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David Codrea writes about Arnold & the insinuations by some that he was a "stealth" pro-gun candidate.

In case y'all missed it, some people were urging California voters to abandon Sen. McClintock in favor of Schwarzenegger on the basis of Schwarzenegger really being adamently pro-gun, but downplaying it till he has the election won.

& one of the things that should really tick off people who fell for that would be the reports of Schwarzenegger promising to help Sen. Feinstein in her efforts to renew the "assault weapons" ban.

From the Sacremento Bee:

"Schwarzenegger pledged to 'work together' with Feinstein to reauthorize an assault weapons ban. Boxer pressed the governor-elect for more education funding. He said, 'Sure'. "

From The Marin Independent Journal:

"Schwarzenegger made few policy pronouncements, though he did vow to work with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., to reauthorize a federal assault weapons ban. Asked if he would raise taxes to help defray the cost of the fires, he said 'Now is the wrong time to make that decision'. "

I have heard the argument that Schwarzenegger is making political promises which he has no ability or intention of keeping. I have also heard that he is biding his time & that once California's economy is under control then he can start making stands based upon principles.

Personally I think those that make or believe those particular arguments concentrate too much on politics & not enough on principle. They have more or less traded their desire to effect a principled change for the vehicle that is supposed to enable that change. It does absolutely no good if in order to change a wrong in government one must play along & even support that wrong until enough power is accumulated. This is the same trap that so many good people have fallen into. It is the same trap that has bred dictators & tyrants. While our political system tends to discourage this on the whole(tyrants & dictators that is), one should not accept using those same mechanisms just because the ultimate end is restrained to a degree.

In other words, it's BS from the apologists who would rather have victory at any cost than honestly fight a battle on it's merits.

The other argument I've heard is that Schwarzenegger was not quoted directly, therefore the stories about him saying he'd support the "assault weapons" ban is suspect. Now they may have a point, as the mainstream media has proven to be unreliable. Of course if they did misquote Schwarzenegger I'd think he'd have issue a statement on that by now. After all, didn't he go to the trouble of suing a car dealership in the mid-west because they used his image without his permission? I'd think that if he didn't say it & objected to being portrayed in that light, he'd have made some noise about it. So I'm lead to believe that either the paraphrasing was indeed accurate or that he does not object to them portraying him as a supporter of the federal "assault weapons" ban. After all, didn't he make statements to the press that he does in fact support the assault weapons ban previously? I don't have a record of any pro-"assault weapons" ban statements by Schwarzenegger, but I do offer you this excerpt from a previous post on a Sacremento Bee poll of the candidates' views on gun control:

"Mr. Schwarzenegger does approve of:

Forcing Californians to pass a written test before purchasing a firearm

Having records searched for a prior purchase of a firearm by a recently convcited felon

Requiring all pistols to have a loaded chamber indicator & a magazine disconnect feature

Banning/heavily restricting all .50 caliber rifles

The conclusion? Mr. Schwarzenegger seems to be for gun control except in certain instances where the financial impact would possibly be unjustifiable to achieve those ends. Lt. Gov. Bustamante is not concerned with the cost. & Sen. McClintock is against gun control except when he believes it applies only to convicted felons."

So I do not see Schwarzenegger objecting to anyone potraying him as a pro-gun control candidate, since he is in fact a pro-gun control candidate & not the "stealth" pro-gun candidate that his supporters alledged.

One last thing: Some have also alledged that Schwarzenegger has given money to pro-gun groups. Mr. Codrea addresses the factual basis (or lack thereof) of these claims. One thing he does fail to mention though, is that the NRA is the main alledged receipient of Schwarzenegger's donations. That would mean he was not contributing to a pro-gun group at all, since the NRA is not pro-gun.

Read Mr. Codrea's piece & be sure to follow the links.