Alphecca

Sportsmen/women Will Be Voting

Thanks to the always excellent Keep and Bear Arms for the pointer on this US Newswire.com story:

The campaigns of President Bush and Senator Kerry have both placed a high priority on winning the sportsmen's vote during this campaign, but hunters and anglers may play an even greater role in the election than either camp had predicted, based on the findings of a survey released today by the bipartisan Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation (CSF).

The survey of hunters and anglers in Florida, New Mexico, and Ohio suggests that the percentage of sportsmen who will cast votes in these key swing states will be well above the national average. Based on survey findings, in Ohio, 75 percent of sportsmen are considered "likely voters," the number jumps to 80 percent in New Mexico, and Florida tops the group with 82 percent. It should be noted that with this consistently high rate of political activism by sportsmen in these three states, other battleground states with high sportsmen populations such as Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wisconsin will likely also see the effects of the sportsmen's vote.

While sportsmen in all three states are leaning towards President Bush, the survey suggests that a sizable number of the sportsmen polled have yet to make a firm decision on a candidate (Ohio 30 percent, New Mexico 20 percent, Florida 22 percent). "With less than three weeks before the election, hunters and anglers have done their scouting and set their alarm clocks for November 2. Many just haven't decided which candidate's camp they'll visit," commented Melinda Gable, executive director of the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation.

About nine in ten sportsmen polled said that they voted in the 2000 elections. If true, then sportsmen made up a large portion of the total vote in these states (Ohio 27 percent, Florida 33 percent and New Mexico 38 percent) during the last presidential election. Doug Painter, Hunting and Shooting Sports Heritage Foundation president, stresses the importance of participation, "There are nearly 40 million sportsmen of voting age in the United States. This year, more than ever, we must maximize the sportsmen's voice at the polls."

I've said this here many times but it bears repeating: Kerry has supported every single bill advancing gun-control that he has ever had the chance to vote on. Every single one. If you think you can put food on your table by bringing down a buck with a slingshot, then go ahead and vote for him. But be aware that even that slingshot might become illegal in a Kerry administration.