The Montana-headquartered Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) is withdrawing from an outdoor show in Pennsylvania after a gun ban was emplaced. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), who is up for re-election in 2014, is so far not speaking out against new background checks being proposed by the Obama Administration. And, what happened to the gun clubs that used to populate so many schools? Below are some articles that may be of interest.
Liberal blog at TheWashingtonPost.com: “Red State Dems Squeamish About Gun Background Checks” (h/t Larry Kurtz)
In one sense, it’s understandable that some Senators up for reelection in 2014 — particularly those from red or purple states — are reluctant to take a position on Obama’s proposed assault weapons ban.
But the assault weapons ban is not even the centerpiece of Obama’s proposal. Universal background checks are, and if Obama gets that it will be a major achievement in its own right.
* Senator Max Baucus of Montana: His office confirms to me that he has not taken a position on Obama’s proposal to expand the background check system.
Press release from RMEF:
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation statement on Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show
Due to recent decisions instituted by Reed Exhibitions regarding the disallowing of legal modern sporting rifles, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will withdraw as an exhibitor and conductor of the elk calling contest from the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in Pennsylvania. RMEF believes the actions taken by Reed, a British company, are detrimental to the Second Amendment and our right as Americans to bear arms.
RMEF reached this decision after careful deliberations and taking into account the stance of our members, volunteers, industry partners and fellow hunters. We urge Reed Exhibitions to reconsider its policies to avoid a divisive and political atmosphere so RMEF can take part in an event that generates needed revenue for important on-the-ground conservation and hunting heritage projects in the region.
Charles C.W. Cooke writes for National Review: “The notion of schools as “gun-free zones” flies in the face of history.”
Once upon a time, it was common for an American child to be packed off to school with a rifle on his back and for him to come home smiling and safe in the evening. Shooting clubs, now quietly withering away, were once such a mainstay of American high-school life that in the first half of the 20th century they were regularly installed in the basements of new educational buildings. Now, they are in their death throes, victims of political correctness, a willful misunderstanding of what constitutes “gun safety,” and our deplorable tendency toward litigiousness.
In 1975, New York state had over 80 school districts with rifle teams. In 1984, that had dropped to 65. By 1999 there were just 26. The state’s annual riflery championship was shut down in 1986 for lack of demand. This, sadly, is a familiar story across the country. The clubs are fading from memory, too.