Kirsten Gillibrand has been appointed to fill the New York senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton. Gillibrand, a Democrat, is a supporter of gun rights who has a 100% positive rating from the NRA. This infuriates fellow Democrat Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, who is strongly opposed to gun rights. Congresswoman McCarthy lashed out at Gillibrand during an interview:
To be very honest with you, I’m totally shocked that our governor… picked somebody with a record with the NRA. I find it totally unacceptable. It’s a slap in my face. I do take this personally. This is an issue that faces New York on a daily basis – people that are killed and people that are wounded and the illegal guns that are coming into this country.”
McCarthy then went on to say that she would run against Gillibrand in 2010, or find someone else to do so, due to her dislike of Gillibrand’s pro gun rights stance.
McCarthy’s hated of guns is nothing new. Her husband and son were murdered by a mentally unstable man, and in her grief, McCarthy decided to embark upon an anti gun crusade, rather than recognizing that gun bans don’t disarm criminals, but instead just prevent law abiding people from defending themselves. Perhaps, if there had been a citizen with concealed carry, the man who shot McCarthy’s son and husband could have been stopped before it was too late. However such hypotheticals, or even concrete examples of the benefits of gun ownership, are not things that McCarthy is willing to hear.
Over the years, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy has pushed for every gun restriction imaginable, and has even tried to ban parts of guns that she can’t even identify or describe. McCarthy is the quintessential anti gun politician, who is not amenable to reason, and becomes highly emotional whenever guns are discussed. This is not what we need in our elected officials. Instead, we need people who will calmly and rationally work to better this country, while preserving our constitutional rights. It would be nice if the “change” that is in the air these days would include the abandonment of failed gun control policies, and the politicians who cling to them.
Leaving aside McCarthy’s comments, I’m optimistic about Gillibrand. Gillibrand is certainly more supportive of gun rights than Hillary Clinton was, and we certainly need as many pro gun rights senators as we can get these days.
My thanks to Anders for pointing out McCarthy’s statements about Gillibrand.