the bistro off broadway


Zanesville Times Recorder
Republicans more likely than Democrats to own firearms
Feb 5, 2013
Written by Paul Singer and Gregory Korte 

Members of Congress were asked whether they owned firearms. Here is how they responded, including support from pro-gun groups. 

WASHINGTON — Ohio’s congressional Republicans are much better armed than their Democratic counterparts — a fact that helps explain the deep partisan divide as Congress gears up for its first major votes on gun control in a decade. 

Among Ohio lawmakers, eight Republicans said they owned guns, while only two Democrats did, according to a USA Today-Gannett Washington Bureau survey. Four lawmakers said they did not own a gun, including one Republican. Four others declined to answer. 

Overall, 119 Republicans and 46 Democrats declared themselves as gun owners, according to the survey of all House and Senate members. 

There is no public record of gun ownership by members of Congress, and it is not part of the information lawmakers are required to reveal in their annual financial disclosure forms. So USA Today and the Gannett Washington Bureau contacted every congressional office to ask: Does the lawmaker own a gun? 

The results show a highly partisan and regional divide. Only 10 percent of Republicans who responded said they do not own a gun, while 66 percent of Democrats said they are not gun owners. 

“I’m a farmer,” Rep. Bob Gibbs, R-Lakeville, said when explaining why he owns “a couple” 12-gauge shotguns. “You’ve got groundhogs to take care of and other varmints.” 

Rep. Steve Stivers, a colonel in the Ohio Army National Guard, said he uses his 9 mm pistol for target practice on a regular basis. 

“I use it to train, to be ready, if the military ever calls me up,” said Stivers, R-Columbus. “It’s important for me to keep up my readiness in case I ever need to use it, God forbid.” 

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said he’s a long-time hunter whose family has owned guns for generations. 

Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, was one of only two Democrats in the Buckeye State to say she is a gun owner. “I will decline to go into specifics about how many weapons and what kind, except to say the Kaptur family has a long history of lawful gun ownership,” said her spokesman, Steve Fought. 

Michael Hammond, legislative counsel of Gun Owners of America, said he’s not surprised about the GOP tilt of congressional gun ownership. In Republican districts, he said, a gun “is a campaign accoutrement.” 

The gun gap 

Some members were more than willing to give an inventory their gun lockers. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., owns three shotguns, three rifles and two pistols, press secretary Sara Lasure said. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, owns a dozen, but her favorite is a 20-gauge Ruger, communications director Matthew Felling said. 

Read the rest of the article at the Zanesville Times Recorder



 
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