Bush - Kerry
There are many people on several sites making a lot of President Bush's statement he'd sign the AWB if it were passed and sent to him, so he's "anti-gun."
Isn't that what he's supposed to do? This is a republic, or at least what's left of one. We elect Legislators to pass our laws. If any bill comes to any President, that's what he's supposed to do. The people elected the House and Senate, so it must be the people's voice, right? Maybe we've been electing the wrong Legislators, not the wrong President?
As for Bush being on "our" side, look at the record. I know for a fact he really is a hunter, at least for dove and quail. My dad used to lease game bird hunting rights for so many days a year on a ranch in South Texas and the Bushes' were co-leasors and actively hunted.
Bush's state administration brought CCW to Texas plus decent self-defense and property defense laws after Ann Richards vetoed it. I believe it was part of his platform, but I could be corrected on that..
The Bush administration directed the justice department to, basically, consider the 2nd amendment to apply to individuals. BTW, several cases were dropped.
On the AWB, Bush's people did not make a single phone call, write a single memo or "leak" a single anti-gun hint to any Congress Critter to support the AWB. This royally ticked off the pro-control crowd. Brady took out an ad blasting him for it. Of course, his statement that he'd sign it if it passed kept them from really blaming him directly. Just good old-fashioned Texas politics!
Hey, he's so much more on our side than Kerry is that I, for one, can't believe it when people state the opposite! I want to be aware of what people say but I'll be be more influenced by what they actually have done!
GrayBear