An Interview With Duncan Hunter <http://www.gohunter08.com/>

Keyboard and a .45

JR interviews Duncan Hunter on the Second Amendment



Representative Duncan Hunter sparked my interest when he announced that
he was throwing his hat into the ring and run for president on the GOP
ticket. The Duncan Hunter '08 <http://www.gohunter08.com/index.asp>
website did an excellent job of defining his core values and beliefs in
the areas of the war in Iraq, terrorism, taxes, abortion and the like,
but had scant information on his views of gun rights and the Second
Amendment.

So what's a blogger to do other than get in contact with his campaign
staff and request an interview?

After correspondence back and forth, and a bit of time to allow
Representative Hunter's staff to vet both myself and my blog, he agreed.
An interview (via email) with presidential candidate Duncan Hunter:

JR: Thank you for taking the time to answer the following firearm
related questions. The Second Amendment, the right to keep and bear
arms, and firearms issues in general are not addressed on your campaign
web site so folks are interested in your views on these issues.

Duncan Hunter: "Thank you for the opportunity to address these vital
issues of liberty with you. Our website was put together piece by piece
and the Second Amendment statement was one of the later things added.
That does not reflect the slightest lack of commitment on my part
regarding Second Amendment rights. My record over 26 years in Congress
is absolutely clear."

Question 1: Please state, in your own words, what the Second Amendment
to the Constitution of the United States means to you. Do you understand
the right to keep and bear arms to be an individual or a collective
right?

Duncan Hunter: "The right to keep and bear arms is an absolute right of
Americans to protect their families and their communities and their
nation with firearms. In this age of post-911, Americans, I believe are
comforted by the fact that our ability to resist terrorism is not
limited to law enforcement or defense agencies but is also within the
ability of all gun-owning Americans."


Question 2: There has been a lot of discussion in the media and in the
legislature about "Closing the Gun Show Loophole." What is your
definition of a "Gun Show Loophole", and how would you address this
issue?

Duncan Hunter: "I reject the term `loophole'. It is a clever verbal
device of the left to restrict the rights of Americans. Constitutional
rights are not loopholes in governmental regulations. As President, I
would veto legislation that would require a background check on private
firearms transactions at gun shows or any other bill that restricts the
Second Amendment Rights of American."


Question 3: Representative Carolyn McCarthy has introduced H.B. 1022,
the Assault Weapons Ban and law Enforcement Protection Act of 2007. Do
you believe that Americans have the right to own, use and carry weapons
of military pattern? Do you support restricting a citizen's access to
firearms based upon cosmetics or ease of function?

Duncan Hunter: "As President, I would veto any bill that reauthorizes
the semi-auto ban that was sunset in 2004. These types of bills
represent "feel good" measures that impede the rights of law-abiding
citizens by banning guns based not on facts but based largely upon how
scary they look."



Question 4: In Congress, you represent the great state of California, a
state applauded by some and demonized by others for having extremely
restrictive gun control laws. Do you understand California's gun control
laws to be a necessary and effective deterrent to violent crime?

Duncan Hunter: "Gun control laws directed at law-abiding citizens are
not a crime deterrent. In fact, studies show that private ownership of
firearms by Americans reduces crime. You and I both know that the one
thing criminals prefer more than any other is unarmed victims."


Question 5: If you are elected President of the United States, how would
your presidency affect firearm owners?

Duncan Hunter: "As President, I will not sign any treaty that impedes,
in any way, the Second Amendment rights of Americans.

Only judges who have a demonstrated commitment to interpret the
Constitution as our founders intended will be nominated to the federal
bench.

I would ask Congress to send me for my signature, legislation to repeal
the D.C. gun ban, legislation to allow reciprocity among states with
concealed carry rights and other pieces of legislation to restore rights
that prior administrations have eroded.

In fact, I authored the Hunter amendment, Roll call 241 in 1999, to
allow DC residents to keep and bear arms."



JR: Representative Hunter; thank you again for taking time out of your
busy day to answer these questions and address issues that many
Americans see as important. Your voting history on Second Amendment
issues is appreciated.

Respectfully,

JR

There it is, Duncan Hunter on the Second Amendment. I am very thankful
to Representative Hunter for taking the time to answer these questions.
I hope the questions were sufficient to give you information you can use
in making a decision in the Republican primaries.

View JR's Interview with Duncan Hunter here:
http://akeyboardanda45.blogspot.com/2007/03/interview-with-duncan-hunter\
.html
<http://akeyboardanda45.blogspot.com/2007/03/interview-with-duncan-hunte\
r.html>

Duncan Hunter is rated A+ by the National Rifle Association and Gun
Owners of America.

Please join our group in supporting Duncan Hunter for President:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DuncanHunterforPresident08/
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DuncanHunterforPresident08/>



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