Reaction to Gillebrand Proves Democrats Still Party of Gun Control, Says CCRKBA

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The hysteria-laden reaction from members of her own party to last week's appointment of New York Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to fill the United States Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton proves that Democrats are still the party of gun control, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

"Kirsten Gillibrand gets high marks from the ACLU and from the Americans for Democratic Action," noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. "She supports abortion rights, stem cell research and health care protection for children -- all hot button issues for Democrats -- but because she supports gun rights, members of her own party have chosen to excoriate her and Gov. David Patterson. Well, so much for being the party of tolerance and inclusion.

"Where does it say that gun owners in New York State should be deprived of a voice in the Senate Democratic Caucus?" Gottlieb wondered. "Gillibrand recently said she believes there can be much common ground between those who protect gun rights and those who believe in gun control. Isn't that the same thing that the extremists at the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence have been claiming? Isn't that the same philosophy that gun control zealots on Capitol Hill have expressed in the past?

"The difference," he continued, "is that Gillibrand has a 100-percent rating from the NRA, while too many of her fellow Democrats have made careers out of giving only lip service to the Second Amendment.

"What this controversy really proves," Gottlieb stated, "is that too many Democrats remain devoted to crushing gun rights, and they will even stoop to attacking and demonizing a rising star of their own party to further their agenda. This is not the party of 'change' that so many Americans supported in November. It is apparently a party of narrow views with no tolerance for different opinions, especially if those opinions support the rights of millions of law-abiding American firearms owners."

With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (www.ccrkba.org) is one of the nation's premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.

Statement of Paul Helmke on Selection of Kirsten Gillibrand for U.S. Senate Seat From New York

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, issued the following statement about New York Governor David Paterson's selection of Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to fill the U.S. Senate seat of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:

"We have been disappointed by Representative Kirsten Gillibrand's record on preventing gun violence during her one term in Congress. For example, she supported legislation that would have weakened efforts to fight illegal gun trafficking. We are hopeful, however, that as a United States Senator representing the entire state of New York she will follow the example of Senator Charles Schumer and former Senator Clinton and work with us to make it harder for dangerous people to get dangerous weapons in this country."

As the nation's largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence, the Brady Campaign, with its dedicated network of Million Mom March Chapters, works to enact and enforce sensible gun laws, regulations and public policies. The Brady Campaign is devoted to creating an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at home, at school, at work, and in our communities.