Why research is important

It is an election year. Many candidates running for offices will point out, and correctly so, their good ratings by the NRA. They do this because they know the "gun vote" is very important. Many folks who are less enthusiastic than me about firearms, still care whether a politician wishes to take them away.

Rightfully so.

Let me point out a small problem people may run across. NRA ratings. Many democrats, and some republicans get good NRA ratings, but are still anti-gun... or at the least: are anti-gun-freedom.

Case in point: Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen. Bredesen has twice vetoed bills by the Tennessee state house that would bring Tennessee into the mainstream and allow Handgun Carry Permit Holders to carry into establishments serving alcohol, provided they do not consume alcohol while carrying. Right Minded has a good article on this. Both bills were backed by the NRA. Bredesen at one point, held an "A" rating with the NRA. Yet, his true colors came out.

There is another part to this point. That is the fact that the NRA does not always back gun-freedoms. For example, the NRA refused to originally provide any form of support for DC vs. Heller. Also, the NRA backed the legislation in 1986, which virtually killed the general public's ability to purchase selective fire firearms.

One popular saying in gun circles is: "Having the NRA represent you before Congress is like having your mother-in-law represent you in divorce court." While that may be extreme, the fact is that the NRA has lacked the spine in several major cases on gun rights.

My point is this:
- Being backed by the NRA is not an end-all-be-all. Many gun grabbers have been.
- The NRA itself is not completely the bastion of gun freedoms some would believe it is.

So people, do some research on your candidates. Email me, and I'll gladly do research. I do have reliable sources and methods for finding things out about politicians in most areas.

For Governor of Tennessee, the good guys (when it comes to gun rights) are:
- Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey
- Congressman Zach Wamp
- Joe Kirkpatrick

For what it's worth, most laws Tennessee has put on the books in the last 15 years that have returned freedoms to Tennessee gun owners, have been voted for (if not written by) Ron Ramsey. He is by far the most pro-gun candidate in the race.
Joe Kirkpatrick and Zach Wamp both have strong leanings, but no voting records to back it up. For the sake of clarity, Kirkpatrick does not hold office, so could not possibly have voted for or against gun rights legislation.

Knoxville mayor and "republican" candidate for Governor Bill Haslam once belonged to Bloomberg's "Mayors against Illegal Guns" - a mis-named organization that is a gun-grabbing pot of hate speech against our second amendment rights. Haslam also stated last fall that he would have voted to keep HCP holders from carrying in Knoxville parks, had the vote been split and he were called upon as the tie-breaker.