Guns, Tucson shooting raise ire in Iron Range special election
Tuesday, February 08, 2011 at 11:06 am
- 6 Comments
A special election to replace former House Majority Leader Tony Sertich in Chisholm has reignited the debate over civility in politics following the Tucson shooting that injured Rep. Gabriele Giffords. The Republican Party of Minnesota released a mailer targeting DFLer Carly Melin that features a hunter taking aim and the words “Take your best shot.” It also states that Melin’s campaign is “full of holes.” Iron Range Democrats sasy it comes too close to overheated rhetoric, while GOP chair Tony Sutton argues it’s simply a mailer about hunting and Second Amendment rights.
The ad is in support of Republican candidate Paul Jacobson, who’ll face off with Melin during the special election on Feb. 15. Melin called for GOP chair Tony Sutton to resign.
“After the President and leaders of Congress called on Americans to tone down the attacks, stop the malicious assaults, and come together to heal our country after the shooting of Congresswoman Giffords and the death of six people in Tuscon, I would have thought that Republican Leader Tony Sutton would have had an ounce of decency and common sense,” Melin said in a statement. “He should resign.”
Sutton told the Duluth News Tribune, “This is about sporting issues and Second Amendment issues. To link this to Gabby Giffords is the worst kind of politics.”
In addition to her concerns over the mailer’s tone, Melin takes issue with its claim that she’s not in support of Second Amendment rights.
“As someone who hunts and has a firearms certificate since I was 14 — and whose Dad teaches firearms classes — it is outrageous to question my stance on gun ownership,” she said.
Here’s the mailer:
Follow Andy Birkey on Twitter6 Comments
Comment posted February 9, 2011 @ 5:43 am
So not only is it inflammatory rhetoric, it is a boilerplate argument against a non-existent problem.
Apparently it is “unconscionable” that people think in ways that reflect poorly on the GOP. The more enemies they imagine, the more opposition they will wind up stirring. At least we can hope so.
Comment posted February 9, 2011 @ 2:24 pm
They have to stir up fear about guns being taken away, because otherwise, they have to run on the legislative GOP’s utter failure to address jobs. What, nobody in 5B is unemployed?
Comment posted February 10, 2011 @ 11:53 am
The sad thing is idiotic mailers like that will work on the rubes in that district….and I can attest to how the right wing prays on the ignorance and fears of people as I live in the 6th and we all know who the 6th district house rep is.
Comment posted February 10, 2011 @ 8:50 pm
This is a typical wedge issue that really has NOTHING to do with the welfare of our country.. Being the Far Leftist Democrat that I am I LOVE our 2nd Amendment.. Us Dems need to EMBRACE it.. It is one our constitutional rights.. If we don’t arm ourselves the Radical Corporate Christian Right WILL invade your house and who knows what they’ll do to us if were not Armed.. Just my advice….
Comment posted February 10, 2011 @ 9:49 pm
Marcus,
Amen to that….seriously, these right wing religious crackpots are the one’s who want to steal every civil liberty in the book…all in the name of religion. And if your watching Dennis, I am going to back my post up with facts…..history is filled with religion trying to force you to do it their way or else….The Crusades, recently the subjugation of women, and support of slavery, The Inquisition, roman persecution of Christians, burning “Witches” in the US….which reminds me Dennis, wasn’t Christine O’Donnell a witch? So her and her Tea Party backers should be thankful that we no longer burn Witches at the stake…..and of course the biggie in current events…Islamic Jihads
Comment posted February 10, 2011 @ 9:55 pm
If it wasn’t so sad this would be funny. I remember my dad ranting and raving about losing his guns back in the sixties. I also remember him ranting about the NRA demanding more and more of his money.
Fools.
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