American Hunters and Shooters Association

American Hunters and Shooters Association
Type Social Welfare Organization
Legal status 501(c)(4)
Purpose Promoting "Safe and Responsible Gun Ownership"[1]
Region served
 USA
President
 Ray Schoenke
Website www.huntersandshooters.org
(defunct)

The American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA) was a United States-based non-profit 501(c)(4) organization which operated from 2005 to 2010. The group described itself as a national grassroots organization for responsible gun ownership and advocated for increased gun control. The organization's president, Ray Schoenke, said the AHSA was intended to bridge the gap between urban liberals and rural gun owners, but closed down due to a lack of support from the Obama administration.[2]

Critics, including the National Rifle Association, questioned whether the membership was representative of gun owners and suggested it was a front organization for gun control advocates.[3]

Description

The AHSA described itself as "... a national grassroots organization committed to safe and responsible gun ownership" and "... a mainstream group of hunters who are looking to belong to a gun owners association that doesn't have a radical agenda",[1] and as a moderate, common-sense advocacy organization. It favored most restrictions on firearms, but believed that little progress will be made until gun owners are allowed to bring their common-sense perspective to the table.[4]

In March 2008, Brady Campaign President Paul Helmke stated that he saw his organization's issues "as complementary to" those of the AHSA.[5]

Despite the similarity in name, AHSA had no ties to the field marksmanship promoting organization, the Hunter's Shooting Association (HSA).

History

In June 2006, Executive Director Bob Ricker formally introduced AHSA at a press conference at the annual conference of the Outdoor Writers Association of America.[6] Ricker said at this conference that the NRA and other 2nd Amendment rights organizations did not address the specific concerns of hunters - protecting hunting lands and wildlife habitats - which led to the creation of AHSA.[7] In 2007, President Ray Schoenke addressed the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition.[8] As of October 19, 2010 The AHSA website has been taken down. President Schoenke stated that the group was closed because of lack of membership.[2]

Stated goals

The AHSA web site indicated four general programs:[9]

Leadership

The leaders of the AHSA were:

Endorsements

The AHSA endorsed U.S. Senator Barack Obama for President in the 2008 General Election:[18] AHSA endorsed Obama based mainly on Obama's vote for the Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act.[19] In 2008, the Obama campaign paid for Shoenke to travel to 40 events in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and Colorado to address pro-gun voters.[20]

The AHSA endorsed the following congressional candidates:

ASHA officials testified in favor of gun control legislation, such as Washington State Bill SB-5197, which aims to restrict private transactions at gun shows and create a database of gun owners.[26]

ASHA supported the call by the coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns to repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts gun trace data.[27] Repeal of the amendment is supported by more than 20 national and state police organizations [28] but opposed by the BATFE and Fraternal Order of Police, on the grounds that repeal would jeopardize lives and law enforcement operations.[29][30]

Position in D.C. v Heller (2008)

AHSA joined in the amicus curiae brief of Maj. Gen. John D. Altenburg, Jr., et al., in the Supreme Court case of D.C. v Heller, arguing that the individual right of the people to keep and bear arms enhances the collective goal of supporting national defense, and that the dichotomy between individual right argued by Heller and collective militia right argued by D.C. is false: the Second Amendment protects both.[31]

Criticism from the NRA

The National Rifle Association (NRA) criticized the AHSA for its members' associations with other gun-control organizations and gun-control legislation. NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris Cox characterized the AHSA as "the latest front group for the anti-gun movement."[32] In August 2005, the NRA said about the AHSA "they want to allow the FBI to keep records on law-abiding citizens who buy guns and put an end to gun shows as we know them. Not to mention the fact that they want to regulate .50 caliber rifles in the same way that machine guns are regulated."[33]

References

  1. 1 2 "AHSA Programs". American Hunters & Shooters Association (self-published). Archived from the original on 25 October 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Glenn Kessler, "The White House’s curious silence about Obama’s claim of skeet shooting", Washington Post, Fact Checker, 31 Jan 2013.
  3. ↑ "Meet the American Hunters and Shooters Association". Field and Stream. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  4. ↑ Ray Schoenke (2008-09-19). "American Hunters and Shooters Association Responds to its Critics". NewWest Travel and Outdoors - Guest Commentary. Archived from the original on 22 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-07. Ray’s wife Nancy is also connected politically. Like many wives of gun owners she is an independent thinker and does not like guns. She took a seat on the board of the Brady Campaign but soon became frustrated with the group’s lack of progress. Ray told her that progress would not be made until gun owners were allowed to bring their common sense perspective to the table. As a result, Nancy closed the family checkbook, resigned from the Brady board, and encouraged Ray to start AHSA.
  5. ↑ Birnbaum, Jeffrey H. (2008-03-18). "New Pro-Gun Group Hopes to Draw From the NRA". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
  6. ↑ Bill Schneider (2006-06-21). "Saving Hunters From the NRA". NewWest Travel and Outdoors. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  7. ↑ Bill Schneider. "NRA Does Not Represent Both Hunters and Gun Owners". Tony Dean Outdoors - Issues. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  8. ↑ Ray Schoenke. "Speech by Ray Schoenke, President of the American Hunters and Shooters Association, at the Mayors' Against Illegal Guns 2007 National Summit (transcript and video links)". Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  9. ↑ "AHSA Programs". American Hunters & Shooters Association (self-published). Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  10. ↑ Amy Argetsinger (1998-01-20). "Against Long Odds, Ex-Redskin Is Ready to Challenge Glendening". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  11. ↑ "Open Secrets - Donor Lookup: Find Individual and Soft Money Contributors". Center for Responsive Politics - OpenSecrets.org. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  12. ↑ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1995-04-28/news/1995118006_1_glendening-gun-control-gun-violence
  13. ↑ Brian J. Siebel; et al. (March 2004). "The Impact of the 1994 Federal Assault Weapon Act" (PDF). Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence (self-published). Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  14. ↑ Elizabeth S. Haile; et al. (September 2006). "Lethal Lou's - Profile of a Rogue Gun Dealer: Lou's Loan" (PDF). Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence (self-published). Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  15. ↑ "GovTrack: House Record: Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (109-h20051020-23)". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  16. ↑ "AHSA Press Release - John Rosenthal no longer with the American Hunters & Shooters Association (AHSA)". American Hunters & Shooters Association (self-published). 2008-02-21. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  17. ↑ "Stop Handgun Violence: Press Releases". Stop Handgun Violence. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  18. ↑ Ray Schoenke (2008-04-16). "Hunters and Shooters Support Obama: He "Gets It"". American Hunters & Shooters Association (self-published). Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  19. ↑ "American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA) Endorse Obama for President". PRNewswire-USNewswire. 2008-04-16. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  20. ↑ Horwitz, Sari; Grimaldi, James V. (2010-12-15). "NRA-led gun lobby wields powerful influence over ATF, U.S. politics". The Washington Post.
  21. ↑ "American Hunters and Shooters Association Endorses Jim Esch for Congress". American Hunters & Shooters Association (self-published). 2008-10-16. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  22. ↑ "American Hunters and Shooters Association Endorses Eric Massa for Congress". American Hunters & Shooters Association (self-published). 2008-10-21. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  23. ↑ "American Hunters and Shooters Association Endorses Walt Minnick for Congress". American Hunters & Shooters Association (self-published). 2008-10-16. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  24. ↑ "American Hunters and Shooters Association Endorses Harry Teague for Congress". American Hunters & Shooters Association (self-published). 2008-10-02. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  25. ↑ "Knowing who & who NOT to vote for – courtesy of the AHSA front group…". N.U.G.U.N. – New User of Guns. November 3, 2008. Retrieved 2010-03-21.
  26. ↑ "Senate Bill Report of SB-5197" (PDF). Washington State Senate Committee On Labor, Commerce, Research & Development. 2007-02-27. Retrieved 2008-11-08. This bill represents the first step to restricting private arms sales in this state. This bill stands for a registration database of Washington gun owners...If this bill became effective, private firearm transactions brokered at gun shows could not be completed until several days after the event ends.
  27. ↑ "14 Mayors from Ohio and Kentucky Join Bi-partisan Coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns". Mayors Against Illegal Guns. April 12, 2007. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  28. ↑ "What Police Say". Protectpolice.org. January 1, 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  29. ↑ Chuck Canterbury, National President of the FOP (2007-04-19). "Letter to Appropriations Subcommittee in support of Tiahrt Amendment". Fraternal Order of Police. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  30. ↑ Michael A. Battle, Former Director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (2007-02-06). "Letter to John Feinblatt" (PDF). US Department of Justice - Executive Office for the United States Attorneys. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
  31. ↑ District of Columbia v. Heller amicus curiae of Maj. Gen. John D. Altenburg Jr., et al.
  32. ↑ Chris W. Cox (2006-08-14). "Anti-Gunners Don Camo As Elections Loom". National Rifle Association - Institute for Legislative Action (self-published). Retrieved 2008-11-08. Seeking to pick up the baton dropped by the ham-fisted Americans for Gun Safety, the American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA) has arrived on the scene to become the latest front group for the anti-gun movement in America.
  33. ↑ "Sometimes the Enemy Wears Camouflage". National Rifle Association, Institute for Legislative Action (self-published). Retrieved 2008-11-08.

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