The AHSA: The Brady Campaign in a Flannel Shirt

The American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA) has been labeled a sham pro-gun group by the NRA and about every other group that supports gun rights. But are they really? Or do they speak for the average hunter? How do their positions compare to the Brady Campaign and other anti-gun groups:

All are in favor of banning .50 caliber rifles (which they call “sniper” rifles or an “armor piercing” weapon depending upon mood and context):
AHSA anti .50 caliber rifle page.
Brady Campaign anti 50 caliber rifle page
FSA's anti .50 caliber rifle page
But what are the facts about this weapon? It is NOT realistically capable of taking down an aircraft, even on landing or takeoff. Imagine, if you will, launching a robin egg sized bullet moving at about 2,000 MPH from 500 yards away at a target moving at 150+ MPH. If you’re a terrorist group that has to spend time and resources getting your assailants into the US, you don’t waste them on a 1 in a million shot against an aircraft; there are many more effective ways to expend your jihadists.

All believe that all firearms transactions should be documented, and that non-dealer coordinated sales should be ended (the so called gun show loophole) which basically means full gun registration:
AHSAs "support legal gun use page" on regulating all sales (because I guess you have to make more things about guns illegal to support legal gun use)
Brady Campaign Position
VPC position on gun shows
But there are good reasons why universal gun registration is wrong, documented by myself and many others.

All focus more on opposing the NRA than truly making our society safer:
AHSA linked anti-NRA site (from their website)
http://stopthenra.org/ takes you right back to the Brady Campaign site (no longer setup as a separate site, but they still send emails from this address)
One of many "smear the NRA" pages at VPC
It’s understandable why openly anti-gun groups and anti-NRA. But since a majority of AHSA goals would presumably be shared with the NRA if they are pro-gun, even if they don’t support the NRA on every issue, why do they actively oppose and discredit them? It seems like a pro-gun group might have limits as to what regulation it will support (and the NRA has accepted much gun regulation over the years, including the NFA and gun control act of 1968) but would they actively support limits on the freedoms one would assume they enjoy?

Other anti-gun positions by they AHSA which are the same as the anti-gun groups:
1. Not in favor on concealed carry (there was once a page on the AHSA site supporting this, but it is long since gone as it was weakly stated in any case and probably embarrassing to their supported anti-gun politicians).
2. Supporting rabidly anti-gun politicians (like Obama, etc.)
3. Support limits on what types of guns can be owned. In their own words: “We will never support unfettered access to all types of weapons.” (translation: Pro AWB, also proven by the fact that they support gun control democrats and the AWB plank of their platform)
4. AHSA did put their name on an amicus brief for the Heller case, but it was arguably the weakest of all, and made no mention of a civilian right to self defense or even to oppose the government.

Basically, there is NO DIFFERENCE in the positions of the AHSA and the Brady Campaign.

AHSA actively works to impose gun control and limit Americans to a severely limited class of registered firearms that are not intended for Self defense (you’ll find nothing about guns for self defense anywhere on their site) by claiming that they support the 2nd amendment, but only with these limits in place.

The Brady Campaign actively works to impose gun control and limit Americans to a severely limited class of registered firearms that are not intended for Self defense by claiming that the 2nd amendment is outdated, and in any case these limits are needed for public safety.

So while AHSA and the Brady Campaign share the exact same goals, one approaches it by focusing on the limited rights they will be kind enough to allow, and the other focuses on what laws need to be passed to get us to those limited rights. The two groups are quite complimentary.

But sadly … to answer my question above … I believe this Flannel Wearing Brady Campaign Clone does represent many gun owners and hunters, at least the ones who don’t take 10 minutes to think the issues through. I don’t know how many hunters I’ve talked to who have shrugged their shoulders at the warning of another AWB because they don’t want an AR-15 and AK-47’s are “evil,” even though when I press them they admit there is no difference between the lethality of an “assault weapon” and a hunting rifle; you don’t choose to do murder based on the tools available, you choose to do murder and then base your plan on what tools you have, whether that’s an assault weapon, a fertilizer bomb or a boxcutter.

And if we elect Obama and more anti-gun democrats we WILL get another AWB. And like the first one, it will accomplish nothing except limit the types of weapons gun enthusiasts can shoot.

And if you have any doubts about Ray Schoenke and the AHSA … Mr. Schoenke’s own wife served on the board of the Brady Campaign and still donates money to the Brady Campaign. So if he and his weak organization are in some manner pro-gun, I would say that he has earned from we gun owners the same amount of respect that he has earned from his anti-gun wife; none at all. Sphere: Related Content