Fellow Sportsman,
Hello, my name is Rich Pearson and I have been active in the firearm rights movement for over 40 years. For
the past 15 years, I have served in the Illinois state capitol as the chief lobbyist for the Illinois State Rifle
Association.
I lobbied Barack Obama extensively while he was an Illinois State Senator. As a result of that experience, I
know Obama's attitudes toward guns and gun owners better than anyone. The truth be told, in all my years in
the Capitol I have never met a legislator who harbors more contempt for the law-abiding firearm owner than
Barack Obama.
Although Obama claims to be an advocate for the 2nd Amendment, his voting record in the Illinois Senate paints
a very different picture. While a state senator, Obama voted for a bill that would ban nearly every hunting rifle,
shotgun and target rifle owned by Illinois citizens. That same bill would authorize the state police to raid homes
of gun owners and forcibly confiscate banned guns. Obama supported a bill that would shut down law-abiding
firearm manufacturers including Springfield Armory, Armalite, Rock River Arms and Les Baer. Obama also
voted for a bill that would prohibit law-abiding citizens from purchasing more than one gun per month.
Without a doubt, Barack Obama has proven himself to be an enemy of the law abiding firearm owner. At the
same time, Obama has proven himself to be a friend to the hardened criminal. While a state senator, Obama
voted 4 times against legislation that would allow a homeowner to use a firearm in defense of home and family.
Does Barack Obama still sound to you like a "friend"? of the law-abiding gun owner?
And speaking of friends, you can always tell a person by the company they keep. Obama counts among his
friends the Rev. Michael Pfleger - a renegade Chicago priest who has openly called for the murder of gun shop
owners and pro-gun legislators. Then there is his buddy Richard Daley, the mayor of Chicago who has declared
that if it were up to him, nobody would be allowed to own a gun. And let's not forget Obama's pal George
Soros - the guy who has pumped millions of dollars into the UN's international effort to disarm law-abiding
citizens.
Obama has shown that he is more than willing to use other people's money to fund his campaign to take your
guns away from you. While a board member of the leftist Joyce Foundation, Barack Obama wrote checks for
tens of millions of dollars to extremist gun control organizations such as the Illinois Council Against Handgun
Violence and the Violence Policy Center.
Does Barack Obama still sound to you like a "friend"? of the law-abiding gun owner?
By now, I'm sure that many of you have received mailings from an organization called "American Hunters
and Shooters Association(AHSA)"? talking about what a swell fellow Obama is and how he honors the 2nd
Amendment and how you will never have to worry about Obama coming to take your guns. Let me make it
perfectly clear - everything the AHSA says about Obama is pure hogwash. The AHSA is headed by a group
of left-wing elitists who subscribe to the British view of hunting and shooting. That is, a state of affairs where
hunting and shooting are reserved for the wealthy upper-crust who can afford guided hunts on exclusive private
reserves. The AHSA is not your friend, never will be.
In closing, I'd like to remind you that I'm a guy who has actually gone nose to nose with Obama on gun rights
issues. The Obama I know cannot even begin to identify with this nation's outdoor traditions. The Obama I
know sees you, the law abiding gun owner, as nothing but a low-class lummox who is easily swayed by the
flash of a smile and a ration of rosy rhetoric. The Obama I know is a stony-faced liar who has honed his skill at
getting what he wants - so long as people are willing to give it to him.
That's the Barack Obama I know.
Sincerely,
Richard A. Pearson
Executive Director
Illinois State Rifle Association
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