‘BRADYS ONCE AGAIN DANCING IN BLOOD,’ SAYS CITIZENS COMMITTEE

BELLEVUE, WA – When Jim and Sarah Brady, the figurehead leaders of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, tried to make political hay from a hunting accident involving Vice President Dick Cheney over the weekend, they once again demonstrated their propensity for dancing in blood to push their anti-gun agenda.

That was the assessment from the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) today. Jim Brady was quoted in a Sunday news release quipping, “Now I understand why Dick Cheney keeps asking me to go hunting with him.” Sarah Brady cheerily added, “I’ve thought Cheney was scary for a long time. Now I know I was right to be nervous.”

“Poor taste is poor taste, no matter who utters it,” said CCRKBA Executive Director Joe Waldron. “Only Jim Brady would be allowed by the mainstream press to make such a crude and crass comment and not be called down for it. I am appalled that the Bradys chose to make such sarcastic, self-serving remarks about a hunting accident.

“We understand that Harry Whittington was struck by several small pellets in the face, neck and upper chest,” Waldron said. “Fortunately, the wounds are not serious, and we wish Mr. Whittington a full and speedy recovery.

“Vice President Cheney is a lifelong hunter,” Waldron continued, “and all reports suggest everyone in his party was wearing hunter orange, and acting in a safe manner. If this mishap demonstrates anything, it would be that accidents happen, even to experienced hunters.

“In truth,” he noted, “hunting is among the safest of all outdoor activities, and hunters suffer far fewer injuries than football and soccer players, and even cheerleaders. In Texas, where there are more than a million hunters, in 2004 there were only 29 hunting related accidents. Thanks to hunter education and firearm safety courses, hunting accidents have steadily declined over the past 50 years to their lowest point.

“It appears that Mr. Whittington had separated from his companions to find a downed bird and did not alert Cheney and others to his presence,” Waldron said. “We can’t imagine how badly Cheney must feel about this accident. On the other hand, we no longer have to imagine just how low Jim and Sarah Brady can sink. They have raised dancing in blood to a fine art.”