Posted on 11/22/2007 11:54:39 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
COLUMBIA, S.C. - When Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson walks down the aisles of a gun show Saturday in Charleston, the game he's hunting won't be hard to spot.
The former senator and actor is looking to differentiate himself from rivals Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney - and use his appeal as a "country boy from Tennessee" who knows NASCAR and hunting to portray the city slickers as out of step with this early voting state's residents.
There is little doubt gun rights are a tough issue for the front of the GOP pack.
Former New York Mayor Giuliani has supported federal handgun owner registration and advocated that handgun buyers "demonstrate good moral character and a reason to have the gun." It's a contrast to his more recent call for state-by-state gun controls.
As Massachusetts' governor, Romney signed one of the nation's toughest laws against assault-style weapons. And one of his earliest campaign stumbles came when he was described as a lifelong hunter. It turned out he never held a hunting license. Romney later said he had hunted small game numerous times.
A spokesman for Thompson said the former Tennessee senator should be the choice for people who think gun rights are important.
"Gun owners would know they're with one of their own in the White House if he gets elected," said spokesman Jeff Sadosky, who said he did not know how frequently Thompson handled guns either hunting or otherwise.
But not all gun supporters are totally enamored by Thompson. The Gun Owners of America criticizes him for missing the mark while in the Senate.
In the 33 votes it counts, the group said Thompson was on the wrong side of gun rights, including supporting laws allowing minor offenses to cost people the right to own a gun and supporting campaign finance law changes that crimped the group's ability to get involved in elections.
"Fred Thompson has been there about two-thirds of the time. When you put that in a letter-grade form, that comes out to around a 'D' - and that's not very impressive," Gun Owners of America spokesman Erich Pratt said.
The group does give Thompson credit for protecting gun manufacturers from lawsuits and supporting legislation affecting private gun sales at gun shows, Pratt said.
Thompson isn't the only presidential candidate seeking out South Carolina sportsmen and sports fans. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is visiting the state fresh off a poll that has him among the front-runners in Iowa. Polls in South Carolina have Huckabee well off the pace, but also show a number of undecided voters.
Huckabee will tailgate Saturday with World Wrestling Entertainment star Ric Flair before the Clemson plays South Carolina in the biggest football game of the year in the state. The Arkansas governor will then make a number of stops Sunday, ending at a skeet shoot in Spartanburg.
Both the NRA and Gun Owners of America expect gun rights to become an even bigger issue in the 2008 elections after the U.S. Supreme Court decided to hear a case that could determine whether a gun ban in Washington, D.C., is legal.
NRA chief lobbyist Chris Cox warns candidates they can't try to fool gun owners, recalling Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry donning hunting gear as the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004 when his voting record wasn't as staunchly pro-gun as some wanted.
"Thirty minutes in a goose pit 16 days before an election wasn't going to make up for 20 years of stabbing gun owners in the back," Cox said. "Some of us wear camouflage not to be seen and other wear camouflage to be seen."
Clean-up on Aisle 18!!
(Would you clarify Fred’s gun voting record as distorted by GOA, please?)
CA taxes would have doubled if it were not for Arnold. Thankfully we are set until 2010.
As for guns, it doesn’t matter who gets the nomination. Hillary is going to confiscate all of them in 2009.
No.
Hillary / RINO-rudy is going to TRY TO confiscate all of them in 2009.
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