BELLEVUE, WA. – Gun owners who recalled that Jean Carnahan opposed their right of self-defense sent a message to anti-gunners across the “Show Me State” by showing Carnahan the door and electing pro-gun Republican Jim Talent to the U.S. Senate.
“Gun owners with long, clear memories made the critical difference in Tuesday’s election,” said Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. “They demonstrated to anti-gun Democrats, not only in Missouri but across the nation, that merely shooting clay birds with a shotgun while on the campaign trail does not make someone a pro-gunner, nor does it erase the memory of opposing self-defense rights.”
Carnahan was defeated Tuesday by Talent in the Senate race. Carnahan had served in the post for two years, after being elected in 2000 on what many observers called a “sympathy vote” for her husband, late Gov. Mel Carnahan, who was killed in an airplane crash while campaigning for the seat against former Senator John Ashcroft.
“Carnahan,” Gottlieb continued, “epitomized what Democrats thought would be the winning strategy in this year’s elections. She mistakenly thought gun owners would be fooled by her visit to a gun range, when the Second Amendment really has more to do with homeland security. Democrats like Carnahan tried to soft-peddle their anti-gun platform, and it didn’t work.”
In 1999, Carnahan, then Missouri’s First Lady, opposed Proposition B, which would have reformed Missouri law, allowing for concealed carry by qualified citizens. Talent backed the measure. Carnahan also established a record of supporting other restrictions on gun ownership, while Talent backs stiff penalties for armed criminals.
“Clearly, gun owners provided the pivotal vote in Missouri’s election,” Gottlieb stated. “They also sent a message to Senate Democrats that they are tired of pro-gun federal judicial nominations being blocked by partisan obstructionists like Vermont’s Patrick Leahy and Majority Leader Tom Daschle.”