It's Bush's Fault

Police in Manhattan Beach, CA are investigating a pig's head wrapped in a Romney T-shirt left at a local GOP headquarters as an "illegal dumping of an animal carcass".

You know in your heart of hearts that if that pig's head was left at a Demcratic Party officer or an Obama for America headquarters that the Party of Tolerance™ would be screaming about a "hate crime". The Secret Service would be involved and there would be a joint press conference with representatives from the LAPD, the FBI, and the LA District Attorney's Office promising to track down the miscreant.

Go figure.

Dave Kopel on Second Amendment Election Results

Ginny Simone of NRA News interviewed attorney Dave Kopel of the Independence Institute regarding how the 2012 elections impacted the Second Amendment and gun rights. It fleshes out his column from the Volokh Conspiracy and gives more detail.

It will be interesting to see if the Louisiana amendment setting strict scrutiny as the standard is exported to other states. I'd love to see something like that in North Carolina.

GRNC-PVF Reflects On Results In North Carolina

Grass Roots North Carolina-Political Victory Fund sent out their impressions on electoral results here in North Carolina last night. They were generally pleased with the results here in NC with some new strong pro-gun State Senators coming on board. While not mentioned directly, the one downside is that St. Senator Doug Berger (D-Northampton) lost. He had been a stalwart on the pro-gun side.

First, congratulations are due to North Carolina gun voters who ensured our state was the only battleground state to repulse the Obama machine. Better yet, thanks to your efforts, anti-gun candidates went down in flames around the state. This is the closest thing to a “clean sweep” GRNC-PVF has ever managed.

RACES

CONGRESSIONAL RACES

Frankly, with your help the GRNC Political Victory Fund kicked butt. In congressional races, the three districts in which GRNC-PVF was active, all saw pro-gun victories, with Richard Hudson (USH-08, GRNC ****), Mark Meadows (USH-11, ****) and George Holding (USH-13, ****) all winning their races. There may yet be a 4th victory, with the race in USH-07 being still too close to call. Unfortunately, the NRA endorsed anti-gun incumbent Mike McIntyre (GRNC **, with a pro-gun voting record of only 74%) against GRNC-recommended challenger David Rouzer, whose 100% pro-gun voting record in the NC Senate earned GRNC’s highest 4-star (****) evaluation. NRA members should contact the organization and ask them why they might have helped to re-elect an anti-gun incumbent against a superior challenger.

GOVERNOR & NC COUNCIL OF STATE RACES

In the governor’s race and NC Council of State races relevant to gun rights, you were tentatively 3 for 3, with Governor Pat McCrory, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest and conservative Supreme Court Justice Paul Newby winning their races. (Note: As of this writing, Forest is ahead by only 0.2%, with opponent Linda Coleman not yet conceding.)

NC SENATE

An early analysis of General Assembly races indicates that of 35 NC Senate races in which GRNC-PVF made recommendations, 28 (80%) of the recommended candidates won. Of districts in which GRNC-PVF did mailings and/or robocalls in the General Election (in addition to primaries and runoffs), only one candidate lost. Big wins included Trudy Wade (NCS027, ****), Jeff Tarte (NCS027, ****) and Thom Goolsby (NCS009). These candidates will be leaders for your rights.

NC HOUSE

In the NC House, results were better still. GRNC-PVF made candidate recommendations in 70 races, helping to produce 58 winners (83%). Of the districts receiving mailings and/or robocalls, only one recommended candidate failed to win his race (a win rate of 88%). Notably, one Republican incumbent lost his reelection bid: Gaston Pridgeon (NCH046), who voted against gun owners in the last session of the General Assembly. Despite entreaties to mail for this RINO, GRNC-PVF not only refused the mailing, but also issued a recommendation that gun owners sit out the race. Pridgeon will not be missed.

NOW THE BAD NEWS …

As you are acutely aware, national results were not as satisfactory. Barack Obama, who stood before the world in the second presidential debate to call for re-implementation of the ban on semi-automatic firearms, saying he will “[see] if we can get an 'assault weapons ban reintroduced”, will now have what he described to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev as “more flexibility.” What else “more flexibility” entails we will soon see.

HOW GRNC IS PREPARING

GRNC will be working to:

Reorient its efforts to provide greater focus on federal, as opposed to state issues; Increase its size and effectiveness by running a membership drive; Run a statewide petition to the NC congressional delegation opposing any restrictions on semi-automatic firearms or magazines.

HELP GRNC-PVF

GRNC is restricted by law from using organizational money to advocate the election or defeat of candidates, meaning GRNC-PVF must raise money separately from membership resources. GRNC-PVF depends on your contributions to run radio spots and do mailings. Again, because our effort is all-volunteer, we are able to put your money to more efficient, effective use than any other organization.

Please contribute to GRNC-PVF by going to: http://www.grnc.org/grnc-pvf/donate-to-grnc-pvf

I'm Hanging It Up For The Night

I've had enough of politics for the night. I don't know how the nation will turn out - not good is my suspicion - but North Carolina turned out fairly well.

Pat McCrory picked up the governor's seat beating Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton (D-NC) rather handily. This will be the first time NC has had a Republican governor since 1988. The Lt. Governor's race is currently too close to call.

In the US House, Republicans have picked up the 8th, 11th, and 13th congressional districts which were held by Democrats. It is too close to call in the 7th where Rep. Mike McIntyre (D) holds a 400 vote lead over State Sen David Rouzer (R). Gun owners win either way. The Congressional delegation will either be 9-4 Republicans or 10-3 Republican with the Senate split.

The Republicans look to hold on to their majorities in both the State Senate and House.

And the state was just called for Mitt Romney. We did our part and now it is up to the rest of the nation.

UPDATE: I see Fox and most of the others have called it for Obama. It isn't going to be pretty for the next four years and Chris Christie can rot in hell as far as I'm concerned.

UPDATE II: In North Carolina, the General Assembly will be solidly Republican. In the State House, Republicans will hold 77 seats as compared to the Democrats 43. This looks to be a net gain of 9. The State Senate will remain under Republican control with 31 Republicans and 19 Democrats. This is no change.

 Rep. Mike McIntyre (R-7) held on to his seat in Congress by 508 votes. He did have the NRA endorsement while GRNC was supporting his opponent State Sen. David Rouzer. In the 8th District, the other Blue Dog Democrat, Larry Kissell lost by over 20,000 votes to Richard Hudson. The 11th and 13th Districts were open seats with Democrat incumbents who chose not to run for re-election.

Pat McCrory won the governorship with over 54% of the vote while Dan Forest squeaked by with about a 100,000 vote margin.

Finally, not that it matters in the greater scheme of things but Mitt Romney did win the state by about 97,000 votes.

On the state level, I think we have a better chance to get more reforms passed with regard to gun laws. I think restaurant carry along with a clarification of park carry will come before the General Assembly in the 2013 session and pass.

Some Are More Equal Than Others

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor doesn't think too much of our Second Amendmen rights. It is also apparent that she thinks she is much too important to stand in line to vote like the rest of us great unwashed.

Photo by @jeffkrehely

The photo above was taken by Jeff Krehely and posted to Twitter. He called her his most famous neighbor.

The publication DCist is perfectly OK with this.

Would we hold it against Sotomayor for jumping the line? Of course not—the court is hearing arguments in two cases today, after all, and it wouldn't be any good for her to miss those because she's trying to cast her ballot.

That is bullshit.

If she was so concerned about missing arguments, she had plenty of opportunity to vote by either absentee ballot or by taking advantage of the District's early voting. According to the DC Voter Guide, they had early voting available in all wards beginning as early as October 22nd and this included Saturdays.

Just A Reminder

And This Would Be Just The Start If Obama Is Re-Elected

I consider Jim Shepherd one of the more astute observers out there. Given his ties to the shooting industry combined with his experience as VP for news at CNN, when he reports on a "rumor" I tend to listen.

In today's Shooting Wire, he reports on a meeting that Sen. Dianne Feinstein's legal staff is reported to have had with the FBI and ATF concerning a new assault weapons (sic) ban.

Don't have the minutes of the meeting (yet), but sources tell me California Senator and longtime gun-hater Dianne Feinstein's legal staff held meetings on Friday with FTB/ATF legal staff to discuss a new "Assault Weapons Ban" Madame Feinstein would be looking to push through Congress if President Obama wins reelection.

This same "pretty good intelligence" says the items that would lead to a ban would ban pistol grips and "high-capacity" magazines, eliminate any grandfathering and ban sales of "weapons in possession". I don't know about you, but if these things come to pass and I'm "in possession" I'm certainly not selling. In fact, the lack of interest in the idea surprised the California liberal's legal staffers. Apparently, they believe no logical person could possible disagree with them.

Ordinarily, I wouldn't begin (or end) with a rumor, but today and tomorrow aren't exactly ordinary days. Today is the final day before the general election, and in case you haven't noticed there are plenty of significant items on ballots across the nation.

I think such efforts would be just the start of bad things coming from the gun prohibitionists if Barack Obama is re-elected president. Obama said in the second debate that he would like to see a new ban on ARs and AKs.

As Jim notes and I would agree, if you haven't already voted, then postpone what you are doing "short of live saving surgery" and get to the polls tomorrow. Or as they have been saying on Instapundit, this is a broken glass election - drag yourself to the polls and vote for Romney-Ryan even if you have to drag yourself across broken glass.

Keep Calm And Finish Him

I saw this posted at the Chicago Boyz blog which deals with economics and politics from a free market perspective and I really liked it!

Early voting has ended in most states. So if you haven't voted, Tuesday is your option. Make use of it. As someone said at the recent Gun Rights Policy Conference, this is the most dangerous election of our lifetimes especially when it comes to our Second Amendment rights.

So take heed of the picture below and finish the job started in 2010.

I Hope My Students Aren't This Stupid

I'm an adjunct faculty member at a local state university and teach classes in financial and retirement planning every year. I've had some that have been exceptional and some that just didn't get it. However, I don't think I had any student in the last eight years that would fall for this utterly insipid and stupid ad just released by the Obama campaign.

I know I've had students that voted for Obama in 2008 but I think even they would be rolling their eyes over this. I certainly hope so!




Here is more about Ms. Durham who only yesterday was joking about dressing up as a murderer/rapist for Halloween.

Obama's Gift To The NRA

In my opinion, this new NRA ad that came out in response to President Obama's comments about gun control in the second presidential debate is much stronger and more effective than some of their earlier ads. Obama's comments on "cheap handguns" and a reintroduced "assault weapons ban" were a gift.

GRNC-PVF Has Released Their Recommendations

Grass Roots North Carolina-Political Victory Fund does not make endorsements. However, they do make recommendations based upon their candidate evaluations and basic electoral strategy.

GRNC generally does not provide blanket “endorsements,” but rather recommendations for effective voting strategies for the districts listed. Often, other candidates may be as good as the ones recommended, but might not get a recommendation for a variety of logistical reasons. If a district is not listed, GRNC has no recommendation for that particular race.

Their recommendations for the November general election are below. Early voting in the state started on Thursday, October 18th. You can check the State Board of Elections for more information on hours and locations in your county.

FEDERAL RACES

US President:

Vote for Romney (R, **). Libertarian Gary Johnson might well be pro-gun (although he failed to return GRNC’s survey and lacks a voting record on gun issues), but he stands no chance of victory. Given that Obama has publicly committed, during the presidential debates, to passing another “assault weapon” ban, voters should cast votes to keep him out of office. In this case, a vote for Johnson is effectively a vote for Obama.

US House:

District 1: Vote for Holloman (L, ****)
District 2: Vote for Elmers (R, ****)
District 3: Vote for Jones (R, ****)
District 4: Vote for D’Annunzio (R, ****)
District 5: Vote for Foxx (R, ****)
District 6: Vote for Coble (R, ****)
District 7: Vote for Rouzer (R, ****) due to 100% pro-gun voting record in NC Senate
District 8: Vote for Hudson (R, ****)
District 9: Vote for Pittenger (R, ****)
District 10: Vote for McHenry (R, ****), who has been a leader on gun issues both in the NC House and in Congress
District 11: Vote for Meadows (R, ****), who has made support for the Second Amendment a large part of his campaign
District 12: No recommendation
District 13: Vote for Holding (R, ****)

NORTH CAROLINA STATEWIDE RACES

NC GOV: Vote for McCory. Dalton is anti-gun, having racked up only a 53% pro-gun voting record in his 6 terms in the NC Senate. Although Libertarian Barbara Howe is undoubtedly the most pro-gun candidate in the race, she stands no chance of victory. Voting for her will help put Dalton in a position to stop all pro-gun legislation for at least the next four years
NC LT GOV: Vote for Forest
SUPREME CT: Vote for Newby

NORTH CAROLINA STATEWIDE RACES

NC Senate

District 1: Vote for Cook (R, ****)
District 2: Vote for Sanderson (R, ****)
District 4: Vote for Nail (R, ****)
District 6: Vote for Brown (R, ****)
District 7: Vote for Pate (R, ****)
District 8: Vote for Rabon (R, ****)
District 9: Vote for Goolsby(R, ****), a staunch gun rights supporter who sponsored pro-gun legislation in his first term in office
District 10: Vote for Jackson (R, ****)
District 11: Vote for Newton (R, ****). A former Jesse Helms staffer, in his freshman year Newton earned a co-chair position on the Judiciary II Committee through which gun bills are generally referred. He not only facilitated Senate passage of omnibus gun rights bill HB 650 – which contained Castle Doctrine, parks carry and much more – but actually wrote language to further strengthen Castle Doctrine. Newton is a leader for gun rights and the clear choice in this race.
District 13: Vote for Walters (D, ****)
District 15: Vote for Hunt (R, ****)
District 18: Vote for Doug Berger (D, ****), who has a 100% pro-gun voting record spanning 4 terms in the NC Senate and stood up to chamber leadership by offering a discharge petition to attempt to dislodge GRNC’s restaurant carry bill from committee. Opponent Barefoot claims to be pro-gun, but has as his mentor House Majority Leader “Skip” Stam, who has displayed consistent antipathy for gun rights by first trying to gut GRNC’s “Castle Doctrine” bill and then helping defeat a measure which could have allowed employees to keep guns in locked vehicles at places of employment.
District 19: Vote for Meredith (R, ****)
District 23: Vote for Carter (R, ***)
District 24: Vote for Gunn (R, ****)
District 25: Vote for McIntyre (R, ***)
District 26: Vote for Phil Berger (R, ****) . With a long history featuring a 100% pro-gun vote record and of sponsoring pro-gun legislation, as Senate President Pro Tempore, Berger passed omnibus pro-gun bill HB 650, containing Castle Doctrine, parks carry and other provisions. He lowered his evaluation by refusing a hearing to restaurant carry bill HB 111, but promises to give it a hearing in the next session. We will see whether he holds true to his promise
District 27: Vote for Trudy Wade (R, ****). Previously on Greensboro City Council, she fought against concealed carry restrictions in parks. Opponent Myra Slone is openly hostile to gun owners
District 29: Vote for Tillman (R, ****)
District 30: Vote for East (R, ****)
District 31: Vote for Brunstetter (R, ****)
District 33: Vote for Bingham (R, ****)
District 34: Vote for Brock (R, ****)
District 35: Vote for Tucker (R, ****)
District 36: Vote for Hartsell (R, ****)
District 38: Vote for Rivette (R, ****)
District 39: Vote for Rucho (R, ****)
District 40: Vote for Philip (R, ****)
District 41: Vote for Tarte (R, ****)
District 42: Vote for Allran (R, ****)
District 43: Vote for Harrington (R, ****)
District 45: Vote for Soucek (R, ****)
District 46: Vote for Daniel (R, ****) who has a proven record of supporting gun rights by helping pass HB 650, Castle Doctrine.
District 47: Vote for Hise (R, ****)
District 48: Vote for Apodaca (R, ****)
District 49: Vote for Clark (R, ****). In previous Senate terms, he compiled a 100% pro-gun voting record plus a willingness to stick his neck out for gun owners. He is the clear choice in the race
District 50: Vote for Davis (R, ****)

NC House

District 1: Vote for Steinburg (R, ****)
District 2: Vote for Karan (R, ***)
District 3: Vote for Speciale (R, ****)
District 4: Vote for Dixon (R, ****)
District 6: Vote for Lawson (R, ****)
District 8: Vote for Martin (R, ****)
District 10: Vote for Bell (R, ***)
District 12: Vote for Dancy (R, ****)
District 13: Vote for McElraft (R, ****)
District 14: Vote for Cleveland (R, ****). They don’t come more pro-gun than George.
District 15: Vote for Shepard (R, ****)
District 17: Vote for Iler (R, ****)
District 18: Vote for Harmati (R, ***)
District 25: Vote for Collins (R, ****)
District 26: Vote for Daughtry (R, ****)
District 28: Vote for Langdon (R, ****)
District 32: Vote for Bynum (R, ***)
District 34: Incumbent Deborah Ross is a committed anti-gunner. It might be symbolic, but vote for write-in candidate Apryl Major, who has vowed to support your rights. Yes, you will have to add her name to the ballot yourself.
District 36: Vote for Dollar (R, ***)
District 37: Incumbent Republican (and House Majority Leader) Paul “Skip” Stam has done his best to undermine gun rights. He tried to gut Castle Doctrine, and weakened omnibus pro-gun bill HB 650. His Democrat opponent, Jason Wunsch (D, 0-star) is undoubtedly also anti-gun and will undoubtedly lose the race. That said, GRNC asks you to vote for Wunsch to send a message to GOP leadership that RINOs like Stam will not be tolerated.
District 40: Vote for Avila (R, ****)
District 41: Tom Murry is ranked at 4 stars, but only because he “walked” on every difficult vote. After voting on only 3 of the 11 gun votes in the NC House, he then pronounced himself a gun rights supporter – this after GRNC mailed for him in 2010. GRNC-PVF recommends that you not cast a vote in this race, and then tell him why you didn’t by going to: http://votemurry.com/contact
District 44: Vote for Button (R, ****)
District 45: Vote for Szoka (R, ****)
District 46: Incumbent Republican Gaston Pridgen voted against gun owners by voting to weaken the measure in HB 650 which expanded concealed carry to parks. GRNC-PVF recommends that you not cast a vote in this race, and then tell him why you didn’t by sending him a message at: glpridgen@bellsouth.net
District 50: Vote for Chaney (R, ****)
District 51: Vote for Stone (R, ****)
District 52: Vote for Boles (R, ****)
District 53: Vote for incumbent Republican David Lewis, but with this caveat: Contact him and ask him why, after telling GRNC he would never vote against gun owners, he did so once in 2011 when he voted to weaken parks carry. Reach him at: http://www.davidlewis.org/contact/
District 54: Vote for Wright (R, ***)
District 55: Vote for Brody (U, ***). Note that he is unaffiliated, so a straight party vote won’t catch him. Vote him separately
District 61: Vote for Faircloth (R, ***)
District 62: Vote for Blust (R, ****)
District 64: Riddell (R, ***)
District 65: Vote for Jones (R, ****)
District 67: Vote for Burr (R, ****)
District 70: Vote for Hurley (R, ****)
District 71: Vote for McCann (R, ****)
District 72: Vote for Mellies (R, ****)
District 73: Vote for Hollo (R, ****)
District 74: Vote for Conrad (R, ***)
District 76: Vote for Ford (R, ****)
District 77: Vote for Warren (R, ****)
District 79: Vote for Howard (R, ****)
District 80: Vote for Dockham (R, ****)
District 81: Vote for Brown (R, ****)
District 82: Vote for Pittman (R, ***)
District 83: Vote for Johnson (R, ****)
District 85: Vote for Gillespie (R, ****)
District 86: Vote for Blackwell (R, ****)
District 87: Vote for Starnes (R, ****)
District 89: Vote for Setzer (R, ****)
District 90: Vote for Stevens (R, ****)
District 91: Vote for Holloway (R, ****)
District 92: Vote for Jeter (R, ****)
District 93: Vote for Jordan (R, ****)
District 94: Vote for Elmore (R, ****)
District 95: Vote for Brawley (R, ****)
District 97: Vote for Saine (R, ****)
District 98: Vote for Tillis (R, ****)
District 103: Vote for Brawley (R, ****)
District 104: Vote for Samuelson (R, ***)
District 108: Vote for Torbett (R, ****)
District 109: Vote for Bumgardner (R, ****)
District 110: Vote for Hastings (R, ****), who has fought tenaciously for gun rights in his first term.
District 111: Vote for Moore (R, ****), who has long been a gun rights leader.
District 112: Vote for Hager (R, ****)
District 115: Vote for Ramsey (R, ****)
District 116: Vote for Moffitt (R, ****). Opponent Democrat Whilden also earned 4 stars, but only on the basis of one relatively easy vote. Moffitt voted for gun owners 11 times in 2011 alone
District 117: Incumbent Chuck McGrady R, 0-star) twice voted against gun owners last year, and orchestrated the weakening of pro-gun legislation. Afterward, he was caught on videotape bragging about it to a leftist group. Tell him why you won’t be casting a vote in this race at: http://www.chuckmcgrady.com/index.php?option=com_smartformer&Itemid=65
District 118: Vote for Presnell (R, ***)
District 120: Vote for West (R, ****)

I notice that they didn't make a recommendation in my house district (No. 119). Surprisingly for western North Carolina, neither the Democrat, former State Senator Joe Sam Queen (***), nor the Republican, Mike Clampitt (**), are really great on firearms issues. That said, I think personally that Queen would make a more effective representative in Raleigh given his prior experience. Clampitt is the ex-husband of a client and I think I should just leave it at that.

ISRA's Endorsements For Congress In Illinois

The Illinois State Rifle Association's FEDPac has announced their endorsements and preferences in selected congressional elections in Illinois. I heard one of their endorsed candidates, Rep. Joe Walsh (R-8) speak at last year's Gun Rights Policy Conference and was very pro-Second Amendment. I know he faces a tough re-election due to redistricting. I hope he does well.

The ISRA-FEDPac is pleased to announce its list of candidate endorsements and candidate preferences for the upcoming general election.

The ISRA-FEDPac has endorsed the team of Gov. Mitt Romney and Rep. Paul Ryan over the Obama/Biden team. Illinois firearm owners have first hand experience with Obama's disdain for the right to keep and bear arms. Thus, Illinois firearm owners know full well that Obama is not the best choice for our nation's chief executive.

In the 2nd Congressional District, the ISRA-FEDPac has expressed its preference for Brian Woodworth over incumbent Jessie Jackson, Jr. Although Congressman Jackson is himself an avid gun owner, it is not certain that, if re-elected, he will act in the best interests of his fellow lawful firearm owners. Furthermore, if Jackson is re-elected and steps down due to his health problems, it is highly likely that he will be replaced by someone even less friendly to lawful firearm owners than is Rep. Jackson. Such is a situation that hunters and sportsmen cannot risk.

In the 6th Congressional District race, Rep. Peter Roskam has earned the ISRA-FEDPac endorsement in light of his solid record of support and respect for the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

In the 8th Congressional District, Rep. Joe Walsh receives the ISRA-FEDPac endorsement in light of his outstanding record on firearm rights issues. Although Walsh's opponent, Tammy Duckworth, is part of the growing ranks of war heroes, that status does not grant her license to pick and choose which parts of our Constitution she will defend and those she will not. Duckworth's indifference to the 2nd Amendment leaves her unsuitable to serve the people of the 8th District.

In the 11th Congressional District, the candidacy of Rep. Judy Biggert is endorsed by the ISRA-FEDPac due to her long record of support for the right to keep and bear arms. Biggert's opponent, Bill Foster, is unacceptably weak on issues important to firearm owners. Furthermore, allegations that Foster slapped his ex-wife around during divorce proceedings are troubling. Gun grabbing and wife beating are not qualities that most citizens would like to see in their Congressional Representative.

In the 12th Congressional District, Jason Plummer is preferred by the ISRA-FEDPac over his opponent.

In the 13th Congressional District, Rodney Davis is preferred by the ISRA-FEDPac over his opponent.

Illinois hunters and sportsmen have been very fortunate to have had some great friends in Congress preserving and protecting our outdoor traditions. It is with great pleasure that the ISRA-FEDPac announces its endorsement of Randy Hultgren (IL-14), John Shimkus (IL-15), Adam Kinzinger (IL-16), Bobby Schilling (IL-17) and Aaron Schock (IL-18).

The ISRA-FEDPac wishes all of its endorsed and preferred candidates the best of luck on November 6th and encourages all hunters and sportsmen to get out and exercise their most important right - the right to choose who represents their interests in the halls of government.

The Debate Gun Question

I was a bit surprised that the issue of firearms even came up in the debate last night as I would have thought the Democrats wouldn't want to touch it with a 10 foot pole. I wasn't surprised by Obama's answer but was pleased that Romney did try to bring up Operation Fast and Furious before being cut-off by CNN's Chief hack Political Correspondent Candy Crowley though he didn't push it far enough.

The questioner, identified as Nina E. Gonzalez, is probably this woman - Nina Fedirko-Gonzalez, Licensed Clinical Social Worker. The person on Facebook appears to be the same person as in the Media Matters' picture from the debate. As far as I can tell, she is not a contributor to any candidate in state, local, or national elections. I checked the NY State campaign contribution database, OpenSecrets.org, and the Federal Elections Commission.

If you read the transcript below you will see that both candidates are relatively ignorant about firearms. Romney said automatic weapons are illegal which they aren't and Obama conflated semi-auto weapons with cosmetic similarities into full-auto/select-fire military-grade firearms. The best I can say about it is that Obama come out in favor of a new AWB and Romney said we don't need new laws as well as merely mentioned Operation Fast and Furious. As to Romney and gun bills in Massachusetts, here is what the Gun Owners Action League said about it in 2007.

QUESTION: President Obama, during the Democratic National Convention in 2008, you stated you wanted to keep AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. What has your administration done or planned to do to limit the availability of assault weapons?

OBAMA: We're a nation that believes in the Second Amendment, and I believe in the Second Amendment. We've got a long tradition of hunting and sportsmen and people who want to make sure they can protect themselves.

But there have been too many instances during the course of my presidency, where I've had to comfort families who have lost somebody. Most recently out in Aurora. You know, just a couple of weeks ago, actually, probably about a month, I saw a mother, who I had met at the bedside of her son, who had been shot in that theater.

And her son had been shot through the head. And we spent some time, and we said a prayer and, remarkably, about two months later, this young man and his mom showed up, and he looked unbelievable, good as new.

But there were a lot of families who didn't have that good fortune and whose sons or daughters or husbands didn't survive.

So my belief is that, (A), we have to enforce the laws we've already got, make sure that we're keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, those who are mentally ill. We've done a much better job in terms of background checks, but we've got more to do when it comes to enforcement.

But I also share your belief that weapons that were designed for soldiers in war theaters don't belong on our streets. And so what I'm trying to do is to get a broader conversation about how do we reduce the violence generally. Part of it is seeing if we can get an assault weapons ban reintroduced. But part of it is also looking at other sources of the violence. Because frankly, in my home town of Chicago, there's an awful lot of violence and they're not using AK-47s. They're using cheap hand guns.

And so what can we do to intervene, to make sure that young people have opportunity; that our schools are working; that if there's violence on the streets, that working with faith groups and law enforcement, we can catch it before it gets out of control.

And so what I want is a -- is a comprehensive strategy. Part of it is seeing if we can get automatic weapons that kill folks in amazing numbers out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill. But part of it is also going deeper and seeing if we can get into these communities and making sure we catch violent impulses before they occur.

CROWLEY: Governor Romney, the question is about assault weapons, AK-47s.

ROMNEY: Yeah, I'm not in favor of new pieces of legislation on -- on guns and taking guns away or making certain guns illegal. We, of course, don't want to have automatic weapons, and that's already illegal in this country to have automatic weapons. What I believe is we have to do, as the president mentioned towards the end of his remarks there, which is to make enormous efforts to enforce the gun laws that we have, and to change the culture of violence that we have.

And you ask how -- how are we going to do that? And there are a number of things. He mentioned good schools. I totally agree. We were able to drive our schools to be number one in the nation in my state. And I believe if we do a better job in education, we'll -- we'll give people the -- the hope and opportunity they deserve and perhaps less violence from that. But let me mention another thing. And that is parents. We need moms and dads, helping to raise kids. Wherever possible the -- the benefit of having two parents in the home, and that's not always possible. A lot of great single moms, single dads. But gosh to tell our kids that before they have babies, they ought to think about getting married to someone, that's a great idea.

Because if there's a two parent family, the prospect of living in poverty goes down dramatically. The opportunities that the child will -- will be able to achieve increase dramatically. So we can make changes in the way our culture works to help bring people away from violence and give them opportunity, and bring them in the American system. The -- the greatest failure we've had with regards to -- to gun violence in some respects is what -- what is known as Fast and Furious. Which was a program under this administration, and how it worked exactly I think we don't know precisely, where thousands of automatic, and AK-47 type weapons were -- were given to people that ultimately gave them to -- to drug lords.

They used those weapons against -- against their own citizens and killed Americans with them. And this was a -- this was a program of the government. For what purpose it was put in place, I can't imagine. But it's one of the great tragedies related to violence in our society which has occurred during this administration. Which I think the American people would like to understand fully, it's been investigated to a degree, but -- but the administration has carried out executive privilege to prevent all of the information from coming out.

I'd like to understand who it was that did this, what the idea was behind it, why it led to the violence, thousands of guns going to Mexican drug lords.

OBAMA: Candy?

CROWLEY: Governor, Governor, if I could, the question was about these assault weapons that once were once banned and are no longer banned.

I know that you signed an assault weapons ban when you were in Massachusetts, obviously, with this question, you no longer do support that. Why is that, given the kind of violence that we see sometimes with these mass killings? Why is it that you have changed your mind?

ROMNEY: Well, Candy, actually, in my state, the pro-gun folks and the anti-gun folks came together and put together a piece of legislation. And it's referred to as an assault weapon ban, but it had, at the signing of the bill, both the pro-gun and the anti-gun people came together, because it provided opportunities for both that both wanted.

There were hunting opportunities, for instance, that haven't previously been available and so forth, so it was a mutually agreed- upon piece of legislation. That's what we need more of, Candy. What we have right now in Washington is a place that's gridlocked.

CROWLEY: So I could -- if you could get people to agree to it, you would be for it?

ROMNEY: We have --

OBAMA: Candy?

ROMNEY: -- we haven't had the leadership in Washington to work on a bipartisan basis. I was able to do that in my state and bring these two together.

CROWLEY: Quickly, Mr. President.

OBAMA: The -- first of all, I think Governor Romney was for an assault weapons ban before he was against it. And he said that the reason he changed his mind was, in part, because he was seeking the endorsement of the National Rifle Association. So that's on the record.

But I think that one area we agree on is the important of parents and the importance of schools, because I do believe that if our young people have opportunity, then they are less likely to engage in these kinds of violent acts. We're not going to eliminate everybody who is mentally disturbed and we have got to make sure they don't get weapons.

OBAMA: because I do believe that if our young people have opportunity, then they're less likely to engage in these kind of violent acts.

We're not going to eliminate everybody who is mentally disturbed, and we've got to make sure they don't get weapons. But we can make a difference in terms ensuring that every young person in America, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, have a chance to succeed.

And, Candy, we haven't had a chance to talk about education much, but I think it is very important to understand that the reforms we've put in place, working with 46 governors around the country, are seeing schools that are some of the ones that are the toughest for kids starting to succeed. We're starting to see gains in math and science.

When it comes to community colleges, we are setting up programs, including with Nassau Community College, to retrain workers, including young people who may have dropped out of school but now are getting another chance, training them for the jobs that exist right now.

And in fact, employers are looking for skilled workers. And so we're matching them up. Giving them access to higher education. As I said, we have made sure that millions of young people are able to get an education that they weren't able to get before.

Now...

CROWLEY: Mr. President, I have to -- I have to move you along here. You said you wanted to...

(CROSSTALK)

CROWLEY: We need to do it here.

OBAMA: But -- but it'll -- it'll -- it'll be...

(CROSSTALK)

OBAMA: ... just one second.

CROWLEY: One...

OBAMA: Because -- because this is important. This is part of the choice in this election.

When Governor Romney was asked whether teachers, hiring more teachers was important to growing our economy, Governor Romney said that doesn't grow our economy.

When -- when he was asked would class size...

(CROSSTALK)

CROWLEY: The question, Mr. President, was guns here, so I need to move us along.

OBAMA: I understand.

CROWLEY: You know, the question was guns. So let me -- let me bring in another...

OBAMA: But this will make a difference in terms of whether or not we can move this economy forward for these young people...

CROWLEY: I understand.

OBAMA: ... and reduce our violence.

CROWLEY: OK. Thank you so much.

Quote Of The Day

The quote of the day comes from former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN) regarding the trouncing that Obama took in the first presidential debate and the attempt to blame John Kerry for inadequately preparing Obama. Here is what he posted on Facebook:

Some members of Obama's campaign staff are now blaming John Kerry for insufficiently preparing Obama for the debate.

Guys, don't blame the jockey if your Shetland pony can't win the Kentucky Derby.

Grass Roots North Carolina Candidate Evaluations

Grass Roots North Carolina has released their candidate evaluations for their "Remember in November" project. The full list can be found here and includes national, statewide, congressional, and NC House and Senate races.

The GRNC Political Victory Fund endorsements will be released on October 15th.

The GRNC candidate evaluations for statewide offices and congressional races can be seen below. To make them more readable, I have taken the liberty of reformatting the GRNC report.

	Candidate	Party	Survey	Vote	Other	Evaluation
Statewide Races
Governor
	Howe	L	98			****
	McCrory	R	86			***
	Dalton	D	NR	53	90	*
Lt Gov	Forest	R	96			****
	Coleman	D	NR	67	65	*
US House
1st	Holloman	L	98			****
	Butterfield	D	NR	50		0
	Dilauro	R	NR			0
2nd	Irving	L	98			****
	Ellmers	R	87	100	100	****
	Wilkins	D	NR			0
3rd	Jones	R	100	97	98	****
	Anderson	D	NR			0
4th	D'Annunzio	R	100			****
	Price	D	NR	0	28	0
5th	Foxx	R	100	100	98	****
	Motsinger	D	NR			0
6th	Coble	R	90	100	98	****
	Foriest	D	NR	80		***
7th	Rouzer	R	NR	100	100	****
	McIntyre	D	NR	74	90	**
8th	Hudson	R	100			****
	Kissell	D	NR	33	100	0
9th	Pittenger	R	91	100	95	****
	Campbell	L	NR			0
	Roberts	D	NR			0
10th	McHenry	R	100	100	98	****
	Keever	D	NR	0		0
11th	Meadows	R	100			****
	Rogers	D	NR			0
12th	Brosch	R	NR			0
	Watt	D	NR	19	46	0
13th	Holding	R	95			****
	Malone	D	NR			0

From GRNC's explanation of how to read their evaluations:

GRNC's "Remember in November" project estimates candidates' views on "assault weapons," concealed handguns, gun storage laws, gun rationing, and the Second Amendment. THE EVALUATIONS HEREIN ARE NOT ENDORSEMENTS. We issued surveys first to a control group of gun owners and then to candidates. Next, we measured how closely each candidate's views and voting record (if available) agree with the control group.  Pay more attention to voting records than survey results unless, of course, you believe politicians never lie.

"SURVEY": The percentages listed depict agreement between a given candidate and our control group (e.g. an "80" under the "Survey" section means 80% of the candidate's answers agreed with the Conservative Gun Owners). “NR” means the candidate failed to return the survey.

"VOTE": Votes are more accurate than surveys and should be given more attention in determining candidate stance. Where available, this column indicates how often candidates' votes agree with the control group of gun owners (e.g. a "90" under "Voting Record" indicates candidate's voting record agrees 90% of the time with what was desired by control group).

"OTHER": Derived from evaluations by other gun groups, bill sponsorship, etc.

"EVAL": The evaluation is not a rating. It estimates percentage of time candidate is expected to agree with the Conservative Gun Owners. The maximum **** candidate tends to agree with conservative gun owners at least 90% of the time.

**** Expected to agree with conservative gun owners on at least 90% of gun issues
*** Expected to agree with conservative gun owners on at least 80% of gun issues
** Expected to agree with conservative gun owners on at least 70% of gun issues
* Expected to agree with conservative gun owners on at least 60% of gun issues
0 Expected to agree with conservative gun owners on less than 60% of gun issues or else candidate failed to return survey & insufficient information exists to make evaluation. Is he / she hiding something?

GOA Grades For North Carolina

Because different gun rights organizations place different emphasis on things, I thought it would be useful to also provide the Gun Owners of America rankings for the North Carolina congressional races. It is also a response to one of the comments from yesterday's post of the NRA-PVF endorsements/grades.

Here are the GOA-PVF grades for the North Carolina congressional races. One thing to notice is that they include all candidates on the ballot including Libertarians and known write-in candidates. Checking the list of GOA-PVF endorsements, at this time they have no endorsed candidates running in North Carolina.

U.S. HOUSE
DISTRICT	NAME	PARTY	RATING
1	Butterfield	D	F
1	DiLauro	R	NR
1	Holloman	L	A
2	Ellmers	R	A
2	Irving	L	A
2	Wilkins	D	NR
3	Anderson	D	NR
3	Jones	R	B
4	D'Annunzio	R	A
4	Price	D	F-
5	Foxx	R	A
5	Motsinger	D	F
6	Coble	R	A
6	Foriest	D	D
7	McIntyre	D	B
7	Rouzer	R	A
8	Foreman	WI	NR
8	Hill	L	NR
8	Hudson	R	A
8	Kissell	D	C-
9	Campbell	L	NR
9	Pittenger	R	A
9	Roberts	D	NR
10	Keever	D	F
10	McHenry	R	A
11	Meadows	R	A
11	Rogers	D	NR
12	Brosch	R	A
12	Watt	D	F
13	Holding	R	A
13	Malone	D	NR