NRA Endorses Lou Barletta

Two other gun rights groups endorsed him as well.

You can donate to Lou Barletta’s campaign here.

The DC Gun Ban Repeal helps Blue Dog Dems?

That’s what the Dallas Morning News thinks:

A bill to lift gun restrictions in the District of Columbia could be the key to political survival for Texas congressman Nick Lampson and other red-state Democrats.

As fall elections approach, these House members in traditionally Republican districts hope to appeal to conservative voters by pushing a bill that would eliminate D.C.’s restrictions on gun ownership.

After the Supreme Court ruled in June that the city’s gun ban was unconstitutional, district officials adopted strict regulations for selling and registering handguns and promised to enforce a separate ban on semiautomatic weapons. Critics say these measures violate the court’s ruling by hindering people from buying firearms.

Mr. Lampson, who replaced former Majority Leader Tom DeLay in a Republican-leaning Houston-area district, is among the co-sponsors of the bill, along with Democrats from Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee and Pennsylvania, who are considered vulnerable in the November elections.

It’s sort of cute that Rep. Lampson thinks that co-sponsoring a bill on DC’s gun rights will hide his otherwise Pelosi-like record in the House of Representatives.  However, with an ACU rating of 20%, it will be hard for Rep. Lampson to square his deep blue votes with his deep red campaign rhetoric.  If the people of Texas’ 22nd District send Pete Olson to Washington in his place, this is something they’ll never have to worry about.

You can donate to Pete Olson’s campaign here.

Lampson vs. Olson: Why is the NRA taking sides?

Update: Please see the comments to this post for a caveat.

Rep. Nick Lampson is facing a tough re-election against Down the Ticket-endorsed candidate Pete Olson.  Although Olson is a protector of gun rights and a member of the NRA, the National Rifle Association is backing Rep. Nick Lampson (D – Texas):

But while the NRA is clearly trying to help make McCain president, the organization’s work at the congressional level is aimed at reelecting its closest friends in both parties — including pro-gun Democrats such as Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Stafford.

Lampson, who faces a tough challenge from Republican Pete Olson in a GOP-leaning district, has received contributions from the NRA’s political action committee as well as the endorsement of its state affiliate, the Texas Rifle Association.

Alice Tripp, the association’s legislative director, said she is sending out postcards to 2,144 TRA members in Lampson’s district announcing her organization’s support of the Democrat. Lampson has a perfect voting record on issues of importance to the gun-rights group.

The NRA absolutely has the right to support and endorse whoever they choose, but I think they need to ask themselves who is more likely to support the Second Amendment in Congress: someone who has to answer to Speaker Pelosi, or someone from a party that believes in the individual right to bear arms?

Help make up for the NRA’s support of Rep. Lampson by donating to Pete Olson’s campaign.