By Phil Watson | TGM Reporter
As TheGunMag previously reported, the Nebraska Watchdog appears to have uncovered a large difference in opinion on Second Amendment rights among the two leading candidates for US Senate in Nebraska.
Ben Sasse, a former DSHS bureaucrat, still has yet to clarify his “no comment” position regarding ‘gun free’ zones. In April the Nebraska Watchdog asked Sasse and his campaign some direct questions regarding his position. The inquiry was met with a swift response of “no comment” from the campaign.
Nebraska Senate candidate Ben Sasse offered up a “no comment” to the Nebraska Watchdog when asked to clarify his position on ‘gun free’ zones.
According to leading crime and economics scholar John Lott, all but one mass shooting in the modern era has occurred in a ‘gun free’ zone.
Sasse currently presides over a gun free zone in his position as President of Midland University.
The Sasse for Senate campaign has reportedly been endorsed by Gun Owners of America (GOA), a gun rights group based just off the I-495 Capital Beltway near Washington, DC. The track-record and criteria Sasse was required to meet in order to obtain the endorsement is not specified on either the GOA or Sasse for Senate websites.
Former Nebraska State Treasurer and Distinguished Flying Cross recipient, Shane Osborne, is also running for US Senate in Nebraska. Osborne holds a concealed carry permit and is also a lifetime NRA member.
The Osborne campaign apparently was not contacted by GOA before the endorsement of Sasse, but didn’t hold back when questioned by Nebraska Watchdog, or TheGunMag in affirmative support of Second Amendment rights and in complete opposition to ‘gun bans’ and ‘gun free’ zones.
Aside from advocating on gun issues, GOA has also released several email campaigns and blog posts citing the possible negative impact of amnesty legislation to gun owners.
According to Daily Caller policy analyst Joe Herring, candidate Sasse “appears to be a fraud” on the issue of immigration and amnesty—also citing in a piece for Examiner that Sasse appears to be a ‘created’ or ‘media’ candidate. Newsmax has now piled on as well, posing the direct question of Sasse’s support of complete amnesty.
As cited today by radio talk show host Laura Ingraham, Sasse also appears to have flunked a report card issued by Numbers USA, a group that advocates against amnesty and illegal immigration. At first blush it appears as if GOA didn’t do all of its homework on Sasse and his positions on gun rights, or amnesty.
Ads totaling over three million dollars in support of Sasse have flooded into Nebraska from beltway-based political groups.
The Hill recently cited a stinging letter from 52 Nebraskan grassroots gun rights, conservative, and libertarian group leaders sent out to 20,000 people.
Nebraska Senate candidate Shane Osborn saluting after being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Osborne is a lifetime NRA member and also holds a Concealed Weapons Permit.
The letter rebuked the bulk of outside support, claiming that, “Our philosophies and interests slightly differ in some ways, but on this we can all agree: Ben Sasse for US Senate is NOT the choice of conservative, libertarian, and tea party movement activists and group leaders in Nebraska. We were not consulted, polled, or contacted by these Washington DC groups such as FreedomWorks has claimed,” the letter continues.
The letter concludes, “the endorsement of Ben Sasse and the claim of widespread support by Tea Party activists to be presupposed and false and we do not support him. Ben Sasse is absolutely NOT the conservative solution Nebraska needs to decrease Washington DC’s power.”
Tea Party Nation, instead opted to endorse Osborn.
In its release, TPN cited that “Sasse has no track record as an elected official, adding that Sasse supported the expansion of Medicare Part D during his time in the Bush administration, “and some of his writing at least suggests he might be open to an individual mandate, like the one in ObamaCare.”
