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“[Congressman] John Jenkins Barrow (born October 31, 1955) is the U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 12th congressional district, serving since 2005,” the hive mind at wikipedia informs. “He is a member of the Democratic Party.” Now think about this. If the Second Amendment is so crucial to a Dixie Democrat’s electoral prospects that he feels obliged to trot out the family firearms, how do you think pro-gun Democratic voters feel about the President’s announcement that he’s up for a new assault weapons ban (AWB)? Gun clingers everywhere—especially in rural Ohio and Pennsylvania—are about to hand the President his hat. And his walking papers. Yeah, it’s that important.

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59 COMMENTS

  1. That is to be hoped for. But judging by some of the comments made here since barry’s open declaration of a AWB ban I’m not going to relax til all the votes are counted. It would be tragic for the rest of America to have to live with the bullshit rules we do in California and quite probably worse. Difi waits for barry’s coronation.

      • Plus another 100. I just got done shooting my Ruger 5.56, Smith .40, and Rem 870. I had a ball, until I had to deal with my stupid bullet button on my CA legal AR. Vote for Obama if you want CA’s crappy gun laws to multiply and degrade even further. It is after all, a relatively free country until you vote in those who are anti-freedom.

  2. Let’s hope and pray the political suicide is successful!!! Otherwise we may be in deep kimchee!!!!!!
    Just a few days!!! BTW: what outside party is going to keep the voting polls safe from dead and illegal voters???

  3. Robert, I don’t understand the connection. A Dixie Democrat is not an Illinois, Florida, Carolina, California, etc democrat. IMO, Congressional Dems will be motivated by their base’s political values and not Obama’s comment(s). Sure, gun-clingers will vote against BO. Will it be enough?

    I was up on a pro-conservative trend site earlier Rasmussen Reports (RR) and according to them Obama stills enjoys the lead in many states though it is often slim.
    “In the 11 swing states, the president earns 50% of the vote to Mitt Romney’s 47%.”
    — However, RR also noted that Romney has a slight edge in three out of the four key swing states:
    Florida, Virgina, and North Carolina are leaning towards Romney.
    Ohio is leaning toward Obama.

      • That has been the case in polling since the early 90’s, too, so the over-sampling of Democratic voters, or the over-weighting of the likelihood of polled Democrats actually voting has been going on for some time now.

        • Mondale was predicted to win handily late in 1984, I don’t see how they could have said that considering the 49 state blowout that happened a week later

        • They’re simply trying to influence elections. All these polls are bought and paid for by people with an agenda.

    • All i know is to not count out the silent majority. I had to live through the recall walker bs here in madison and it seemed like everyone in the state wanted him gone…..that is until the votes were counted. I just think liberals are so pucking loud and annoying that people think they are the majority due to shear vocalness. They arent as more people voted for walker the second go around than the first time.

      • WI also has voter ID. That means all the liberals voting had to:
        1. be alive
        2., live in WI
        3 vote only once.

        It’s too bad the rest of the country can’t figure that out.

  4. Romney should run some ads in rural areas of swing states that re-hash Obama’s take on those who cling to guns and religion…

      • Exactly. While Obozo vocalized deliberately anti-gun rhetoric, Mittens has a proven record of being no more gun-friendly.

        You guys remember the South Park episode about voting for either a ‘Giant Douche’ or a ‘Turd Sandwich’? Pick one, cuz that’s what we’ve got…

        • No, we have a good option. Vote for Gary Johnson – the only candidate who’s for the Constitution. Voting for someone you know is a lying scumbag because you think you have to vote Republican or Democrat is why we have so many problems as a country.

        • The idealist in me agrees 100%. The realist, not so much. Even pre-Perot.

          They sell boatloads of Marlboros because they advertise them everywhere possible and have created an image (which used to be “the feminine cig” until they switched it overnight).

          Unless every reasonably viable candidate has equal money and equal time, there’s not a snowball’s change in Phoenix that Johnson will get more than 5% of the popular and more than 2 electoral votes. Frankly, if he gets any, I’ll be surprised.

          Didja see him in a debate? Nope? He doesn’t even exist to the average voter. Elections are a shallow sell-job, even on the rare day when they are 100% legit.

      • I’m with Totenglocke.. Gary Johnson’s views are closer to mine and will be getting my vote. Unfortunately most people never vote for an independent party.

        I can’t say Obama has been any better (well.. worse) than Bush. But if I only actually had a choice of the two parties he would get my vote. Romney hasn’t proven himself to be any better of a candidate against Obama than McCain did.

        I will give him some respect for asking Obama about Operation Fast & Furious, however.

        • A vote for Gary Johnson is a vote for Barry. The idea of voting in elections is to win. You change the party from ‘within’. Johnson will get a fraction of 1 percent of the vote. You are throwing you vote away.

    • Knowing that Obama let lose his idea for a ban, I think Mitt could take Penn if he tries. I wish he would make a couple of trips there this week.

  5. TTAG is a firearms focused blog, and many of us are single issue voters, but I doubt the percentage of undecided voters who are single issue firearms voters is very high. And since the current president and Mr. Romney have dropped mentions of the AWB, the net result might be a zero anyhow.

    The economy and foreign policy probably still loom as larger issues in the minds of undecided voters rather than firearms rights.

  6. Here’s another thought. Dude trotted out granpa’s pistol and dad’s rifle. Where’s the guns he’s bought and uses. Or do these family heirlooms only come out during a close election.

    • With politicians of both stripes, one is never sure.

      Ryan appears to be the real deal as a hunter. As a gun guy? Yea, maybe. Romney… not a gun guy at all, and any pretense of being a hunter is probably for show.

      • No offense to people who hunt but I would take Ryan as a hunter for face value only. I have known many, many hunters who see carying for self defense as useless. Other than for hunting they are outspoken against other reasons to own firearms.

        I know that not ALL hunters are this way and I am not saying that Ryan is but trust me, being a hunter does not make someone Pro-2A.

        • I agree – that’s why I said “As a gun guy? Yea, maybe.” I don’t know what his perspective is on CCW or such.

          He is a tad more genuine than the gigolo from Massachusetts who famously said “Can I get me a hunting license here?”

        • I’ve known urbanites who own guns for home self-defense yet don’t like hunters killing “innocent and beautiful” wildlife that are not threatening people. Some of those urbanites were vegan and some meat eaters.

    • Unseating Barrow has been the focus of the GA GOP since he was elected. Redistricting gerrymandered his district pretty bad (I was in it, now I’m not). This is a desperate attempt to hold on to his seat, an extremely rural area which is also the lowest income congressional district in GA, whose few manufacturing jobs have been lost in recent years. Barrow also has the dubious distinction of being the only white democrat in the House from the South.

  7. Nothing is gonna happen. They are both jabronis… America is in such a bad shape right now with the economy. He just said that to bring more votes in. If anything the ban would hurt the economy even more.

  8. As a pro-gun, Democratic voter, I understand the concern but I have to say I am not particularly worried about another AWB. I agree with G, in this particular election year there are several way more important issues.

        • I voted for Corbett over wossname based on alot of things that made it seem he might be overall better.

          In turn, I’ve watched him allow our state wild resources be raped by Marcellus shale drilling. Thanks, Tom!

          I dislike Obama and Romney, but was definatly prObama… then he said this.

          Now I’m stuck, but as I look at the truck traffic in once pristine parts of my state, I guess between Bain and Ban, I’ll go for the shorter of two evils.

          BTW, I’m 38.. not sure if I’m “an old fudd” or not, but I certainly understand “long term ramifications.”

  9. Obama is halfheartedly in favor of taking away my 2nd Amendment rights, Romney is fully in support of taking away my 14th amendment rights. This election sucks.

      • “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

      • He supports a constitutional amendment to prevent me from marrying the person I choose. That, for me, is far scarier than an AWB.

  10. Association with “Democratic party” won’t outweigh his association with “evil guns” to the rest of that demographic.

    I think it’s way too early to call the President’s move political suicide. If anything, the tone he sets can be an opportunity for a lot of wins for the gun control side. A new AWB isn’t guaranteed at all, but maybe silencers can be banned, the NFA fee can be adjusted for inflation to be prohibitive as intended, ammo taxes on “assault weapon” ammunition…nobody’s coming out to defend those but the NRA.

  11. I find it interesting that many people are not paying attention to the “big picture” with respect to gun rights…that is, the U.S. Supreme Court Justice (SCOTUS) appointments that may happen in the next four years after this November’s election.

    As many of us know, the Second Amendment is always subject to SCOTUS court interpretation, and these court decisions have a cascade effect on the rest of the country.

    The possibility of new SCOTUS appointments in the next four years, I think would have a heavier weight on voters than President Candidate Romney’s previous actions as the Governor of Massachusetts. I am not discounting concerns about bringing back the AWB or any other form of gun controls, I am saying that we, gun voters, need to pay attention to the big picture and avoid engaging a narrow view of focus on gun topics, especially in a short-term perspective.

    The U.S. Senate is just as important as the POTUS and SCOTUS. The question I ask myself is which Presidential candidate is likely to nominate a Supreme Court judge that has common sense and has favorable views on the Second Amendment? The U.S. Senate has to approve the President’s nominee, so I also ask myself which Senate candidate for my State is likely to have the Aye vote?

    While I am concern about the possibility of bringing back the AWB and other gun controls that restrict my rights, the long-term ramification of the SCOTUS decisions in the next four years carriers a heavier weight for me should too many of the next appointment Judges be anti-Second Amendment.

  12. I want to see some data. From time to time, I run across comments from people who own “traditional” firearms that do not like scary black semi-automatic rifles. I am not convinced that a desire to outlaw those rifles will alienate as many people as we think.

    • that is because the media and politicians have dumbed down the meaning of the 2nd admendment.and that the very weapons we would need are considered evil.

  13. Correct me if I am wrong please but at one time weren’t the Supreme Court Justices elected instead of appointed???
    Seems to me if that were the case why can’t we get back to that somehow and somewhat fix the screwed up parts(judges) that currently sit there. Oh and do away with “lifetime sitters” in SCOTUS.
    If they are elected and a screw up then boot them out!!!

  14. The Supreme Court is by far the most important consideration in preserving gun rights. In Obama’s first term he appointed two liberal Supreme Court justices to replace two liberal Supreme Court justices who were retiring. So far, the balance of the court has not been affected. The next president will be replacing conservative members of the court. Re-electing Obama presents a strong likelihood of moving the court from 5-4 conservative to 3-6 liberal. How do you think the Heller decision would have been decided with a 3-6 liberal court?

    Beyond that, there are several dozen lower court positions still open and how those are filled will decide issues like firearm liability — laws intended to put manufacturers out of business.

    Any gun rights advocate who doesn’t vote for Romney is screwing himself and the rest of us. If gay rights or being pro abortion or being green or just voting Democrat is the most important political issue to you, that’s fine. You have every right to your priorities. Go ahead and vote for Obama or Gary Johnson or Ralph Nader or whoever floats your boat.

    Just don’t come on here and pretend that your vote for Obama or Johnson somehow advances gun rights. It can’t and it won’t. You have to decide what you really care about. And don’t pretend that Romney’s so-called record proves he’s a gun grabber. As a governor with an 87% Democratic legislature, his choice was fight the legislation, veto it, and have his veto overridden, or work with the process and try to get some concessions for gun owners. One of the reasons the NRA is endorsing him is because they respect the way he prevented the Massachusetts law from being worse. Being governor or president doesn’t make you magic.

    • I would be nice of there were more people like you in this world. If the writers at TTAG distrust Obama and his ilk (Difi / Boxer / Holder / Clinton, etc), than why the $&@$ do so many other people feel differently? Are they better experts than the authors here?

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