Republican Columnist Backs Kerry as Best for Hunters

Eric Sharp, a Republican columnist whose work appears in The Detroit Free Press and other Michigan newspapers, has expressed his support for John Kerry in two recent columns.

Last week Sharp defended Kerry in a column entitled NRA off the mark with pro-Bush ads:

The National Rifle Association is running TV ads promoting the re-election of President George W. Bush. In one ad, an NRA spokesman tells viewers that Democratic candidate John Kerry is "not a hunter, he just plays one on TV."

I have a hard time swallowing that message for a couple of reasons.

First, Kerry is a hunter, and a lifelong one at that. During the debate over Michigan's dove bill last winter, proponents of the measure were able to point out to Gov. Jennifer Granholm that Kerry was an enthusiastic dove hunter who even offers recipes for these tasty little birds.

Second, the NRA contributes to several dozen congressional candidates who also receive the enthusiastic support of vehement anti-hunting organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Humane Society of the United States.

The plain fact is that the NRA isn't about hunting -- it's about gun ownership. Hunting matters to the NRA only because hunters need guns. And my telephone messages and e-mails tell me that a lot of hunters agree with me, but they won't criticize the NRA openly because they fear being labeled "soft" on gun issues.

When it comes to the interests of hunters, I'm convinced that the NRA is doing us a disservice.

I have a couple of dozen guns, and I'm not worried about anyone taking them away.

In Michigan, anyone who is not a felon or demonstrably insane can carry a concealed handgun. The Brady Bill's restrictions did not affect hunters anyway and have not prevented law-abiding citizens from owning guns. The ban on so-called assault rifles, which did nothing to prevent gun crime, has also ended.

I worry about the continuing threats and damage to the habitat where we hunt and fish. As I heard someone say on a radio program the other day, it doesn't make much sense for hunters to own a closet full of guns if there's no game to hunt or places to hunt it.

Kerry is a better choice than Bush for a reason that has little to do with guns -- Kerry will show concern for environmental issues that Bush has ignored or made worse.

Sharp followed up this week with a column entitled This Republican votes for environment. He started with discussing the recent endorsement for John Kerry from former Republican Governor William Milliken:

So it was with interest that I read Milliken's recent op-ed piece in the Free Press in which he said he would vote for Democratic Sen. John Kerry in the presidential election, in part because of the Bush administration's abominable record concerning the environment.

Predictably, a number of the people who objected to the column I wrote last week did so on the narrow and ludicrous argument that electing Kerry would result in a ban on private ownership of guns.

One caller was almost screaming when he said that the only reason we're still allowed to own guns is because we elected George W. Bush. When I asked why, if that were the case, the president said he had supported an extension on the assault weapons ban, the caller swore at me and hung up.

This election isn't about issues as narrow as guns. We still have the same gun rights today that we had 20 years ago, and I'll happily bet anyone $1,000 that we'd still have them at the end of a Kerry administration.

But the same can't be said about our environmental rights and especially about the ability of our grandchildren to hunt and fish if George W. Bush is re-elected. The decisions that Bush has made and wants to make about clean air and water, wetlands and commercial exploitation of federal lands can affect not just us but our descendants for many decades, or even centuries.

Sharp concluded with:

I called Milliken in Traverse City to talk about his op-ed column, and one thing I asked was what advice he would give voters who are also outdoors types.

The response from Milliken, who describes himself as a committed Republican, was instantaneous: "I can't understand how any thinking, responsible person can ignore the environmental damage done by this administration."

As a hunter and angler, and someone who depends on those activities for his living, neither can I.