Voting members have until March 25 to get their ballots for NRA Board of Directors mailed in and received. As usual, the Nominating Committee has selected a group of candidates to perpetuate "The Winning Team." As usual, another faction is urging us to vote for outsiders. And as usual, some opinion makers are urging us to vote based on their personal experience with or devotion to particular candidates.
So what to do?
As usual, The War on Guns has prepared a questionnaire, designed to separate the Freedom Fighters from the Fuddites. And as usual, I don't expect any candidate to put their stance in the public record for scrutiny, so as usual, I don't expect I'll be voting (again) this year.
Here it is. If you're a candidate who wants my vote and endorsement, fill in the answers, send it back to me, and if you get them right, I'll do what I can to support you.
To those of you who are voting members and would like to see candidates answer these questions: Use them yourselves. One of the reasons these are ignored is because I'm the only one asking them. If each candidate received numerous demands, do you think they'd be so quick to discount any need to respond? If you get a reply, let me know about it.
2005 Questionnaire
So what to do?
As usual, The War on Guns has prepared a questionnaire, designed to separate the Freedom Fighters from the Fuddites. And as usual, I don't expect any candidate to put their stance in the public record for scrutiny, so as usual, I don't expect I'll be voting (again) this year.
Here it is. If you're a candidate who wants my vote and endorsement, fill in the answers, send it back to me, and if you get them right, I'll do what I can to support you.
To those of you who are voting members and would like to see candidates answer these questions: Use them yourselves. One of the reasons these are ignored is because I'm the only one asking them. If each candidate received numerous demands, do you think they'd be so quick to discount any need to respond? If you get a reply, let me know about it.
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1. Do you believe that the Constitution is the "supreme law of the land" and that the Bill of Rights acknowledges the birthrights of all Americans?2006 Questionnaire
2. If so, should these rights be proactively protected from infringement by all levels of government, including city, county and state?
3. Please give some examples of gun laws you consider constitutional.
4. Please give some examples of gun laws you consider unconstitutional.
5. Does the right to bear arms include the right for any peaceable citizen to carry them concealed without a permit, as in Vermont?
6. Do you believe that Americans have a right to own, use and carry weapons of military pattern?
7. Do you support or oppose Project Exile, and do you agree with current NRA management’s call to “enforce existing gun laws”?
8. Do you support or oppose licensing requirements to own or carry firearms? Why?
9. What specific gun laws will you work to get repealed?
10. If elected to the NRA Board, will you back your words of support for firearms rights up with consistent actions? How?
11. Do you agree with the way NRA assigns political ratings? If not, what would you change and why? Who would you have given a different rating to, what would it been and why?
12. Do you disagree with any policies being promulgated by NRA management? What is you biggest area of dissent? Have you offered superior alternatives and worked with others to implement them?
13. Have you ever publicly spoken out against an NRA position because you thought it was wrong? When, where, and what were the results?
14. What reforms do you think are needed at NRA and why?
15. If elected, how will you inform members of your performance and voting record? Will you let us know when you dissent and why?
16. Do you agree with Executive VP Wayne LaPierre, who stated: "[W]e believe in absolutely gun-free, zero-tolerance, totally safe schools. That means no guns in America's schools, period ... with the rare exception of law enforcement officers or trained security personnel"? If not, what do you plan to do about it?
2005 Questionnaire