NRA-PVF endorses Romney; California agency change angers sportsmen

After soundly trouncing Barack Obama in Wednesday night’s debate, Mitt Romney added even more momentum to his campaign Thursday when the National Rifle Association's Political Victory Fund officially endorsed him.

NRA's decision could be heavily weighted by Paul Ryan's presence on the ticket. Ryan is a devoted hunter and gun owner, and he's been outspoken about it, while Romney has not publicly shared that passion.

While the NRA-PVF endorsement is good, but hardly surprising news, another situation brewing in California that could energize western sportsmen to vote next month has finally erupted. That state will change the name of its Fish & Game agency to the Department of Fish & Wildlife. Washington hunters know all-too-well how that worked out in the Evergreen State after more than two decades of what many feel has been an erosion of sportsman influence, and a decline in agency responsiveness to their concerns.

When the Washington Department of Game went through its name – and mission – change back in the 1980s under Booth Gardner, many hunters realized they would ultimately be losers. They ended up with an agency that essentially sat on the sidelines when a shrill initiative outlawed hunting black bears and mountain lions with hounds. They got an agency that embraced Resource Allocation, thus creating a scenario that essentially pits user groups against one another for a piece of a pie that has been gradually reduced in size, and in the process discouraged tens of thousands of hunters from even buying licenses here anymore.

I’m glad that Ryan is actually a firearms owner, but I hope more that he’s able to control Romney on gun issues. “Not as enthusiastic as Ryan” understates the problem with Romney.

Hannity and Colmes in 2004:

“PAT HALPIN, GUEST CO-HOST: Governor, let’s talk about AK-47’s. The assault weapons ban is set to expire in the middle of September. It seems that Bush is doing nothing about that. The Republican Congress is in concert with this. Tom DeLay and the others want to see that happen, and as a bone to the NRA.

Aren’t you concerned that terrorists and Al Qaeda, that terrorists that are here in the United States, if this thing expires, can walk down to the corner gun store and pick up an AK-47 or some other assault weapons, if the Republican Congress doesn’t extend the assault weapons ban?

ROMNEY: I don’t think for a minute the terrorists were planning on bringing down the government of the United States and bringing down our financial institutions and causing disruption of our nation are worried about picking up a pea shooter. And whether it’s a big peashooter like an AK-47 or a smaller one.

HALPIN: So are you in favor of that ban being extended or do you want to see it lapse?

ROMNEY: What they want to do is they want to attack our nation and bring down our government with an aircraft, with a bomb, with biological weapons and something of that nature.

I believe the people should have the right to bear arms, but I don’t believe that we have to have assault weapons as part of our personal arsenal.

HALPIN: So you’re...

ROMNEY: In my state I just signed a piece of legislation extending the ban on certain assault weapons in our state.”
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More at link.

http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/hannity/2004/08/05/republican-grows-massachusetts?page=3

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And, according to the Boston Globe, when he signed the bill (that everyone now insists is NOT an assault weapons ban), he said, “These guns are not made for recreation or self-defense. They are instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people.”

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