If voters want to know exactly where candidates stand, they are going to have to nail them down to specifics. You can claim to support the Second Amendment and still vote to outlaw 90 percent of the firearms on the market or in private possession.Exactly. As far as I know, there's only one who will roll up his sleeves and actually start going after federal gun laws. (Incidentally, were you aware of Ron Paul's current fundraising blitz? He set a one-day record for the GOP--and this is the guy who only has a handful of internet spammers in his corner according to GOP establishment mouthpieces like Rush Limbaugh.)
But the incrementalists caution it's too soon to expect the candidates to talk plainly about guns and freedom. We radical absolutists need to just be patient, because all our crazy talk is just going to scare people. Oh, yeah, and Ron Paul doesn't stand a chance, so we need to just do the pragmatic thing and support the Republican choice, whoever that turns out to be.
I saw this same scenario play out in California. Tom McClintock was a faithful friend of gun owners. But the establishment wanted a "sure win" and went with a celebrity, as the mighty "gun lobby" hid in the shadows and didn't dare show their faces. And we ended up with the bans on .50s and lead ammo, and microstamping .
Before any critic steps up and opines McClintock "didn't stand a chance," be prepared to offer evidence, as opposed to just your say-so, contradicting the CNN/Gallup poll that demonstrated McClintock beating the democrat opposition by a solid 19% had the party convinced Arnold to drop out.
Look--it's real simple. You--yes, you--can either, right now, get behind Ron Paul's campaign or not. Rationalize it any way you want, but the fact remains--there is one, and only one candidate whose stance on the Second Amendment is clear and consistent. And those who want the status quo--or those who would counsel you can't have real liberty because it's too extreme a goal to shoot for--are the ones advising you to pick "not."
IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR FRED HEADS:
Even Fred Thompson doesn’t think he will become president. Chatting off-air to a television reporter, a stunningly candid off-the-cuff quip from the Hollywood actor cemented the impression that his heart is not in the 2008 race.
Tell me of one team that ever won a championship with that kind of pre-game resignation and defeatism. That means the GOP fare will be either Mitt or Rudy. I'd like to hear something that makes sense from any "activist" gun owner who won't throw their support behind Ron Paul in the primaries now. We literally have nothing to lose.