Wall Street Journal: Gun-Control Groups Reignite Debate by Crossing the Aisle in Senate Races

It appears from this Wall Street Journal blog post that some in the gun ban lobby community don't like Gabby Giffords' group endorsing two Republicans, Pennsylvania's Pat Toomey and Illinois' Mark Kirk, both of which are in tight re-election races this year:

“You can’t blame some of these groups for trying to show some bipartisanship by supporting Republicans, but I’m not convinced it’s ever worked,” said Jim Manley, a former top aide to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) “It doesn’t change the fundamental dynamic: Republicans are still in control.”

But others argue that these groups are helping neutralize blowback Republicans could face when they buck powerful interest groups like the National Rifle Association.

Some pundits look at the move as the group playing "long ball" thinking if supporting candidates that crossed gun owners help them win, it may encourage others to do the same and show there is no price to be paid for crossing gun owners.

While Giffords and Bloomberg are rewarding Toomey for betraying gun owners who worked hard for him six years ago, it looks like a local PA gun ban group is stabbing him in the back based on this report from Bitter at the blog Shall Not Be Questioned:

Back in March, Sebastian called it when he noted that while Pat Toomey was touting support from CeasefirePA leadership, these are not people who would ever actually cast a vote for him. Granted, we thought that was more of a “won’t vote for you in the privacy of the voting booth” type of prediction, not a “will actively campaign against you despite doing what they wanted” kind of way.

But, it seems that’s how loyalty to gun controllers is rewarded. Toomey’s opponent has been endorsed by the very same group whose leaders were kissing his rear back in March, likely knowing all along that they would throw him under the bus come the run up to November’s general election.

It remains to be seen whether Toomey can convince gun owners in Pennsylvania that his opponent Katie McGinty will be more dangerous to their gun rights than he is given he has already double crossed them.  In a close election, gun owners sitting out his election could make the difference between winning and losing.