An Open Letter to Sportsmen

No one should know more about Barack Obama's record on gun rights than the Illinois State Rifle Association. Resently Richard Pearson, Executive Director of the ISRA issued an Open Letter to Sportsmen. If you have not already seen it, the letter is reprinted below.

Fellow Sportsman,

Hello, my name is Rich Pearson and I have been active in the firearmrights movement for over 40 years. For the past 15 years, I have served inthe Illinois state capitol as the chief lobbyist for the Illinois StateRifle Association.

I lobbied Barack Obama extensively while he was an Illinois StateSenator. As a result of that experience, I know Obama's attitudes towardguns and gun owners better than anyone. The truth be told, in all my yearsin the Capitol I have never met a legislator who harbors more contempt forthe law-abiding firearm owner than does Barack Obama.

Although Obama claims to be an advocate for the 2nd Amendment, hisvoting record in the Illinois Senate paints a very different picture. Whilea state senator, Obama voted for a bill that would ban nearly every huntingrifle, shotgun and target rifle owned by Illinois citizens. That same billwould authorize the state police to raid homes of gun owners to forciblyconfiscate banned guns. Obama supported a bill that would shut downlaw-abiding firearm manufacturers including Springfield Armory, Armalite,Rock River Arms and Les Baer. Obama also voted for a bill that wouldprohibit law-abiding citizens from purchasing more than one gun per month.

Without a doubt, Barack Obama has proven himself to be an enemy of thelaw abiding firearm owner. At the same time, Obama has proven himself to bea friend to the hardened criminal. While a state senator, Obama voted 4times against legislation that would allow a homeowner to use a firearm indefense of home and family.

Does Barack Obama still sound to you like a "friend" of the law-abidinggun owner?

And speaking of friends, you can always tell a person by the companythey keep. Obama counts among his friends the Rev. Michael Pfleger - arenegade Chicago priest who has openly called for the murder of gun shopowners and pro-gun legislators. Then there is his buddy Richard Daley, themayor of Chicago who has declared that if it were up to him, nobody wouldbe allowed to own a gun. And let's not forget Obama's pal George Soros -the guy who has pumped millions of dollars into the UN's internationaleffort to disarm law-abiding citizens.

Obama has shown that he is more than willing to use other people'smoney to fund his campaign to take your guns away from you. While a boardmember of the leftist Joyce Foundation, Barack Obama wrote checks for tensof millions of dollars to extremist gun control organizations such as theIllinois Council Against Handgun Violence and the Violence Policy Center.

Does Barack Obama still sound to you like a "friend" of the law-abidinggun owner? By now, I'm sure that many of you have received mailings from anorganization called "American Hunters and Shooters Association(AHSA)"talking about what a swell fellow Obama is and how he honors the 2ndAmendment and how you will never have to worry about Obama coming to takeyour guns. Let me make it perfectly clear - everything the AHSA says aboutObama is pure hogwash. The AHSA is headed by a group of left-wing elitistswho subscribe to the British view of hunting and shooting. That is, a stateof affairs where hunting and shooting are reserved for the wealthyupper-crust who can afford guided hunts on exclusive private reserves. The AHSA is not your friend, never will be.

In closing, I'd like to remind you that I'm a guy who has actually gonenose to nose with Obama on gun rights issues. The Obama I know cannot evenbegin to identify with this nation's outdoor traditions. The Obama I knowsees you, the law abiding gun owner, as nothing but a low-class lummox whois easily swayed by the flash of a smile and a ration of rosy rhetoric. TheObama I know is a stony-faced liar who has honed his skill at getting whathe wants - so long as people are willing to give it to him.

That's the Barack Obama I know.

The ISRA is the state's leading advocate of safe, lawful andresponsible firearms ownership. Founded in 1903, the ISRA has representedthe interests of millions of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.

WEB SITE: http://www.isra.org/