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The American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA) is an organization presenting itself as an alternative to the National Rifle Association, the most prominent Second Amendment advocacy group in the United States. The AHSA bills itself as a more moderate, common-sense advocacy organization. Most AHSA founders are associated with the Brady Campaign, and it supports measures such as registration and restrictions on widely-owned semi-automatic firearms. It has thus gained the reputation as a gun control advocacy organization masquerading as a pro-gun group, and in its own statements indicates that it was founded to more effectively promote the gun-control efforts of the Brady Campaign. Its critics claim that AHSA is a front organization aimed at dividing gun owners by pointing to AHSA members' bias against private ownership of the most popular modern sporting firearms, and note AHSA leaders have donated money to gun control groups and maintained ties to individuals and organizations who advocate gun control. Despite the similarity in name, AHSA has 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. Mr. Ricker proclaimed 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. In 2007, President Ray Schoenke addressed the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition.

Goals

The AHSA web site indicates four general programs:

• "Protecting our sporting heritage"
• "Hunting and fishing conservation"
• "Gun safety"
• "Law enforcement training, outreach and development"

Leadership

The leaders of the AHSA are:

• Ray Schoenke, founding president A former football player for the Washington Redskins, Schoenke ran for Governor of Maryland as a Democrat and has given "millions" to Democratic politicians and causes according to a January 19, 1998 Washington Post article. Among the groups that Schoenke has donated to are two that actively lobby to ban firearms: Handgun Control, Inc. and America Coming Together. Schoenke was on the Governor's Commission on Gun Violence in 1996.
• Bob Ricker, executive director
• Jon Rosenthal, a real estate mogul and Founder of Stop Handgun Violence. Stop Handgun Violence is credited with lobbying and subsequently helping to pass the licensing and registration system in place in the state of Massachusetts.
• Joseph J. Vince, Jr., a member of the Board of Directors is the former chief of the BATF's crime guns analysis branch. Currently, he is a principal of Crime Gun Solutions. HCI has hired Crime Gun Solutions in order to support numerous gun control laws, to support HCI's lawsuits against firearm dealers and he was a signer on a letter submitted to Congress opposing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act
• Jody Powell, co-chairman of the AHSA Advisory Board
• A. Austin Dorr, co-chairman of the AHSA Advisory Board

Criticism

In August 2005, the National Rifle Association 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."

• "The most telling thing about AHSA is its leadership. Bob Ricker ... is a former NRA employee who switched sides and has actively worked for gun control groups for many years now. ... John Rosenthal ... is one of the founders of the Massachusetts based group Stop Handgun Violence, a group that has been a major force in passing some of the most Draconian state gun laws in the nation."

• "With leadership like that, there is no doubt about the true goals of AHSA. They are trying to fool hunters and gun owners with a soft sell ... while working behind the scenes to end the sport that we all love."

• President of AHSA, John E. Rosenthal, is one of the founders of the Massachusetts anti-gun group, Stop Handgun Violence, a group instrumental in having many anti-gun laws in Massachusetts passed.

• Spokesman for the group, Ray Schoenke, has donated over $10,000 to the Brady Campaign, a national anti-gun organization.

• ASHA officials have testified in favor of gun control legislation, such as Washington State bill SB-5197 which aims to restrict sales at gunshows.

• ASHA opposes the views of the BATFE and Fraternal Order of Police concerning the Tiarht Amendment. These law enforcement groups claim ASHA's perspective would jeopardize both lives and law enforcement operations.

Endorsement of Barack Obama

The AHSA has endorsed U.S. Senator Barack Obama for President in the 2008 General Election:

"Because the gun issue has recently become a factor in the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania, I want to share the remarks I made today... not only wanted an organization that would protect their gun rights but an organization that was also committed to the protection of their communities as well as the protection of our lands."

ASHA has endorsed Obama based mainly on Obama's vote for the Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act.

Endorsement by the Brady Campaign

Paul Helmke, the President of the Brady Campaign, says of the AHSA, "I see our issues as complementary to theirs".

References

1. "Fact Sheets: American Hunters And Shooters Association (AHSA)". Retrieved 2008.05.06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
2. "Ray Schoenke's American Hunters and Shooters Assoc. receives frigid reception in the Buckeye State". 2008-09-25. Retrieved 2008-09-26. 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... As a result, Nancy closed the family checkbook, resigned from the Brady board, and encouraged Ray to start AHSA.
3. Ray Schoenke's $5,000 donation to Handgun Control Incorporated, March 23, 2000 http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?key=YVYY6&txtName=schoenke,%20ray&txtState=(all%20states)&txtAll=Y&Order=N
4. Donors to HCI/Handgun Control Incorporated http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgave.asp?strID=C00113449&Cycle=2000
5. ^ Saving Hunters From the NRA | New West Network
6. https://ssl.tnr.com/p/docsub.mhtml?i=20060904&s=blanding090406
7. Tony Dean Outdoors Issues
8. http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/misc/2007_summit_schoenke300k.asx
9. "AHSA Programs". Retrieved 2008-07-28.
10. Hunters and Shooters - AHSA Leadership
11. Hunters and Shooters - Ray Schoenke, President of AHSA and AHSA Foundation
12. washingtonpost.com: Against Long Odds, Ex-Redskin Is Ready to Challenge Glendening
13. Indivs search
14. Political Action Committees
15. Hunters and Shooters - Bob Ricker, Executive Director, AHSA
16. http://www.bradycenter.org/xshare/pdf/reports/on_target.pdf
17. http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=26943
18. Death Valley
19. GovTrack: House Record: PROTECTION OF LAWFUL COMMERCE IN ARMS ACT (109-h20051020-23)
20. http://nraila.com/CurrentLegislation/Read.aspx?ITNDrop=1702-L
21. http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007-08/Pdf/Bill%20Reports/Senate/5197.SBR.pdf (Senate Bill Report of SB-5197)
22. News Item
23. http://www.nraila.org/media/PDFs/DOJ_Bloomberg_ltr.pdf
24. AHSA statement endorsing Barack Obama April 16,2008 http://www.huntersandshooters.com/index.php
25. Birnbaum, Jeffrey H. Tuesday, March 18, 2008; Page A17 The Washington Post

External links

• AHSA Official website
• Sometimes the Enemy Wears Camouflage, NRA statement on AHSA, August 14, 2005
• Chris W. Cox, "Anti Hunters Don Camo As Elections Loom", NRA-ILA Executive Director, August 14, 2006
• "The American Hunters and Shooters Association" Gun Law News

• Misplaced Pages neutral point of view disputes from October 2008
• Gun politics in the United States