SOMETIMES THE ENEMY WEARS CAMOUFLAGE
>
> You might have recently heard of a new organization claiming to represent
> hunters and gun owners. The new group calls itself the American Hunters
> and Shooters Association, a friendly sounding name designed to earn the
> trust of gun
> owners and hunters. The reality is that AHSA is nothing more than the
> enemy in camouflage.
> At first glance, everything about AHSA sounds just fine. They even
> have one useful tool on the website, a history of wildlife conservation
> laws in America strange thing is it was lifted nearly word for word from
> www.NRAILA.org.
> In their "Firearms Safety and Training" section we begin to see some
> curious remarks. For instance in the "Range Safety" section they never
> once mention that firearms should always be pointed downrange, the first
> rule in range safety. Another section recommends that shooters use steel
> wool to clean the barrels of their guns, an idea that makes most gunsmiths
> cringe. The rest of their safety tips
> appear to be written by someone who has never hunted. Never once do they
> mention the three basic rules of safe gun handling by which all shooters
> know
> and abide.
> A look deeper into the AHSA website quickly reveals that this is no
> hunters' rights group. You quickly realize that they want to allow the
> FBI to keep records on law-abiding citizens who buy guns and put an end to
> gun shows as we know them. Not to mention the fact that they want to
> regulate .50 caliber rifles in the same way that machine guns are
> regulated.
> The most telling thing about AHSA is its leadership. A quick look at
> their website shows that Bob Ricker is listed as AHSA Executive Director.
> Readers will remember that Ricker is a former NRA employee who switched
> sides and has actively worked for gun control groups for many years now.
> A few years ago, Ricker was part of an attempt to sell out your rights by
> brokering a deal with the most anti-gun administration in history. He
> then appeared with Bill Clinton in a White House photo-op. Most recently
> Ricker was paid by a Virginia based anti-gun
> group, where he lobbied to shut down gun shows and put further
> restrictions on gun owners.
> A little further down in the leadership section John Rosenthal is
> listed as President of the AHSA Foundation. Rosenthal is one of the
> founders of the
> Massachusetts based group, Stop Handgun Violence, a group that has been a
> major force in passing some of the most Draconian state gun laws in the
> nation. Gun laws that Rosenthal would like to see exported to other
> states.
> With leadership like that, there is no doubt about the true goals of
> AHSA. They are trying to fool hunters and gun owners with a soft sell, a
> la John Kerry, while working behind the scenes to end the sport that we
> all love. I fully expect that in the 2006 elections we will see anti-gun
> Congressional candidates boasting about their AHSA endorsements.
> Unfortunately, some gun owners will be fooled by this ploy, so help us
> spread the word that AHSA isn't what it claims to be.