guthe gun owners is published by gun owners of america, inc. 8001 forbes place, suite 102,...
TRANSCRIPT
Gun OwnersTHE
41 YEARS OF NO COMPROMISE – 1975-2016
by John VellecoYou hear the same thing every election year.“This is the most important election of our life-
times,” is usually followed by “so please send money.”Hyperbole aside, gun owners have a lot at stake in
this election. Unfortunately, it is estimated that in a typical elec-
tion, 30-40% of gun owners don’t bother to vote. But this isn’t the year to skip the ballot box.That’s why Gun Owners of America published this
Congressional Rating — to help gun owners deter-mine the best candidates on the Second Amendment.
Hillary: Supreme Court “Wrong” on 2nd AmendmentAt the presidential level, the differences between Donald
Trump and Hillary Clinton are stark.Hillary makes no bones about gun control being a center-
piece of her campaign.For instance, when asked about the Australian mandatory
government buyback program in which almost a million pri-vately owned firearms were collected and destroyed, Hillarypraised the laws from Down Under and said, “I think it’s worthconsidering.”Hillary would also shift the Supreme Court dramatically to
the Left — and the Second Amendment would be her litmustest.Clinton told supporters that, “The Supreme Court is wrong
on the Second Amendment, and I am going to make that caseevery chance I get.”Donald Trump, on the other hand, put forth a list of twenty-
one potential Supreme Court nominees with records supportingindividual, constitutional rights.Trump also spoke out against gun-free zones, calling them
“target practice for the sickos and for the mentally ill.” He supports concealed carry, telling CNN that, “the right of
self-defense doesn’t stop at the end of your driveway.”And he has pledged to undo Obama’s anti-gun executive
actions. Hillary thinks those orders should have gone farther.Unfortunately, Trump, like Clinton, supports taking away
Second Amendment rights — without due process — frompeople on a secret government watch list. The Libertarian Party nominated former New Mexico gover-
nor Gary Johnson, rated B by GOA, as its presidential stan-
dard-nearer. Johnson’s running mate, former governor Bill Weld, is rated
F- by GOA due to his efforts in Massachusetts to pass some ofthe strictest gun control laws in the country.Donald Trump’s VP pick is pro-gun Indiana governor Mike
Pence, while Hillary’s choice was anti-gun Virginia SenatorTim Kaine.
Senate Up For GrabsThere is also a fierce fight for control of the U.S. Senate this
year, with the electoral map working in favor of the Democrats.Republicans are defending twenty-four seats, and at least
seven of those are competitive.Senate Democrats have only ten seats on the ballot, and just
two are competitive.With the Senate split 54-46 in favor of Republicans, Democ-
rats need to pick up five seats to take control of that chamber— and just four if Hillary is elected, as the Vice Presidentserves as the tiebreaking vote.
Can Democrats Take Control of the U.S. House?House Republicans enjoy a sixty seat advantage over
Democrats, so it’s a tough hill to climb for Democrats to takecontrol of that chamber.
Continued on page 4
SpecialCandidate Rating Issue!
What’s At Stake in 2016
Volume XXXVI, Number 4 • October 25, 2016
Hillary Clinton has promised to wage an all-out attack against the SecondAmendment, while Donald Trump is attempting to court pro-gunners.
The Gun Owners is published by Gun Owners of America, Inc. 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151 (703) 321-8585
October 25, 2016 • The Gun Owners /Page 2
ALABAMA01 Byrne (R) A-02 Mathis (D) ?Roby (R) A-
03 Rogers (R) A-Smith (D) F
04 Aderholt (R) A05 Boyd (D) ?Brooks (R) A
06 Palmer (R) APutnam (D) D-
07 Sewell (D) F
ALASKA01 Lindbeck (D) ?Young (R) A-
ARIZONA01 Babeu (R) AO'Halleran (D) ?
02 Heinz (D) FMcSally (R) A-
03 Abatecola (R) ?Grijalva (D) F
04 Gosar (R) A+Weisser (D) F
05 Biggs (R) AFuentes (D) ?
06 Schweikert (R) AWilliamson (D) F
07 Gallego (D) D-Nunez (R) ?
08 DeVivo (D) FFranks (R) A
09 Giles (R) ASinema (D) F
ARKANSAS01 Crawford (R) A-02 Curry (D) FHill (R) A-
03 Womack (R) A-04 Westerman (R) A
CALIFORNIA01 LaMalfa (R) AReed (D) F
02 Huffman (D) FMensing (R) A
03 Cleek (R) AGaramendi (D) F-
04 Derlet (D) FMcClintock (R) A
05 Santamaria (R) ?Thompson (D) F
06 Evans (R) ?Matsui (D) F-
07 Bera (D) FJones (R) A
08 Cook (R) A-Ramirez (D) ?
09 Amador (R) AMcNerney (D) F
10 Denham (R) BEggman (D) ?
11 DeSaulnier (D) FPetersen (R) ?
12 Pelosi (D) F-13 Caro (R) ?Lee (D) F-
14 Cardenas (R) ASpeier (D) F-
15 Swalwell (D) FTurner (R) ?
16 Costa (D) FTacherra (R) A
17 Honda (D) F-Khanna (D) ?
18 Eshoo (D) F-Fox (R) ?
19 Lancaster (R) ?Lofgren (D) F-
20 Lucius (R) ?Panetta (D) ?
21 Huerta (D) ?Valadao (R) B-
22 Campos (D) ?Nunes (R) B
23 McCarthy (R) CReed (D) F
24 Carbajal (D) FFareed (R) A-
25 Caforio (D) FKnight (R) A-
26 Brownley (D) FDagnesses (R) A
27 Chu (D) F-Orswell (R) ?
28 Schiff (D) F-Solis (R) ?
29 Alarcon (D) FCardenas (D) F
30 Reed (R) ASherman (D) F-
31 Aguilar (D) FChabot (R) A
32 Hernandez (D) FNapolitano (D) F
33 Lieu (D) FWright (R) ?
34 Becerra (D) F-Edwards (D) ?
35 Fischella (R) ATorres (D) F
36 Ruiz (D) F-Stone (R) A
37 Bass (D) F-Wiggins (D) ?
38 Downing (R) ?Sanchez (D) F-
39 Murdock (D) FRoyce (R) A-
40 Roybal-Allard (D) F-41 Shepherd (R) ?Takano (D) F
42 Calvert (R) BSheridan (D) ?
43 Navarro (R) AWaters (D) F-
44 Barragan (D) ?Hall III (D) F
45 Varasteh (D) ?Walters (R) A-
46 Correa (D) FNguyen (D) F
47 Lowenthal (D) FWhallon (R) A
48 Rohrabacher (R) A-Savary (D) F
49 Applegate (D) FIssa (R) B
50 Hunter (R) AMalloy (D) ?
51 Hidalgo (R) ?Vargas (D) F
52 Gitsham (R) ?Peters (D) F
53 Davis (D) F-Veltmeyer (R) ?
COLORADO01 DeGette (D) F-Stockham (R) A
02 Morse (R) APolis (D) F
03 Schwartz (D) FTipton (R) A-
04 Buck (R) A+Seay (D) F
05 Lamborn (R) APlowright (D) C
06 Carroll (D) F-Coffman (R) B-
07 Athanasopoulos (R) APerlmutter (D) F-
CONNECTICUT01 Corey (R) ALarson (D) F-
02 Courtney (D) FNovak (R) A
03 Cadena (R) ADeLauro (D) F-
A+: Pro-Gun Leader. Carries pro-gunbills, works with pro-gun groups andorganizes against anti-gun legislation,speaks out for Second Amendment rights.
A: Pro-Gun Voter. Philosophicallysound. Always with pro-gun leadershipbut takes no leadership role.
A- to B-: Pro-Gun compromiser. Gen-erally leans our way but occasionally sup-ports a particular anti-gun proposal.
C & C-: Leans Our Way occasionally.No philosophical commitment. Must beconstantly pressured by the pro-gunmovement or, if left alone, will voteagainst us.
D & D-: Likely Anti-Gun. Normallywith the anti-gun movement, but strongpressure can sometimes move them into anon-vote (abstention) or an occasional
pro-gun vote, if they believe votingagainst us could cause their defeat.
F: Anti-Gun Voter. A philosophicallycommitted anti-gunner. Does not carryanti-gun bills but can always be countedon to vote against us.
F-: Anti-Gun Leader. Outspoken anti-gun advocate who carries or cosponsorsanti-gun legislation, plots and plans withanti-gun organizations to take away ourSecond Amendment rights.
?: The candidate refused to answer his orher questionnaire. This is usually a signthat the candidate is hiding anti-gunviews.
PLEASE NOTEDue to space limitations, only Republicansand Democrats are listed. Grades of thirdparty candidates are posted on the GOAwebsite: www.gunowners.org/vote
Continued on page 3
Candidates who have estab-lished a voting record, either inthe office for which they are run-ning or in another elected office,are evaluated primarily on thebasis of that voting record. How-ever, sponsorship of pro or anti-gun legislation and other suchfactors can affect their grade.If an incumbent or challenger
has not established a votingrecord or demonstrated his or herposition in some other way, thatcandidate is evaluated on thebasis of his or her responses tothe GOA 2016 Federal CandidateQuestionnaire or public state-ments.Every candidate, whether an
incumbent or challenger, beginswith an “A” and is then down-graded on the basis of each anti-gun position or vote.
2016 Candidate Rating Scorecard
United States House of Representatives
GOA Executive Director Erich Pratt (right) withKentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, who is A+ rated by GOA.
The Gun Owners is published by Gun Owners of America, Inc. 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151 (703) 321-8585
October 25, 2016 • The Gun Owners /Page 3
04 Himes (D) F-Shaban (R) F
05 Cope (R) ?Esty (D) F
DELAWARE01 Reigle (R) ARochester (D) F
FLORIDA01 Gaetz (R) ASpecht (D) ?
02 Dartland (D) FDunn (R) A
03 McGurn (D) ?Yoho (R) A-
04 Bruderly (D) ?Rutherford (R) A
05 Lawson (D) DSmith (R) ?
06 DeSantis (R) AMcCullough (D) F
07 Mica (R) A-Murphy (D) F
08 Posey (R) AWestbrook (D) ?
09 Liebnitzky (R) ?Soto (D) C
10 Demings (D) FLowe (R) ?
11 Koller (D) ?Webster (R) A-
12 Bilirakis (R) B-Tager (D) F
13 Crist (D) FJolly (R) C
14 Castor (D) FQuinn (R) C-
15 Lange (D) ?Ross (R) A
16 Buchanan (R) B-Schneider (D) F
17 Freeman (D) FRooney (R) B
18 Mast (R) APerkins (D) ?
19 Neeld (D) ?Rooney (R) B
20 Hastings (D) F-Stein (R) ?
21 Frankel (D) FSpain (R) D
22 Deutch (D) F-McGee (R) ?
23 Kaufman (R) AWasserman Schultz (D) F-
24 Wilson (D) F-25 Diaz-Balart (R) B-Valdes (D) F
26 Curbelo (R) CGarcia (D) F
27 Fuhrman (D) FRos-Lehtinen (R) C
GEORGIA01 Carter (R) A02 Bishop (D) FDuke (R) A
03 Ferguson (R) APendley (D) ?
04 Armendariz (R) AJohnson (D) F-
05 Bell (R) ?Lewis (D) F-
06 Price (R) A-Stooksbury (D) ?
07 Malik (D) FWoodall (R) B
08 Harris (D) ?Scott (R) A
09 Collins (R) A10 Hice (R) A+
11 Loudermilk (R) AWilson (D) F
12 Allen (R) AMcCracken (D) ?
13 Scott (D) F14 Graves (R) A
HAWAII01 Hanabusa (D) F-Ostrov (R) B
02 Gabbard (D) FKaaihue (R) ?
IDAHO01 Labrador (R) APiotrowski (D) ?
02 Martinez (D) ?Simpson (R) C
ILLINOIS01 Deuser (R) A-Rush (D) F-
02 Kelly (D) FMorrow (R) D
03 Lipinski (D) F04 Gutierrez (D) F05 Kolber (R) ?Quigley (D) F-
06 Howland (D) ?Roskam (R) B-
07 Davis (D) FLeef (R) ?
08 DiCianni (R) CKrishnamoorthi (D) F
09 Lasonde (R) DSchakowsky (D) F
10 Dold (R) DSchneider (D) F
11 Foster (D) FKhouri (R) ?
12 Baricevic (D) ?Bost (R) A
13 Davis (R) B-Wicklund (D) ?
14 Hultgren (R) BWalz (D) ?
15 Shimkus (R) B16 Kinzinger (R) B-17 Bustos (D) FHarlan (R) A
18 LaHood (R) A-Rodriguez (D) F
INDIANA01 Visclosky (D) F02 Coleman (D) FWalorski (R) A
03 Banks (R) A+Schrader (D) ?
04 Dale (D) CRokita (R) A
05 Brooks (R) B-Demaree (D) ?
06 Messer (R) AWelsh (D) C
07 Carson (D) F-Ping (R) ?
08 Bucshon (R) A-Drake (D) ?
09 Hollingsworth (R) AYoder (D) ?
IOWA01 Blum (R) A-Vernon (D) F
02 Loebsack (D) FPeters (R) A
03 Mowrer (D) FYoung (R) A-
04 King (R) AWeaver (D) F
KANSAS01 Marshall (R) A02 Jenkins (R) BPotter (D) ?
03 Sidie (D) DYoder (R) A
04 Giroux (D) CPompeo (R) A
KENTUCKY01 Comer (R) AGaskins (D) C
02 Guthrie (R) B-03 Bratcher (R) AYarmuth (D) F
04 Massie (R) A+Sidle (D) F
05 Rogers (R) C06 Barr (R) A-Kemper (D) F
LOUISIANA01 Scalise (R) A-02 Richmond (D) F-03 OPEN04 Johnson (R) A05 Abraham (R) A06 Graves (R) A-
MAINE01 Holbrook (R) APingree (D) F-Poliquin (R) A
02 Cain (D) FPoliquin (R) A
MARYLAND01 Harris (R) AWerner (D) ?
02 McDonough (R) ARuppersberger (D) F-
03 Plaster (R) A-Sarbanes (D) F-
04 Brown (D) FMcDermott (R) ?
05 Arness (R) AHoyer (D) F-
06 Delaney (D) FHoeber (R) ?
07 Cummings (D) F-Vaughn (R) A
08 Cox (R) ARaskin (D) F
MASSACHUSETTS01 Neal (D) F-02 McGovern (D) F-03 Tsongas (D) F-Wofford (R) A
04 Kennedy (D) FRosa (R) ?
05 Clark (D) F06 Moulton (D) F07 Capuano (D) F-08 Burke (R) D-Lynch (D) F
09 Alliegro (R) AKeating (D) F-
MICHIGAN01 Bergman (R) AJohnson (D) ?
02 Huizenga (R) AMurphy (D) ?
03 Amash (R) A+Smith (D) ?
04 Moolenaar (R) A-Wirth (D) ?
05 Hardwick (R) AKildee (D) D
06 Clements (D) FUpton (R) C-
07 Driskell (D) FWalberg (R) A-
08 Bishop (R) A-Shkreli (D) F
09 Levin (D) F-Morse (R) B
10 Accavitti (D) DMitchell (R) A
11 Kumar (D) FTrott (R) A-
12 Dingell (D) FJones (R) A
13 Conyers (D) F-Gorman (R) A
14 Klausner (R) ?Lawrence (D) F
MINNESOTA01 Hagedorn (R) AWalz (D) F
02 Craig (D) FLewis (R) A
03 Bonoff (D) FPaulsen (R) C
04 McCollum (D) F-Ryan (R) A
05 Drake (R) ?Ellison (D) F-
06 Emmer (R) A+Snyder (D) ?
07 Hughes (R) APeterson (D) B
08 Mills (R) ANolan (D) F-
MISSISSIPPI01 Kelly (R) AOwens (D) ?
02 Bouie (R) ?Thompson (D) F-
03 Harper (R) A-Quinn (D) ?
04 Gladney (D) ?Palazzo (R) A
MISSOURI01 Bailey (R) ?Clay (D) F-
02 Otto (D) FWagner (R) A
03 Luetkemeyer (R) A-Miller (D) ?
04 Christensen (D) FHartzler (R) A
05 Cleaver (D) F-Turk (R) A
06 Blackwell (D) ?Graves (R) A-
07 Long (R) AWilliams (D) D
08 Cowell (D) ?Smith (R) A
MONTANA01 Juneau (D) ?Zinke (R) A-
NEBRASKA01 Fortenberry (R) CWik (D) D
02 Ashford (D) FBacon (R) A
03 Smith (R) A-
NEVADA01 Perry (R) ATitus (D) F
02 Amodei (R) BEvans (D) F
03 Rosen (D) FTarkanian (R) A
04 Hardy (R) A-Kihuen (D) F
NEW HAMPSHIRE01 Guinta (R) A+Shea-Porter (D) F
02 Kuster (D) FLawrence (R) A
NEW JERSEY01 Norcross (D) FPatterson (R) ?
02 Cole (D) FLoBiondo (R) F
03 LaVergne (D) ?MacArthur (R) ?
04 Phillipson (D) ?Smith (R) F
05 Garrett (R) A-Gottheimer (D) F
06 Pallone (D) F-Sonnek-Schmelz (R) ?
07 Jacob (D) FLance (R) C
08 Khan (R) ?Sires (D) F-
09 Castillo (R) ?Pascrell (D) F-
10 Payne (D) FPinckney (R) ?
11 Frelinghuysen (R) C-Wenzel (D) F
12 Uccio (R) BWatson-Coleman (D) F
NEW MEXICO01 Grisham (D) FPriem (R) ?
02 Pearce (R) ASoules (D) ?
03 Lujån (D) FRomero (R) ?
NEW YORK01 Throne-Holst (D) FZeldin (R) A-
02 Gregory (D) FKing (R) F
03 Martins (R) FSuozzi (D) F
04 Gurfein (R) ?Rice (D) F
05 Meeks (D) F-O'Reilly (R) ?
06 Maio (R) ?Meng (D) F-
RatingsContinued from page 2
Continued on page 6
GOA Chairman Tim Macy (right) and A+ rated KenBuck of Colorado show off a very patriotic AR-15.
October 25, 2016 • The Gun Owners /Page 4
Nevertheless, they are making a strong play to pick upHouse seats with support from major donors like billionaireGeorge Soros. While it’s not likely Democrats will win theHouse, if there’s a strong shift toward Hillary in the final weeksbefore the election, anything can happen. And even though Gun Owners of America has had bitter dis-
agreements with Republican leadership over their handling ofthe gun issue, one-party control of two of the three branches ofgovernment can be disastrous. Consider that the last time Democrats controlled the White
House and both chambers of Congress, they passed the anti-gunObamaCare law.The time before that, they passed the Brady law and the ban
on semi-automatic firearms. Although the semi-auto banexpired after ten years, other aspects of the 1994 Crime Billremain in effect.For this rating, GOA has tabulated the results of surveys, and
looked at voting records and public statements, to arrive at agrade to reflect where a candidate stands.
A “?” next to a person’s names means that candidate refusedto respond to the GOA survey and has no prior voting record. Whether or not this is “the most important election in our
lifetimes,” the bottom line is there’s a lot at stake and it’s cru-cial that the nearly one hundred million gun owners get out tovote this November. ■
What’s At Stake in 2016Continued from page 1
Indiana Governor Mike Pence, Trump’s Vice-Presidential pick, is“A” rated and the most pro-gun candidate that voters will see onpresidential ballots this fall.
Gun Owners of America applaudedRepublican legislators in Missouri foroverriding Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto ofConstitutional Carry legislation in
September.“This is a fantastic day,” said GOA
Executive Director Erich Pratt. “Four states have adopted permitless
carry this year. So Missouri’s action inoverriding the Governor’s veto bringsthe total number of states with Consti-tutional Carry to twelve,” Pratt told themedia.Gun Owners of America mobilized
its grassroots members on several occa-sions this year in support of this Consti-tutional Carry legislation. Billionaire Michael Bloomberg was
very active in the state, opposing thelegislation, but to no avail. Permitless carry will now take effect
in Missouri on January 1, 2017. “Law-abiding citizens should not
have to ask for permission to exercise aconstitutionally-protected right,” Prattsaid. “That’s the beauty of Constitutional
Carry, it honors the Second Amend-ment which says the right to keep andBEAR arms ‘shall not be infringed.’” ■
You can give to GOA through a recurringmonthly donation!Just select the amount you’d like to contribute each month!
Did You Know?
Payments can be made through PayPalor by Credit Card at
www.gunowners.org/monthly
The Gun Owners is published by Gun Owners of America, Inc. 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151 (703) 321-8585
GOA Praises MO Republicansfor Establishing ConstitutionalCarry!
The Gun Owners is published by Gun Owners of America, Inc. 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151 (703) 321-8585
October 25, 2016 • The Gun Owners /Page 5
ALABAMACrumpton (D) ?Shelby (R) A
ALASKAMetcalfe (D) ?Miller (L) AMurkowski (R) C
ARIZONAKirkpatrick (D) DMcCain (R) D-
ARKANSASBoozman (R) AEldridge (D) ?
CALIFORNIAHarris (D) FSanchez (D) F
COLORADOBennet (D) F-Glenn (R) A
CONNECTICUTBlumenthal (D) F-Carter (R) B
FLORIDAMurphy (D) F-Rubio (R) B
GEORGIABarksdale (D) FIsakson (R) A-
HAWAIICarroll (R) BSchatz (D) F
IDAHOCrapo (R) ASturgill (D) ?
ILLINOISDuckworth (D) FKirk (R) F-
INDIANABayh (D) FYoung (R) A-
IOWAGrassley (R) A-Judge (D) F
KANSASMoran (R) AWiesner (D) ?
KENTUCKYGray (D) FPaul (R) A+
LOUISIANAOPEN
MARYLANDSzeliga (R) AVanHollen (D) F-
MISSOURIBlunt (R) A-Kander (D) F
NEVADACortez Masto (D) FHeck (R) B
NEW HAMPSHIREAyotte (R) C-Hassan (D) F
NEW YORKLong (R) ASchumer (D) F-
NORTH CAROLINABurr (R) BRoss (D) F
NORTH DAKOTAGlassheim (D) FHoeven (R) A
OHIOPortman (R) BStrickland (D) F
OKLAHOMALankford (R) A-Workman (D) ?
OREGONCallahan (R) AWyden (D) F-
PENNSYLVANIAMcGinty (D) FToomey (R) F-
SOUTH CAROLINADixon (D) FScott (R) A-
SOUTH DAKOTAThune (R) A-Williams (D) F
UTAHLee (R) A+Snow (D) F
VERMONTLeahy (D) F-Milne (R) ?
WASHINGTONMurray (D) FVance (R) B
WISCONSINFeingold (D) FJohnson (R) B
United States Senate
Gun Owners of America8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102Springfield, Virginia 22151
703-321-8585www.gunowners.org
Enroll as a Life Member at the special charter rate of only$500, which entitles you to full member privileges.
Also consider the easy payment plan with an initial depositof $50 (with the remainder to be billed to you) or as a
quarterly debit to your credit card for $50 until your GOA Life Membership is fully paid.
When you contact us by phone,email or mail, please provide uswith your name, address, city,state, zip and member number tobegin enjoying your Life Memberprivileges with Gun Owners ofAmerica.
Life Member
Are you a GOA Life Member yet?
How to PlaceGOAin Your Will
You can help protect gun rights for future generations by placing Gun Owners of America in your will or estate plans. Here are some sample instructions to share with your advisor or attorney:
I give, devise and bequeath to Gun Owners of America (tax ID # 52-1256643),a non-profit, corporation in Springfield, Virginia:A. The sum of $_________; orB. _________ percent of my estate; orC. Residue. I give my Residue to Gun Owners of America,
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, Virginia 22151.
Copy and distribute GOA’s Candidate Rating.Go to www.gunowners.org/vote
The Gun Owners is published by Gun Owners of America, Inc. 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151 (703) 321-8585
October 25, 2016 • The Gun Owners /Page 6
07 Romaguera (R) ?Velazquez (D) F-
08 Jeffries (D) F-09 Clarke (D) F-10 Nadler (D) F-Rosenthal (R) ?
11 Donovan (R) ?Reichard (D) F
12 Ardini (R) ?Maloney (D) F
13 Espaillat (D) FEvans (R) ?
14 Crowley (D) F-Spotorno (R) ?
15 Serrano (D) FVega (R) ?
16 Engel (D) F-17 Lowey (D) F-18 Maloney (D) FOliva (R) ?
19 Faso (R) ATeachout (D) F
20 Tonko (D) FVitollo (R) A
21 Derrick (D) ?Stefanik (R) A-
22 Myers (D) ?Tenney (R) A
23 Plumb (D) ?Reed (R) A-
24 Deacon (D) FKatko (R) B-
25 Assini (R) ASlaughter (D) F
26 Higgins (D) FSchratz (R) ?
27 Collins (R) A-Kastebaum (D) ?
NORTH CAROLINA01 Butterfield (D) FDew (R) A
02 Holding (R) AMcNeil (D) F
03 Jones (R) AReeves (D) ?
04 Googe (R) APrice (D) F-
05 Brannon (D) ?Foxx (R) A-
06 Glidewell (D) DWalker (R) A
07 Casteen (D) ?Rouzer (R) A
08 Hudson (R) AMills (D) F
09 Cano (D) ?Pittenger (R) A-
10 McHenry (R) BMillard (D) F
11 Bryson (D) ?Meadows (R) A
12 Adams (D) FThreatt (R) ?
13 Budd (R) ADavis (D) ?
NORTH DAKOTA01 Cramer (R) A-Iron Eyes (D) ?
OHIO01 Chabot (R) AYoung (D) ?
02 Smith (D) ?Wenstrup (R) A
03 Adams (R) ?Beatty (D) F
04 Garrett (D) FJordan (R) A
05 Latta (R) ANeu (D) ?
06 Johnson (R) ALorentz (D) ?
07 Gibbs (R) A-Rich (D) D
08 Davidson (R) A-Fought (D) ?
09 Kaptur (D) FLarson (R) A
10 Klepinger (D) ?Turner (R) C
11 Fudge (D) F-Goldstein (R) A
12 Albertson (D) FTiberi (R) B-
13 Morckel (R) ?Ryan (D) F
14 Joyce (R) B-Wager (D) F
15 Stivers (R) BWharton (D) F
16 Mundy (D) ?Renacci (R) B
OKLAHOMA01 Bridenstine (R) A02 Harris-Till (D) FMullin (R) A
03 Lucas (R) ARobbins (D) D
04 Cole (R) A-Owen (D) D
05 McAffrey (D) CRussell (R) A-
OREGON01 Bonamici (D) FHeinrich (R) A
02 Crary (D) FWalden (R) C
03 Blumenauer (D) F-Walker (R) ?
04 DeFazio (D) FRobinson (R) A
05 Schrader (D) FWillis (R) A
PENNSYLVANIA01 Brady (D) F-Williams (R) ?
02 Evans (D) FJones (R) ?
03 Kelly (R) A-04 Burkholder (D) ?Perry (R) A
05 Taylor (D) CThompson (R) B
06 Costello (R) A-Parrish (D) D
07 Balchunis (D) FMeehan (R) C-
08 Fitzpatrick (R) BSantarsiero (D) F
09 Halvorson (D) AShuster (R) B
10 Marino (R) BMolesevich (D) ?
11 Barletta (R) B-Marsicano (D) ?
12 McClelland (D) ?Rothfus (R) A-
13 Boyle (D) F14 Doyle (D) FMcAllister (R) ?
15 Daugherty (D) ?Dent (R) B-
16 Hartman (D) ?Smucker (R) A
17 Cartwright (D) FConnolly (R) A
18 Murphy (R)
RHODE ISLAND01 Cicilline (D) F-Taub (R) A
02 Langevin (D) F-Reis (R) A
SOUTH CAROLINA01 Cherny (D) FSanford (R) A
02 Bjorn (D) FWilson (R) A
03 Cleveland (D) ?Duncan (R) A
04 Fedalei (D) ?Gowdy (R) A-
05 Mulvaney (R) A-Person (D) F
06 Clyburn (D) FSterling (R) A
07 Hyman (D) FRice (R)
SOUTH DAKOTA01 Hawks (D) FNoem (R) B
TENNESSEE01 Bohms (D) ?Roe (R) A
02 Duncan (R) AStarr (D) ?
03 Fleischmann (R) AShekari (D) ?
04 DesJarlais (R) A+Reynolds (D) ?
05 Cooper (D) FSnyder (R) A
06 Black (R) A-Kent (D) ?
07 Blackburn (R) AChandler (D) ?
08 Hobson (D) ?Kustoff (R) A
09 Alberson (R) ?Cohen (D) F-
TEXAS01 Gohmert (R) AMcKellar (D) ?
02 Bryan (D) ?Poe (R) A
03 Bell (D) FJohnson (R) A
04 Ratcliffe (R) A-05 Hensarling (R) A06 Barton (R) A-Woolridge (D) ?
07 Cargas (D) FCulberson (R) A
08 Brady (R) A09 Green (D) F-Martin (R) ?
10 Cadien (D) ?McCaul (R) A-
11 Conaway (R) A12 Bradshaw (D) ?Granger (R) A-
13 Thornberry (R) A-14 Cole (D) ?Weber (R) A
15 Gonzalez (D) DWestley (R) ?
16 O'Rourke (D) F17 Flores (R) A-Matta (D) F
18 Bartley (R) AJackson Lee (D) F-
19 Arrington (R) A20 Castro (D) F21 Smith (R) AWakely (D) F
22 Gibson (D) ?Olson (R) A-
23 Gallego (D) ?Hurd (R) A
24 Marchant (R) AMcDowell (D) F
25 Thomas (D) FWilliams (R) A
26 Burgess (R) AMauck (D) ?
27 Barrera (D) ?Farenthold (R) A
28 Cuellar (D) FHardin (R) A
29 Garza (R) ?Green (D) F
30 Johnson (D) FLingerfelt (R) ?
31 Carter (R) AClark (D) F
32 Pellett (D) ?Sessions (R) B
33 Mitchell (R) AVeasey (D) F
34 Gonzalez (R) ?Vela (D) C-
35 Doggett (D) FNarvaiz (R) A
36 Babin (R) A
UTAH01 Bishop (R) AClemens (D) F
02 Albarran (D) FStewart (R) A
03 Chaffetz (R) A-Tryon (D) ?
04 Love (R) A-Owens (D) ?
VERMONT01 Welch (D) F
VIRGINIA01 Rowe (D) FWittman (R) B
02 Brown (D) FTaylor (R) A
03 Scott (D) F-Williams (R) ?
04 McEachin (D) FWade (R) A
05 Dittmar (D) DGarrett (R) A
06 Degner (D) FGoodlatte (R) B
07 Bedell (D) FBrat (R) A
08 Beyer (D) FHernick (R) D
09 Griffith (R) A-Kitts (D) C
10 Bennett (D) FComstock (R) A-
11 Connolly (D) F
WASHINGTON01 DelBene (D) FSutherland (R) A
02 Hennemann (R) ALarsen (D) F
03 Herrera Beutler (R) CMoeller (D) F
04 Didier (R) ANewhouse (R) A
05 McMorris Rodgers (R) B-Pakootas (D) D
06 Bloom (R) ?Kilmer (D) F-
07 Jayapal (D) FWalkinshaw (D) F
08 Reichert (R) C-Ventrella (D) F
09 Basler (R) ?Smith (D) F
10 Heck (D) FPostma (R) A
WEST VIRGINIA01 Manypenny (D) ?McKinley (R) B-
02 Hunt (D) ?Mooney (R) A
03 Detch (D) ?Jenkins (R) A
WISCONSIN01 Ryan (R) BSolen (D) F
02 Pocan (D) FTheron (R) ?
03 Kind (D) F04 Moore (D) F05 Penebaker (D) FSensenbrenner (R) B
06 Grothman (R) ALloyd (D) F
07 Duffy (R) BHoeft (D) F
08 Gallagher (R) ANelson (D) F
WYOMING01 Cheney (R) AGreene (D) ?
RatingsContinued from page 3
GOA Director of Operations John Velleco (left) with A+ rated Rep. Scott DesJar-lais of Tennessee.
The Gun Owners is published by Gun Owners of America, Inc. 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151 (703) 321-8585
October 25, 2016 • The Gun Owners /Page 7
10042
ments opposing a proposed regulation by Obama’s SocialSecurity Administration. The regulation would add tens of thousands of names to the
NICS system and prevent many seniors and disabled individu-als from buying guns.Existing federal statue prohibits firearms possession by any-
one “who has been adjudicated as a mental defective.” Under SSA’s proposed rule, there would be no real determi-
nation that the person being disarmed is actually a “mentaldefective” — as the current statue requires. Instead, the Obama administration would disarm thousands
of seniors and jeopardize the inheritances they plan to pass onto their children and grandchildren, even though they are notdangerous, untrustworthy or likely to misuse a firearm.Our comments point out that the Social Security Adminis-
tration’s proposed regulation is at odds with not only the Con-stitution, but also the views of several federal courts whichhave considered similar questions. GOF’s comments also note that this is yet another of
Obama’s long train of illegal and unconstitutional acts that aredesigned to disarm as many Americans as possible, by whatev-
er means available — using regulations which purport to“interpret” a statue, but in reality rewrite it entirely.
GOF Defending Concealed Carry in CourtRight now, Gun Owners Foundation is backing a case which
challenges the District of Columbia’s assault on concealedcarry — a case that has national implications.The case is Grace v. DC, and our brief rebukes the District
for refusing to abide by the principles set forth in the 2008Heller case.The District is trying to limit concealed carriers to only
those who can show a “good reason,” which effectively meansthat almost no one would ever get a permit.But our brief challenges the idea that there are exceptions to
constitutionally-protected rights, and that courts can use so-called “balancing tests” to deny those rights.
Grace was victorious in the District Court, which deter-mined that D.C.’s law is “likely” violating the Second Amend-ment. The case will now be heard by the U.S. Court ofAppeals for the D.C. Circuit.Again, we are very grateful for the support gun owners have
given to Gun Owners Foundation through the CFC. With your help, GOF is truly making an impact upon the
courts in defense of gun owners’ rights. ■
GOF Defending Your Gun Rights in CourtContinued from page 8
The Gun Owners is published by Gun Owners of America, Inc. 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151 (703) 321-8585
October 25, 2016 • The Gun Owners /Page 8
Gun OwnersTHE
Gun Owners Foundation DefendingYour Gun Rights in Court
Sen. H.L. Richardson (Ret.)Founder
Tim MacyChairman
The Gun Owners publication is copyrighted. But copies may be made freely with attribution,giving GOA’s address, phone number and website location.
GUN OWNERS OF AMERICA8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102Springfield, Virginia 22151703-321-8585Web Site: http://www.gunowners.org
Larry PrattExecutive Director Emeritus
John VellecoDirector of Operations
Erich PrattExecutive Director
By Larry Pratt
GOF is the foundation arm of Gun Owners of America— and it exists to provide expert legal support for law-abid-ing individuals involved in firearms-related cases. Gun Owners Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organi-
zation — 501(c)(3) — so contributions to GOF are fullytax-deductible.Many gun owners,
who have come undernot-so-subtle pressureover the years to givethrough the Com-bined Federal Cam-paign, have designat-ed Gun OwnersFoundation as arecipient. (See the CFC ad on page 7.)Thanks to the support of these donors, the Foundation has
assisted numerous individuals against federal firearmscharges, as well as state and local prosecutions for the use ofa firearm in self-defense.Last year, Gun Owners Foundation won three important
cases that were heard by the Supreme Court — judgmentsthat will help erect barriers against gun confiscation andprotect gun owners from unreasonable searches andseizures.You can read more about the Henderson, Johnson and
Rodriguez cases on the GOF website — just go to the Navi-gation Tab at www.gunowners.com.
Justice Thomas Uses GOF Brief to “Stump” Obama LawyersThis year, we made quite a splash when Supreme Court
Justice Clarence Thomas broke a decade-long tradition ofsilence by peppering questions at an anti-gun lawyer appear-ing before the Court. Why?Because, according to Mother Jones, his questions were
based on the brief filed in that case by Gun Owners Founda-tion — and the anti-gun lawyer in the case, representing theObama Administration, was reportedly “stumped.” The ideas and arguments that GOF has articulated have
always found a receptive audience with Justice Thomas.After all, he was the one who adopted some of GOF’s
arguments in the famous McDonald case from 2010. This decision — which followed the landmark case in
Heller two years earlier — recognized that the SecondAmendment right to keep and bear arms must be protectedby every state and locality in the union.
Gun OwnersFoundation filedbriefs in both theHeller and McDon-ald cases but it wasthe latter victorywhich led the anti-gun Justice StephenBreyer to lament:“Incorporating the
right [to keep and bear arms] recognized in Heller maychange the law in many of the 50 states.” Well, Justice Breyer was right, as we have seen gun con-
trol laws repealed all over the country — and concealedcarry extended to every state.
GOF Opposing Obama’s War Against Senior Gun OwnersIn an effort to hold the Obama Administration account-
able for its war against gun owners, GOF has filed com-
Continued on page 7
According to Mother Jones, Justice ClarenceThomas’ questions were based on the brief filed in that case by Gun Owners Foundation –– and the anti-gun lawyer in the case, representing theObama Administration, was reportedly “stumped.”
“Without the help ofGun Owners Founda-tion, all of the seizedfirearms would havebeen destroyed. I have
worked with a number of other organizationsthat assist with good causes, but never onelike GOF that was willing to ‘roll up itssleeves’ and dive unreservedly into a fight toprotect a good family man from ruin.”
— Andrew R. Haut, Bakersfield, California