A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis, serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. © James Conner.

4 August 2016

Gianforte aims to win the gunpowder vote

No one ever lost an election in Montana by proclaiming his love for guns, or by claiming that his opponent was wimping-out on the Second Amendment. When Gov. Brian Schweitzer spoke of his affection for firearms, his listeners smelled gunsmoke, and the gleam of joy in their faces made the glint of polished brass seem dull.

But sometimes, love is not enough — especially if it’s coupled with common sense.

Schweitzer’s successor, Steve Bullock, a good man on guns, but not the showman Schweitzer was (few acts are tougher to follow), aroused the ire of Montana’s Gary Marbut led gunpowder lobby when he vetoed Republican bills — one would have allowed concealed carry without a permit — that made a mockery of firearms safety:

“While I will fiercely defend the 2nd Amendment rights of our citizens, I cannot support an absurd concept that threatens the safety of our communities by not providing for the basic fundamentals of gun safety or mental-health screening,” he wrote in his veto message on House Bill 298.

Bullock also vetoed HB203, which would prohibit any state or local officials in Montana from enforcing any future federal restrictions on gun or weapon-magazine ownership.

Those vetoes of irresponsible Republican gun uncontrol measures are what prompted the sign in this photograph from Republican candidate Greg Gianforte’s Facebook page:

veto_bullock_700
veto_bullock

The “.223” answer to the question about the Governor’s Cup is, of course, the caliber of the AR-15/M-16 assault rifle. After the mass shootings and the murders of policemen this year, posting that smart aleck answer required some brass, which the gunpowder caucus will applaud.

The civic safety caucus, which is still the majority, would applaud less brass and more common sense. Brandishing firearms in support of a political candidate is the hallmark of a banana republic, not a mature western democracy such as the United States.