NRA plans a wider ad assault on Barack Obama in battleground states

The National Rifle Assn. is about to turn up the volume on its campaign against Barack Obama, airing more ads taking him to task over his gun record.

Starting as early as Sunday, the NRA will be airing a new batch of spots in more battleground states, such as Ohio, Virginia and Florida. As colleague Noam Levey reported back in June, some say the NRA is losing sway. But Democrats, who generally favor restrictions on guns, still shy away from the issue, particularly in must-win swing states.

The NRA already is up with spots in Colorado, New Mexico and Pennsylvania. Some use Obama’s line, uttered at a San Francisco fundraiser, about "bitter" people clinging to their guns. Obama's attorneys sent letters asking that television stations cease airing the ads, but the spots continue to show on cable.

The NRA has set up a website attacking Obama, and so far has disclosed spending $2.2 million on its independent expenditure campaign against the Democratic nominee, Federal Election Commission records show. 

That's just a fraction of what the final total will be. NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said the organization will end up spending well into the “eight figures” -- some have estimated as much as $40 million -- by Nov. 4. The group spent $20 million on ads against Sen. John Kerry four years ago.

“Things are a little more expensive this time around,” Arulanandam said.

Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt says "Obama has always believed that the 2nd Amendment protects the individual right to own a firearm." The gunners’ group is claiming that Obama would be the most anti-gun president in American history.

John McCain also has taken to talking about Obama's gun views, declaring last week that "if Senator Obama is elected president, the rights of law-abiding gun owners will be at risk." McCain noted that he opposed legislation to "ban guns, ban ammunition and ban magazines."

Obama's stand on guns might not be such a bad thing in the view of many Californians. Led by Sen. Dianne Feinstein in Washington and California politicians including Gray Davis and outgoing state Senate leader Don Perata, California has led efforts to restrict military-style semi-automatic weapons, large magazines and the sale of cheap handguns most often used in robberies.

“I don’t believe we’ll be spending money in California,” Arulanandam said.

-- Dan Morain

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Comments

[Smells Like Anarchists]

"They're a bunch of jack booted thugs" -George Bush Sr.

[Anna]

REPUBLICANS:

Barack Hussein Obama lies about everything. He is anti-gun and would enforce this if he is president. The few things Obama has going for him is his written speeches and him frightening people about how bad the economy is. Also, he continues to tie McCain to 4 more years of Bush. Obama spent 20 years in a close relationship with Jeremiah Wright ( a radical racist anti-american preacher ). Yet, he said in anger that he is not Wright, he's his own man. Well, why does he continually call McCain 4 more years of Bush? John McCain and Sarah Palin are republicans but they are not George Bush administration. They have their own (minds) ideas and views on how THEY want to run this country. McCain should NOT allow Obama to keep calling him Bush unless McCain can call Obama Jeremiah Wright or William Ayers or Rezko everytime he's called Bush.

[Marks]

>McCain noted that he opposed legislation to "ban guns, ban ammunition and ban magazines.

I oppose John McCain. I'm incensed at the NRA having such influence over Congress.

When collectors don't get all the AK-47's, M-16's or Uzi's semi automatic for war rifles, those guns end up on the street in criminal's hands.

People who horde arsenals of guns are paranoids, they fear confiscation. They are the definition, clinging to guns.

Hunting shotguns and rifles will always be legal and available. Those weapons can protect a home.

Some handguns have too large magazines or clips. Why does a handgun need 30 bullets? That does allow criminals to fire more at a lot of victims.

If people trained with their guns, less shots will put a criminal down. Some states require no gun training to get a concealed carry gun license. That is insane policy.

To hunt legally, there has to be training. Some states fail their citizens having such a liberal conceal carry license program.

Don't hunt like Dick Cheney shooting a friend in the face poster should be on Conservatives walls!

Conservative Republicans and Democrats want liberal gun laws. That is bizarre.

Handguns should only have 8 to 10 shots, no more.

Increase the penalty on criminals if they are using larger banned magazines and clip during crimes.

Law abiding people can exist happily with that restriction. Too many victims in America from gun violence. Less bullets to shoot in a handgun is a reduction that can work.

Collectors are collecting types of guns what does size of magazine or clip matter?

Less shots fired in the street can help our population reduce some gun violence.

Congress can tell NRA how to behave, not the other way around. Congress controls distribution of guns across the country, that's their involvement.

Congress can ban larger magazines from handguns and rifles. No magazine can have more than 10 bullets can be a law.

[joan]

sorry honey but that kind of talk is not gonna sway my vote. people are tp smart for that . your a loser!

[Jack]

Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt says "Obama has always believed that the 2nd Amendment protects the individual right to own a firearm." Always? Since when? For eight years, 1994- 2001 he funded antigun organizations and “researchers” with millions as a Director of the Joyce Foundation

Once in office, he voted to allow lawsuits against the gun industry; to renew the Clinton "assault weapon" ban; to ban almost all rifle ammo. He has endorsed a complete ban on handgun ownership. He voted to uphold several gun bans and to criminally prosecute people who use firearms in self-defense. He also proposed to ban gun stores within 5 miles of a school or park which would eliminate almost every gun store in America.

If he supports 2nd Amendment why, in Feb 2008 did he and Biden refuse to sign the amicus brief supporting the right of DC residents to own firearms in DC v Heller case?
McCain and 305 other members of Congress did sign.

In truth, Obama’s record is of infringing on "the right of the People to keep and bear arms."

To learn more about his position on gun rights, including videos, visit
http://www.sportsmenforobama.org

[steve rodriguez]

If Obama is elected president the US economy and milatary will hit "rock bottom!" Just like in the Jimmy Carter days...but then Ronald Regan apeared! There's always hope!

[Dennis]

Anna, don't you remember the Clinton assault weapon and magazine ban. The govt admitted that it did nothing to stop crime.

Washington DC has banned all handguns and most working rifles and shotguns for 30 years. Why are they known as the murder capitol of the US?

California has some of the most restrictive guns laws in the US and the highest " gun" crime rates in the US. Can you explain that?
I am limited to 10 round magazines so I just buy 10 of them so I can have 100 rounds ready to go when I go practice at the range.

Another interesting fact, most hunting ammunition is more powerfull and deadly than the AK-47, M-16, and UZI ammo.

How about not letting criminals plea deal out of a gun charge when they go to trial. 1 bullet or thirty, use a gun illegally in a crime go to jail.

You should look at the facts instead of your emotions.

[PulSamsara]

Why would America REWARD complete Republican failure ?

We wont.

[ED]

The 2nd Amendment is not about Hunting it was put in place to keep government in check. This is the only thing that keeps use from becoming slaves that is why they want to ban guns in this country. I think people in this country need to get there head out of their rear and vote for freedom and not what the government is going to give them.

(>McCain noted that he opposed legislation to "ban guns, ban ammunition and ban magazines.

I oppose John McCain. I'm incensed at the NRA having such influence over Congress.

When collectors don't get all the AK-47's, M-16's or Uzi's semi automatic for war rifles, those guns end up on the street in criminal's hands.

People who horde arsenals of guns are paranoids, they fear confiscation. They are the definition, clinging to guns.

Hunting shotguns and rifles will always be legal and available. Those weapons can protect a home.

Some handguns have too large magazines or clips. Why does a handgun need 30 bullets? That does allow criminals to fire more at a lot of victims.

If people trained with their guns, less shots will put a criminal down. Some states require no gun training to get a concealed carry gun license. That is insane policy.

To hunt legally, there has to be training. Some states fail their citizens having such a liberal conceal carry license program.

Don't hunt like Dick Cheney shooting a friend in the face poster should be on Conservatives walls!

Conservative Republicans and Democrats want liberal gun laws. That is bizarre.

Handguns should only have 8 to 10 shots, no more.

Increase the penalty on criminals if they are using larger banned magazines and clip during crimes.

Law abiding people can exist happily with that restriction. Too many victims in America from gun violence. Less bullets to shoot in a handgun is a reduction that can work.

Collectors are collecting types of guns what does size of magazine or clip matter?

Less shots fired in the street can help our population reduce some gun violence.

Congress can tell NRA how to behave, not the other way around. Congress controls distribution of guns across the country, that's their involvement.

Congress can ban larger magazines from handguns and rifles. No magazine can have more than 10 bullets can be a law.

Posted by: Marks | October 03, 2008 at 03:48 PM )

[Steven]

Im from IL. I know the truth about Obama. he is a liar and is totally anti-gun.

[Charles P]

ALL of you democrats CAN vote for either candidate. WHY?
Because McCain spent all of his congressional career VOTING AS IF HE WERE A DEMOCRAT!
He did this because the Democrats were looking for people to PRETEND TO be Republicans, but to actually be spying on the Republicans for the benefit of the Democrats!!!

This was first made public with John McCain. He even went to the republicans and told them. The Republicans did not want him so they STUPIDLY TOLD MCCAIN THAT HE SHOULD SPY FOR THE DEMOCRATS!
I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES!

[Vernon J]

Three states have virtually no special firearm laws and you can carry concealed, or open carry a pistol in these states without special permits. You can buy rifles, handguns, and shotguns just following the Federal FFL rules, background checks, etc. With no restrictions on carry, with no restrictions on magazine capacity, with no restriction on pistol type or amount, how do they rank in the nation for violent crime? They rank 48th, 49th and 50th in lowest violent crime of the 50 states.

Perhaps gun control laws were not designed to deter crime as much as a boondoggle to lead the general population into believing that the elected officials were doing some good. It is a ruse, a "trick" and a model to gain access to controlling more of your rights.

The Second Amendment is a right, not an issue, not an opinion. When it goes, so soon does the right for free speech and all your other rights.

[Steve]

OBAMA / BIDEN
The least qualified Presidential Ticket in American History.

ZERO Executive Experience combined.

ZERO Military Experience combined

ZERO Business Experience combined

http://www.nrapvf.org/

[EMK]

Right Marks...why look at ALL the semi auto "war rifles" that are used on the street. Must be thousands...well hundreds...well maybe 5 or 6? After all, they only cost from $900-$2,000 so most thugs can afford them. Just like machine guns.. there have been..let's see...TWO crimes committed with them since 1936 and one was by a policeman. Anyone knows of course that having 9 rounds is MUCH safer than having 10. Actually most of mine are 6 which is why I carry three. Do you know what a "clip" is and how it differs from a magazine? Have you ever seen a 30-round clip? I think if we had 25 hp engines in our cars, we would kill fewer people maybe. Maybe the goodness Nazis of the Democrat party could help with that too. We really need to be protected from ourselves you know. Totally inane arguments showing no knowledge of firearms. Try shooting a pack of coyotes off a wounded calf with your single shot rifle. Some of us actually have an "arsenal" because like golf clubs they have different uses. Oh wait, maybe we should ban any bag with over 6 clubs because Lord knows you could put an eye out or something with a 9 iron.

[AK]

Hey MarkS--why would my having a gun bother you? I spent 24 years in a uniform keeping such as you free to have your opinion...why would you want to infringe on my rights now? Do you fell threatened by my gun? Maybe you need...medication or therapy, because my firearms are no more threat to you than the bottle of scotch in my liquor cabinet which, combined with a set of car keys, is a mix that kills and maims many times over the numbers for privately owned firearms.

Bring back prohibition, perhaps?

As a final note, as a libertarian...I don't even have a problem with you, in the privacy of your own home, clutching your boyfriend tightly and sinking deeply, even thought that activity, unregulated by any government dictate, has been known to propagate AIDS. Want to compare the death rate from firearms homicide vs the largely homosexually-spread AIDS epidemic?

Should we outlaw homosexual sodomy too?

People like you must be very busy looking for things to outlaw.

[AK]

Dennis-I think Anna is on our side..your comments should have been directed to the 'don't worry, we're not going to take away your hunting rifles' Bama-shill, Marks.

[Tom Collins]

Anna- If McCain and Palin think for themselves and are not Bushies, why are Rove operatives running he campaign, including all of Sarah's debate preparation? They are her handlers regarding her public personna.
Where do the proposed POLICIES differ from what Bush has done? Heard lots of generalities, but no specifics.

[Dennis]

Sorry Anna, I didnt realize that the posters name was on the bottom not the top. Yes my remarks were meant for MarkS

[Marky Mark's]

To Marks: Your mindless ranting and your questions about subjects you clearly know nothing about (individual rights and the U.S. Constitution) surely prove once and for all Mike Savage's contention that liberalism is a mental disorder.

[Jay]

Mark,
When clamoring to make sure that firearms would be kept as a right (read here preexisting), surely the founding fathers main concern was not that the people had guns for sport and hunting. They wanted to make sure that the people had recourse in the event a tyrannical government came to power. They wanted to make sure the people had the ability to take such a tyrannical government down.
If a tyrannical government, which has machine guns, starts to take your right to free speech, your right to assemble, your right to a jury trial of your peers, are you going to fight them with your 6 shot revolver? And don't say "It'll never happen", because history will prove you wrong. Will it happen in my lifetime? I don't know, I haven't lived my lifetime yet.

[Seething in San Jose]

Gun-control proponents pay attention:

During the 20th Century, it was GOVERNMENTS, not terrorists or criminals, who murdered the largest number of innocent civilians on this planet. In addition, severe gun control (or outright gun bans) preceded all of the most notorious cases of governmental abuse, as happened in Ottoman Turkey, Nazi Germany, the former Soviet Union, China, and Cambodia. Further, there is no case in history where a government was able to perpetrate mass murder or genocide without first disarming its civilian population. Clearly, history has demonstrated that gun control paves the way for tyranny.

People who are truly concerned about public safety and the welfare of law-abiding Americans support civilian ownership of firearms as a check against governmental abuse.

Obama claims to support Second Amendment rights as individual rights, yet there has not been EVEN ONE instance where he voted against a gun control bill or voted in favor of gun rights. Sure, he "says" he supports gun rights, but beyond verbally professing fealty to the Second Amendment, his rhetoric is empty. Simply put: On the subject of gun rights, Obama's actions do not match up with his words. He is a LIAR when it comes to the Second Amendment.

[Jay]

Mark,
Having guns for sports or hunting was probably not the prime reason that the founding fathers immediately established the 2nd Amendment. This amendment guarantees the (pre-existing) people’s individual right to keep and bear arms. They wanted to guarantee the people, you and I, the ability to throw off any tyrannical government, foreign or domestic, which might try to make us subject.

Standing governments have machine guns. Do you think you will be able to stand up to such a tyrannical government who is ready to take your freedom of speech, religion, and jury by jury trial of your peers, with your 6 shot revolver, axes and pitch forks? And please don't come back with the tired response that "it will never happen here". History has always proven otherwise.

Will tyranny need to dealt with in the United States during my life time? I don't know. I haven't lived my lifetime yet.

Do not be so quick to give away your God given rights to self protection.

[Tom]

Marks - you are very "mis informed", almost to the point of being ignorant.

You want to limit the capacity of magazines? Would you like to limit the horsepower of cars too? Or put a computer restriction on their top speed? After all, nobody needs more than 100 hp in their car, nor do they need to go over 70 mph.

People like you scare the hell out of me.

[Jennifer Cameron]

I and 4 million other people are the NRA. This is not some mega PAC that is working independent of and against the will of the people. 80% of the United States is right to carry, only hold outs like California want to restrict or outlaw a persons second amendment rights. Even police organizations like the California Police Chiefs Association, California Peace Officers Association and California Sheriff's Association are fighting against California citizens who choose to exercise their second amendment right to self defense. If Obama is elected, I fully expect to see more unconstitutional restrictions in the name of crime control.

[Hobbitt]

"Obama's attorneys sent letters asking that television stations cease airing the ads, but the spots continue to show on cable."

Jack-booted thugs. Read about the Obama campaigns war in WGB-AM, and the astonishing co-opting of St Louis attorney and sheriff's offices to understand how far they will go to quell disagreement.

Having denied the 2nd Amendment -- and lying about it -- now Obama is is stomping on the First Amendment.

What has he been hiding?

He is already in violation of Article I Section 8; Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, and the Logan Act.

Attorney?

Constitutional scholar?

President?

No way.

[FatWhiteMan]

Marks, you cannot spell. That is MARX!

[TJ]

So hows all that gun control in Chicago working these days? I guess all the liberals forgot about that one. I was so happy to see that Jewelry Store Owner open fire on those robbers several weeks back. It just shows that the idiots can pass all the laws in the world, but people just will not follow them.

[Craig Shearer]

Obama will not affect anything I do. Too many machine shops in the United States owned by pro-gunners.

Anyow, the President doesn't draft legislation. The Senate and House have too many Blue Dog Dems and Republicans to get anything through. Keep in mind, even Harry Reid, Majority Leader, is very pro-gun. They need to keep in mind what happened the last time they tried to pass an Assault Weapons Ban. Read Clinton's book. Find out how signing the legislation the first go around prevented him from getting anything else done for the next 6 years.

[Steve]

OBAMA / BIDEN:

THE LEAST QUALIFIED PRESIDENTIAL TICKET IN AMERICAN HISTORY:

ZERO EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE
ZERO MILITARY EXPERIENCE
ZERO BUSINESS EXPERIENCE
COMBINED!

[Vishnu]

The real question is what we, as citizens who value freedom, should do in case Obama and other gun banners win the election in November.

[Sons of Liberty]

Fellow Patriots, people like Marks will never truly understand the price of freedom and the cost of liberty. They are perfectly content to be slaves to the government as long as the government takes care of their perceived needs, wants and desires. (Or at least goes through the motions of taking care of their perceived needs, wants and desires.)

They will not listen to us, but perhaps they might listen to those who came before us:

"If you love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen." -- Samuel Adams 1776

"They that give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

"God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it." -- Daniel Webster

"...for it is a truth, which the experience of all ages has attested, that the people are commonly most in danger when the means of ensuring their rights are in the possession of those of whom they entertain the least suspicion." -- Alexander Hamilton

"Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the government's purposes are beneficent . . . the greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding." -- Justice Louis Brandeis -- Olmstead vs. United States, United States Supreme Court, 1928

"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect every one who approaches that precious jewel." -- Patrick Henry -- Speech on the Federal Constitution (5 June 1788); published in American Eloquence : A Collection of Speeches and Addresses by the Most Eminent Orators of America (1857) edited by Frank Moore, Vol. I, p. 15