Harold Ford, Jr. on guns
With the primary decided, lets’ look at an issue important to me. I’ll do a post on Corker as soon as the man actually, you know, has a record.
This morning on the local talk radio, Ford was asked about the second amendment. He stated he had a B rating from the NRA. I reported here that he had an F rating. My first thought was he just flat out lied to east Tennessee. But Ford isn’t that stupid. I figured something had to be up. Turns out, Project Vote Smart has a timeline of sorts on gun ratings. I put it in chronological order and condensed it to the following:
1999-2000 Gun Owners of America assigned Representative Ford a grade of F-
1999-2000 Representative Ford supported the interests of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence 100 percent in 1999-2000.
2000 the National Rifle Association assigned Representative Ford a grade of F
2001-2002 Gun Owners of America assigned Representative Ford a grade of F-
the National Rifle Association assigned Representative Ford a grade of F
2002 On the votes that the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence considered to be the most important as of 2002, Representative Ford voted their preferred position 87 percent of the time.
2003 Representative Ford supported the interests of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence 77 percent from 1988-2003 (Senate) or 1991-2003 (House).
I’m guessing about here is when he realized he needed to be pro-gun to win
2003 Representative Ford supported the interests of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence 0 percent in 2003.
2003 Representative Ford supported the interests of the Gun Owners of America 0 percent in 2003.
2003-2004 Representative Ford supported the interests of the Gun Owners of America 0 percent in 2003-2004.
2004 the National Rifle Association assigned Representative Ford a grade of C
2005 Representative Ford supported the interests of the Gun Owners of America 50 percent in 2005
Now, I don’t have Ford’s 2005 NRA rating so it could be a B, as he said in his interview. But I’d guess his lifetime is somewhere in the C area. Seems Ford realized at some point that if he wants national office, that alignment with anti-gun groups wasn’t the way to go. That tells me he’ll change is mind with the way the wind blows, but which politician won’t.
Update: He’s probably a liar. I have confirmed that his rating is in fact a C and not a B. Via Bitter.
August 4th, 2006 at 9:29 am
Check your email.
He’s lying, at least based on the most recent published grades.
August 4th, 2006 at 9:42 am
IIRC the NRA describes a C as not necessarily a passing grade. IL Gov. Jim Edgar maintained a C, when his only contributions to the issue were to oppose firearms preemption, sign a bill converting CCW from a misdemeanor to a felony, and lobbying unsuccessfully for a statewide ban on ugly guns. The biggest difference I see between a C and an F is how likely the guy is to lead the charge on the next anti-gun bill, not whether or not he’ll vote for it if it is introduced by anyone else.
August 4th, 2006 at 10:07 am
Not necessarily a passing grade. A “C” candidate may have cast some pro-gun votes in the past but has also recently cast key votes or made some statements contrary to NRA positions on key issues.
August 4th, 2006 at 11:11 am
Corker for Senate. Like there is a choice.
Difficult to pull the lever for either of these candidates who have no foundation. They lick their finger and check to see which way the wind blows. Then align their issues to match the direction of the wind.
August 4th, 2006 at 2:27 pm
#9:
I’m not necessarily sure that’s an entirely bad thing. Depends upon what you view the job of a senator or representative to be. If you think their job ought to be to carry out the will of the people, then there’s not much foul there, since the will of the people has been known to be subject to change.
Personally I’d prefer more principled candidates, but it’s possible to go too far in that direction, too.
I’ll bet a beer with Uncle that Corker beats Ford, Jr. If Uncle will take that bet. I just don’t see how Jr. can carry anything other than Shelby County and maybe Nashville.
August 10th, 2006 at 6:34 pm
[…] He’s anti-gun and anti-porn. That’s just bad. […]
September 12th, 2006 at 4:20 pm
[…] I don’t know that Corker has a record on gun rights, really. I’ve covered Harold Ford and guns before. I wonder what the NRA saw that they liked? Well, other than that he’s not Ford and there’s an R after his name. Perhaps they should have listened to Insty’s podcast, which Countertop summarized in comments as: Helen asked him about nationwide concealed carry – specifically, would he support legislation that allowed an individual with a permit in one state to carry their gun in another state. Very clear, straight up [question]. […]
September 29th, 2006 at 9:35 am
[…] So, Harold Ford, Jr. was on the radio again this morning. And he was again asked about two issues that were important to me. The first was guns. You may recall that I reported he told a little fib about his gun position a bit back where he claimed he ad a B rating from the NRA but the NRA reported he had a C. This time, he said he had a B rating from the NRA for the last two years, which is probably a true statement. I’m sure he may have misspoke the first time. Good for him as it was an honest answer. However, Mr. Ford was definitely anti-gun up until 2003, which I figure is when he decided he’d make a play for Senate. And in 1999-2000 he introduced the anti-gun Gun Industry Responsibility Act, which encouraged governments to sue gun makers in civil court for gun damages. He has since voted for the the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms act, which prohibits frivolous suits against gun makers. A near total turn around. […]