Big difference among local legislative candidates on 2nd Amendment right to bear arms | Eastern North Carolina Now

    There is a huge gulf between the attitudes of local Republican legislative candidates and their Democrat counterparts on 2nd amendment issue of gun rights or the Right to Bear Arms, as in shown in their responses to key 2nd amendment groups' questionnaires, and those groups endorsements. Republican State Senator Bill Cook, State Representative Mike Speciale, and State House candidate Beverly Boswell all ranked high on support of the 2nd amendment gun rights, while their Democrat counterparts, Brownie Futrell, Warren Judge, and Marva Baldwin exposed themselves as anti-gun.

    The National Rifle Association is the largest of the national 2nd amendment organizations, and its Political Victory Fund has given Cook an A rating and Speciale and Boswell an A-. It has endorsed all three as the best pro-gun candidates in their respective races. The NRA looks at voting records of incumbents and at questionnaires responses of all candidates.

    In North Carolina, the largest gun rights group is Grassroots North Carolina. They also examine incumbent voting records and the questionnaires responses of all candidates. GRNC rates candidates who support gun rights with one to four stars and give those not supporting gun rights a zero. On GRNC's scorecard, Senator Cook received four stars, Rep. Speciale and House candidate Boswell three stars, and their Democrat challengers all got zeroes.

    In the Governor races, NRA gave McCrory an A- and an endorsement while Roy Cooper received an F, Lt. Governor Dan Forest received an A and an endorsement while his Democrat opponent received an F. For Attorney General, Buck Newton received an A and an endorsement and his opponent Josh Stein received an F. The NRA also endorsed Donald Trump for president and Walter Jones for Congress.

    GRNC made the same assessments of the best candidates on gun rights issues - Trump for president, McCrory for governor, Jones for Congress, Forest for Lt. Governor, and Buck Newton for Attorney General. Their Democrat opponents were all rated as zero.

    Gun rights voters should recognize the clear differences among the candidates on this key issue when they go to the polls.

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