Ad attacks McConnell on gun control

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has come out fiercely against President Obama's efforts at passing new gun control measures, but now a progressive grassroots group is hitting back against the Republican leader.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) launched an ad in McConnell's home state of Kentucky today, slamming him for taking political donations from gun manufacturers and opposing "common sense reforms."

"I was born and raised right here in Kentucky. I served my country as a marksman and we were trained to use guns safely," Kentucky resident Rodney Kendrick says in the ad, with his grandson Mason seated on his lap. "It's unthinkable that guns meant for war could be used on civilians and children. As a gun owner and a veteran, I support the plan to ban assault weapons and keep guns out of the wrong hands, because I know these guns. I know what they can do."

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The ad is running on broadcast and cable in Louisville and Lexington, as well as on cable in Washington, D.C., and should run for at least one week. PCCC is fundraising to air more ads featuring Kentucky gun owners.

Mr. Obama yesterday took his campaign for reducing gun violence to Minnesota to garner public support, but it's unclear what measures can pass in Congress. McConnell's re-election campaign last month sent supporters an email charging that Mr. Obama and Senate Democrats are "coming for your guns."

McConnell's campaign manager Jesse Benton dismissed the PCCC ad in a statement today.

"Sen. McConnell fully anticipated that protecting Kentucky from President Obama's gun control agenda would result in a flurry of attack ads from left-wing groups," he said. "It's not a secret to Kentuckians that Sen. McConnell is a stalwart supporter of their Second Amendment rights, and George Soros funded commercials aren't going to change that."

The senator is up for re-election next year, and could face a challenge in the deeply red state from actress Ashley Judd, who is considering running as a Democrat.

[boatdocster]

McConnell and common sense in the same sentence are mutually exclusive propositions.

Always have been, always will be. Sure hope Ms. Judd sends this closet Benny Boy home - for good.

[tsigili]

There is nothing "common sense" about trampling on the 2nd amendment, and that is exactly what Obama is DOING!

Obama is the worst U.S. President since Lincoln........who was personally responsible for the deaths of 640000 Americans.

[dj4240]

What a surprise that the progressive liberals are attacking Mitch McConnell...and while they're were at it, they couldn't help but to throw in their ridiculous propaganda mantra "weapons of war" ....semi automatic rifles are not weapons of war. And these bans have been proven not to work.

[BuckeyeChuck]

I personally wouldn't trust any republican with and automatic weapon.

[RickB2400]

iam4honesty replies: BTW, Barney when did you get tossed off the campus police again?
-------------------
WILLBILL makes his point without insulting or personally attacking anyone. You respond with insults and personal attacks. I find it sad that people like you cannot have an intelligent conversation without resorting to such childish behavior. All you do is attack anyone that has a different opinion that you. It's a sign of not having any class. Learn some manners.

[romvik]

Mitch, law abiding citizen gun owners are behind you! There are millions of us. MILLIONS!

[Cowmpound]

tick...tick...tick...

[KentuckyPackrat]

As many have noted elsewhere, Mr. Kendrick's picture and uniform marks him not as a sniper or as a Special Forces person, but as a typewriter jockey. Go look up "Marksman"; it's the lowest proficiency level for target practicing in the military. Basically, they think that you might not accidentally shoot the rest of your company if they give you a gun. (If you can't make marksman, you wash out of the military.)

Any person familiar with military weapons would know that "assault weapons" aren't military weapons. The US uses a fully automatic assault rifle, the M4, as its main battle weapon. The rest of its battle rifles are also fully automatic.

Now, the sniper rifle is typically semi-automatic, but it is usually a bolt-action or semi-automatic 7.65mm or .50 caliber rifle, very similar to rifles used to hunt deer. These rifles are not being talked about as "assault weapons" either.

[AAMS2013]

"Marksman"; it's the lowest proficiency level for target practicing in the military. Basically, they think that you might not accidentally shoot the rest of your company if they give you a gun. (If you can't make marksman, you wash out of the military.)"

I'm not quite sure why anyone would insult someone in the military. But I can only guess that he is more proficient than most of the gun owners in this country. If you have a problem with him, think about the amateur gun owner who can legally buy a military weapon. It's scary.

[Willbill459]

"As a gun owner and a veteran, I support the plan to ban assault weapons and keep guns out of the wrong hands, because I know these guns."

I'm a former law enforcement officer, I know these weapons too, and I oppose such nonsense. The inconvenient fact is that in 2011, Aks, ARs, Uzis and all other semi-auto "Assault Weapons" as well as all other rifles accounted for 323 murders nationwide even with those so called "High capacity magazines." That is less than three percent of all homicides and comes to less than one homicide a day. Not only does that mean that no one in you state will be murdered by an "Assault Weapon" or any other rifle this month but likely not next month, or even the month after that.


By contrast, over five times the number of murders, 1,649, were with knives or cutting instruments, over two and a quarter the numbers of murders, 728, were with hands, fists, feet, etc, and more murders, 496, were committed using blunt objects like clubs, hammers, baseball bats, etc.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/tables/expanded-homicide-data-table-8

Additionally, a study funded by the Department of Justice concluded, "Should it be renewed, the ban's effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement. AWs were rarely used in gun crimes even before the ban."

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/204431.pdf

In an April 5, 1996, column in the Washington Post, Charles Krauthammer, who forthrightly supports total gun prohibition, wrote, "Passing a law like the assault weapons ban is a symbolic — purely symbolic — move in that direction. Its only real justification is not to reduce crime but to desensitize the public to the regulation of weapons in preparation for their ultimate confiscation."

Of course, citizen disarmament zealots and organizations ignore these inconvenient facts because they are trying to frighten the public into banning all civilian firearms one class of weapon at a time.

[Cpl_B]

Amen WillBill459. I love your footnotes. Facts are a terrible thing to waste!

[Cpl_B]

IAM4HONESTY, do you honestly think he is for 323 murders? It's the rhetoric that is stifling our ability to have a sensible debate around protecting our children in school. Focus on the weapon is not effective and the data supports that, not the NRA. We need to focus on the individual, which does work and data that backs that up. Allowing citizens to defend themselves works and the data supports that.

[Segesser1]

They pretend like these are weapons of mass destruction, Dont be fooled by politics and media.

[punkytee]

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/510/384/553/to-own-a-gun-you-must-pass-a-gun-knowledge-and-safety-training-coarse/

[punkytee]

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/510/384/553/to-own-a-gun-you-must-pass-a-gun-knowledge-and-safety-training-coarse/