Thompson Speaks Out on Bush Admin. DC Gun Ban Position
Written on 16 January 2008 by WTH* From over at Fred08…
Gamecock at RedState liked what he heard at one of Fred’s radio town halls yesterday. Fred talked about the case involving Washington, D.C.’s gun control law that’s being challenged in the Supreme Court:
Asked his opinion of the Second Amendment and the Solicitor General’s request that the DC Circuit Court remand the appeal back to the trial court for “fact-finding”, the lawyer turned Senator from Tennessee said the Bush Administration was “overlawyering” and stated that he opposed remand and that the case should move forward to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Fred is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. Last year, Fred wrote about District of Columbia v. Heller:
Six plaintiffs from Washington, D.C. challenged the provisions of the D.C. Code that prohibited them from owning or carrying a handgun. They argued that the rules were an unconstitutional abridgment of their Second Amendment rights. The Second Amendment, part of the Bill of Rights, provides, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
The District argued, as many gun-control advocates do, that these words only guarantee a collective “right” to bear arms while serving the government. The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected this approach and instead adopted an “individual rights” view of the Second Amendment. The D.C. Circuit is far from alone. The Fifth Circuit and many leading legal scholars, including the self-acknowledged liberal Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe, have also come to adopt such an individual rights view.
I’ve always understood the Second Amendment to mean what it says – it guarantees a citizen the right to “keep and bear” firearms, and that’s why I’ve been supportive of the National Rifle Association’s efforts to have the DC law overturned.
In general, lawful gun ownership is a pretty simple matter. The Founders established gun-owner rights so that citizens would possess and be able to exercise the universal right of self-defense. Guns enable their owners to protect themselves from robbery and assault more successfully and more safely than they otherwise would be able to. The danger of laws like the D.C. handgun ban is that they limit the availability of legal guns to people who want to use them for legitimate reasons, such as self-defense (let alone hunting, sport shooting, collecting), while doing nothing to prevent criminals from acquiring guns.
The D.C. handgun ban, like all handgun bans is necessarily ineffectual. It takes the guns that would be used for self protection out of the hands of law-abiding citizens, while doing practically nothing to prevent criminals from obtaining guns to use to commit crimes. Even the federal judges in the D.C. case knew about the flourishing black market for guns in our nation’s capital that leaves the criminals armed and the law-abiding defenseless. This is unacceptable.
UPDATE: Jonathan Adler notes Fred is the first candidate to speak out about the administration’s actions.
Bill Lacy on the Results of the Michigan Primary
Written on 16 January 2008 by WTHBy Thompson Campaign Manager Bill Lacy
Tonight’s results in Michigan make two things clear: First, the Republican campaign for President remains wide-open. Our party faithful are still looking for someone who meets all the qualifications they seek: A true consistent conservative with the experience to keep the country safe. Second, Mike Huckabee’s campaign to be John McCain’s Vice President has hit a snag. He has gone from the mid-thirties in Iowa to 11% in New Hampshire and now about 15% in Michigan.
On higher taxes and looser immigration, Huckabee has been done his best these past few weeks to mimic McCain. But this is nothing new. In fact, while John McCain was leading the Senate charge to grant amnesty for illegal immigrants, Mike Huckabee was one of the loudest cheerleaders. And at the same time McCain was voting against the Bush tax cuts, Huckabee was in Arkansas increasing taxes some 21 times.
As for Mitt Romney, he has been all over the map on virtually every issue important to conservative voters.
As the contest moves to South Carolina, look for Romney, McCain and Huckabee to face serious questions about their commitment to consistent conservative principles. Their records are in stark contrast to Fred Thompson, who remains the one true steadfast conservative in this race.
The bottom line is that tonight is a whole new ball game and tomorrow morning begins a brand new campaign where Republicans are looking for the clear conservative choice.
More of Thompson contrasting himself with John McCain…
Written on 16 January 2008 by WTHFrom the Glenn Beck show:
How do you explain with conservatives going out to vote, how are they supporting John McCain? What is this — where is this coming from?
SENATOR THOMPSON: I think the basis of it is national security, national defense. John was right, I think, with regard to Iraq and he stood tough during tough times and I think he turned out to be right. And I was the same place the whole time and have been. We agree on that. But John is wrong on some other important things and he was wrong when he voted against the Bush tax cuts.
GLENN: But wait a minute. I mean –
SENATOR THOMPSON: He says he’s changed his mind about that now and, you know, sobeit. But, you know, I was there during part of that time and I voted the other way. I believed the other way then, I believe the other way now. He’s certainly wrong with regard to the immigration bill that they tried to get the American people sign off on last year and they gave a resounding no and now everybody’s getting tough on the border. But on taxes and immigration, especially, you know, I think he’s wrong. But so is Huckabee as far as that’s concerned.
GLENN: But he’s also wrong with McCain/Lieberman where he wants to sign treaties for global warming. He wants to give away sovereignty on global warming. This guy is not a conservative.
SENATOR THOMPSON: No, I think he’s in the wrong direction on that, too. I think that that’s absolutely true. But, you know, he’s like everybody else. You know, he has his strong suits and his weak suits. But I think that the direction that he and Huckabee and others really, I think Giuliani and where Romney has been in the past all are going in a so-called moderate direction, which is going to lead to, you know, so-called big government conservativism or bigger government conservativism anyway.
Thompson: More Conservative Than McCain
Written on 15 January 2008 by WTHA Fox interview with Fred on SC and Thompson’s position that he is far and above the better conservative compared to Huckabee AND McCain…
Latest Video
Written on 14 January 2008 by WTH
Team Thompson Nearing $1 in Donations Since New Hampshire
Written on 14 January 2008 by WTH**UPDATE– WE GOT THE COOL MIL**
The Thompson campaign is near the $1 million mark in donations since they began the “Fill the tank on the red pickup” fund raising effort.
The stats are encouraging.
- 293,012: Number of Friends of Fred
- 166,897: Total Donors to Friends of Fred Thompson
- 163 and still rising: out-of-state volunteers working for Fred Thompson in South Carolina.
Great work everyone. But, let’s not sit back and rest on our laurels just yet. There is still a tough fight coming.
Fred: Huckabee Would Be Going into WH With ‘Training Wheels On’
Written on 14 January 2008 by WTHFred talks the issues on CNN yesterday, while Huckabee just makes personal attacks…
Chairman of NY Conservative Party Endorses Thompson
Written on 13 January 2008 by WTHMichael Long, the Chairman of the New York Republican Party said in a NY Channel 4 TV interview that Fred Thompson is his man. He cautions that the Party itself had not officially chosen Senator Thompson as their candidate, but he says that Thompson is the “only consistent conservative” in the race.
Thompson on Sean Hannity Show
Written on 13 January 2008 by WTH
Thompson Cruises South Carolina
Written on 13 January 2008 by WTHThompson says radio natural fit for him
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. - Fred Thompson is relying on his radio roots for a rally in South Carolina’s GOP presidential primary.
Thompson has sat behind microphones in a series of town-hall meetings as talk radio hosts question him for a few minutes before opening it up to audiences. On Wednesday, it was at a diner in Sumter. On Saturday, it was much the same at an overflowing pancake house in North Charleston.
Thompson says the radio is a natural fit for someone who grew up listening to AM broadcasts, including the well-known commentator Paul Harvey. In fact, the former Tennessee senator is quick to point out he filled in for Harvey for a while.
“I wanted to bring it back in this campaign,” Thompson said. “It’s worked out real well for us.”
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