Pete Coors For President!

[Mergie Master]

Coors is no fan of many gun laws

By Gwen Florio, Rocky Mountain News
September 2, 2004

Both Pete Coors and Ken Salazar hold themselves up as defenders of the Second Amendment - the right to bear arms.

If Coors, a former National Rifle Association poster boy, had his way, a lot more people would be able to bear a lot more arms.

Queried at the Republican National Convention about his stance against continuing the federal assault weapons ban, Coors responded that in Colorado, "we believe in the right to bear arms without restrictions."

The decade-old ban is to expire Sept. 14. President Bush has said he'll sign an extension if it reaches his desk.

Coors' spokeswoman, Cinamon Watson, said Wednesday that the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate "is not an advocate for further gun laws. However, he does support strong enforcement of the gun laws on the books."

Earlier this year, though, Coors spoke at a Pikes Peak Firearms Coalition meeting in support of the repeal of several of those laws.

In response to a question from the group's Steve Gresh, Coors said that the Brady Bill, which requires background checks for gun buyers, should also be repealed, along with federal firearms laws from 1934 and 1968 that impose a host of controls.

Under those laws, people can't own machine guns or sawed-off shotguns, nor can people convicted of serious crimes, juveniles, aliens or people dishonorably discharged from the military own guns.

In a questionnaire posted on the group's Web site, Coors also said he supported repealing the Lautenberg Amendment, which bars those convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors from owning guns; opposed any sort of firearms registration; and opposed limiting the number of guns a person can own.

Although the Pikes Peak Firearms Coalition can't formally endorse federal candidates, both Gresh, the group's secretary, and Harry Wellman, its treasurer, said Wednesday they personally support Coors.

Watson said Wednesday that "Pete stands by his positions. He's not flip-flopping on any issues."

However, she said, "in many cases, some of these laws that are 50 years old need to be retooled and reworked so they don't inhibit the rights of law-abiding citizens."

Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar, Coors' Democratic opponent in the Senate race, said he finds Coors' position "too extreme."

"When you talk about repealing bans on machine guns and sawed-off shotguns, it's not where the people of Colorado are and not where the people of the country are," he said.

[JABIII]

I have hunted ducks with Pete and though he makes rather crappy beer, he loves to gun some duck ass!

[jwilliams]

How did that come about, JIB? not the crappy beer, but the duck hunt w/ pete coors?

[JABIII]

We were frequenting the same outfitter in Mexico years ago. The duck hunting down there was fantastic. I believe Duckman#1 was hunting the same area back then too...

[Mergie Master]

Cool JAB! I knew he was a big time hunter, or had read that he was.

I like his attitude on the 2nd Amendment!!

[DUCKMAN]

He is a huge contributor of DU and a past President. I have hunted ducks, geese and huns with him in Alberta. A true sportsman and conservationist plus a gentleman!

[Palmetto Bug]

He also seems to understand the English language and has correctly interpreted the meaning of the 2nd Amendment. It say "shall not be infringed". Most of our current gun laws have severely infringed on that God given right. It's too bad judges and law makers can't read that well.

Tommy

[DuckCommandress]

All of the above AND he is a damn good looking man.

[Sasha and Abby]

I'm sure he is a nice guy, but NOBODY needs to be able to go and buy a machine gun. Yes, they are fun to shoot, but the potential for doing wrong with them is too great. If you really want to own one, there are a mountain of legal documents and transfer taxes that you may fill out/pay to bea able to legally own one in SC.

[Low Country Sandlapper]

I need one. Every automobile on the road has the POTENTIAL to be a killing machine but the vast majority are not. Inanimate objects are not evil.....however, some people are.

[dukmon]

JABIII AND DUCKMAN........... you guys are big time bo!!

[Fish]

Originally posted by Sasha and Abby:
...but NOBODY needs to be able to go and buy a machine gun. Yes, they are fun to shoot, but the potential for doing wrong with them is too great.

I ain't even believing this...I must be reading this wrong. Sushi, with all due respect,
I am shocked that you would think such a thing.

To me, the amendment reads pretty clearly and its ideas like the one you just belched out there that starts the restrictive laws a flowing. A gun is a gun...PERIOD. You either have the right or you don't and according to the 2nd amendment you do. Of course, as it stands, the liberals (who think that we can't provide for ourselves) have already restricted the ability to own such a weapon.

I guess I lean in the libertarian direction when it comes to gun laws.

[mirroman]

From the wording I will agree a gun is a gun..
Please help me with my limited wisdom, but what would be the big deal with having a background check at a gun show??
I know it is one step closer for the lefties to get their way, but I personally would like for everyone who buys a gun to be checked. No problems there for me. Now tell me why I am wrong..
* I am assuming that there are no backgroung checks done at gun shows*

[Sasha and Abby]

So, you would like to see a Fully Automatic Keltec 9mm availabe to every one that does not have a record for $800.00. [img]graemlins/afro.gif[/img] please...

I am also against the average citizen owning WMD's and bazookas.

Regarding gun laws, I agree with what you are saying about the camel's nose under the tent, but to open the doors of full auto is insane. You can own one if you do it by the book... even in SC.

[Fish]

Stop the press Sushi. Lets apply a little common sense to this issue.

First of all, I didn't say anything about darkies having machine guns, you did. And even if every bling, bling, gold-tooth, nonswimmin, thug on earth had these guns, they have this uncanny tendency to turn them on one another. So I don't really see a problem there.

Secondly, we DO, at least most of the time in most states, have background checks for all gun purchases. If there are loopholes at gunshows or elsewhere, well thats your gubment in all of its infinite wisdom workin hard to protect its citizenry. Frankly, the more the government gets involved the more convoluted the situation becomes.

I think that there are people who should have the liberty to own them and there are people who should not.

Explosives are in a completely different catagory. Explosives or anything that can launch an explosive device are for demolition, construction or military application and are simply too dangerous for the general public without training. That said, I believe that anyone with proper training and clearance should have the liberty to own such a thing.

WMDs...give me a break.

[Low Country Sandlapper]

S&A, you'd better put your six shooter back in your holster before you get hurt.

[2thDoc]

ahh. the foul stench of a nice SCDucks debate....

my $.02--i dont see any reason in the world for your average citizen to own an automatic weapon. forget all this BS about "they are fun to shoot." why not buy a video game and turn the volume up real loud? people who want to own one of these automatic weapons is just trying to buy a BIG gun to make up for the little one in their pants....period. it is all for show. that being said, i agree that the 2nd amendment grants us the freedom to own one, so own it if you must...

i hate pistols, too. what good are they except for concealment? granted, that in and of itself is reason for law enforcement to own one. People think they have to have a pistol to protect themselves from intruders???? more of these guns in homes kill someone FROM that home than killing intruders.

BUT, i respect the right to keep and bear arms....

[mirroman]

My pistol is for snakes and such...

[Palmetto Bug]

When you consider the purpose of the 2nd Amendment, you might understand the reason we have to bear the risk of allowing citizens to own machine guns, WMD's, and bazookas. The 2nd Amendment guarantees our last ditch ability to resist a government gone bad. The government would certainly use machine guns, WMD's, and bazookas to quell uprisings and revolt. Giving them ANY footing now on the requirements to own weapons gives them too much advantage in disarming all of us.

Consider the part about denying gun ownership to felons and wife beaters. It sounds reasonable but can you not imagine a crooked government trumping up frivolous laws to make all of us technically guilty of some sort of felony? It happens all the time in other countries. Indeed, it's happening here before our very eyes.

Historically, governments don't last forever. It stands to reason that someday, even the US may need to undergo another rebellion. When that happens, only the armed will have a chance to bring about an overthrow of an over reaching government. Do you want to sell your grandkids into slavery by giving away their ability to resist a tyrannical government? You need to take a longer view of things are realize we have been lucky enough to live in an anomalous lull in the human struggle for freedom. It is ludicrous to assume the struggle is over. It will never be over. Only free people own guns, slaves don't.

If you beat your swords into plowshares, your descendants will do the plowing for those that don't.

[Fish]

2th, I agree with you about the "why". Really, these weapons are unnecessary but we are provided the right to pursue happiness and if that happiness revolves around a 50cal machine gun, well...

Personally, I don't care for anything other than sporting shotguns and the occasional deer rifle. I own a single action revolver but I wouldn't buy another. The one I have collects dust.

Yes, people are accidentally killed in their own homes with their own handguns...but shit, millions of people are killing themselves everyday with the things they eat and cigarettes. Lets talk about something that really needs regulation! Worrying about guns is akin to worrying about getting bit by a shark.

PB, I like your style.