Remember the manufactured “scandal” from the kidz at POLITICO Tiger Beat on the Potomac and The Arizona Republic from this Summer over the allegedly
“Vile ad” by Americans for Responsible Solutions PAC regarding Martha McSally’s opposition to closing any loopholes in federal gun laws, a fact that The Republic’s own AZ Fact Check rated four stars “True”? McSally flip-flops, The Republic spins a manufactured scandal:
Via The Tucson Weekly:
Dan Gibson, editor of the Tucson Weekly, destroyed The Republic’s editorial opinion in “Gabby Giffords Gets Mean”? No, Not Really. Jim Nintzel . . . demonstrates to the hacks at The Republic how real journalism is done. McSally Says She Wants To Close “Stalker Gap,” Giffords’ Gun-Safety Group Takes Down Ad:
After Republican congressional candidate Martha McSally announced today that she supported changing federal gun laws to include those who are convicted of misdemeanor stalking on the list of prohibited possessors, Gabby Giffords’ political action committee, Americans for Responsible Solutions, said it would be ending the run of a controversial TV ad one day early.
Pia Carusone, a senior adviser to Americans for Responsible Solutions, said she was pleased that McSally was moving away from her blanket opposition to expanding background checks.
“We’re happy to see Martha McSally has changed her position on making it illegal for convicted stalkers to legally acquire firearms,” Carusone said. “We hope her evolution on this issue continues.”
But McSally spokesman Patrick Ptak said that McSally has always supported closing the so-called “stalker gap,” although she had never addressed the issue before.
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But today, Ptak told the Weekly that McSally makes an exception to her previous opposition in the case of the stalker gap. McSally, said Ptak, does support expanding gun laws by “adding misdemeanor stalking to the list of criminal offenses that would keep dangerous individuals from obtaining guns in other states where stalking can also be a misdemeanor. Martha strongly believes we need to place a greater emphasis on the cause of gun violence by addressing our broken mental health care system and enhancing our ability to recognize and treat signs of mental illness.”
Yeah, about that. Apparently Gun Owners of America, whose executive director is Larry Pratt, one of the most unhinged gun nuts you will ever encounter (see collection of posts at Huffington Post), didn’t get the memo. Either that, or they don’t believe McSally when she says she supports legislation to close the “stalker gap,” or they know she is lying.
The Gun Owners of America did a robo call for Martha McSally sent to CD 2 voters. The transcript follows.
Gun Owners of America is proud to endorse Martha McSally for U.S. Congress. Martha knows that firearms are the people’s liberty teeth, and will vigorously oppose any legislation that violates our Second Amendment rights. Make sure to protect your right to bear arms and vote for Martha McSally. Paid for by Gun owners of America Political Victory Fund…
Gun Owners of America clearly believe that McSally’s position remains unchanged from her earlier stated position, as reported by the Tucson Weekly:
McSally has previously said that she opposes changes in the law that would put more people on the list of prohibited possessors. In April, Team McSally deputy campaign manager Kristen Douglas told ABC News that McSally is “pro Second Amendment and believes our focus for preventing shootings should be on strengthening our mental health system and enforcing background check laws already on the books, not expanding those laws that will do little to prevent violence and infringe on the rights of law abiding citizens.”
That manufactured “scandal” over the Americans for Responsible Solutions ad this Summer was just a desperate bid for attention to inject some life into an otherwise lifeless campaign.