun owners. It worked. I kept talking to people who saw the mail or heard the ad. The message was clear: You can trust Obama on guns. Once that was understood – and it was understood -- gun owners were willing to look at other issues, like the economy. The success of the messaging is devastating to the NRA.

I’ve been saying for years that Democrats shouldn’t cede the gun vote to the NRA. There are over 80 million gun owners in the U.S. fewer than 3 million belong to that group. They do not speak for all of us – especially those of us who are Democrats, progressives and conservationists. That’s why I started the American Hunters and Shooters Association and why I’m ecstatic that Obama won.

Unions fought back too. I know. There were union people at just about every stop I did. But, that was especially true in Ohio where I got to work with members from the United Mine Workers, Building Trades. Plumbers and Pipefitters, the Teamsters and Sheetmetal workers. They didn’t cede their members to the NRA and it worked:

Guy Molyneux, a partner with Hart Research, noted that white men who are union members supported Mr. Obama over Mr. McCain by a margin of 18 percentage points, while for all white men, exit polls found they backed Mr. McCain by a 16 percent margin.

As for gun owners who belong to unions, he said they backed Mr. Obama by a 12 percent margin, while gun owners in the general public favored Mr. McCain by a 25 percentage points.

The leaders of the NRA launched vicious attacks on Obama, spending over $40 million. They thought they’d have a good opportunity to damage Obama’s campaign. But, they didn’t. Their ads were widely panned as misleading and dishonest. That’s their standard operating procedure – and this time, it failed. Their candidate lost. They didn’t deliver. I also took my fair share of incoming hits from the NRA and their toadies at the RNC. But, that was all just noise to me. In this game, if you’re going to talk it, you better be able to walk it.

But, I wasn’t listening to the attacks. I was playing to win because that is what matters. And, our team won!

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.