Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, stands in front of pheasants that were shot during a hunt hosted by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013, in Akron, Iowa. Cruz attended the Iowa GOP’s annual fundraising dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Gun Owners of America endorsed Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz for his “willingness to fight for our Second Amendment rights,” the gun lobby group announced on Tuesday.
The Texas senator was also the only GOP candidate that returned the GOA’s presidential survey on the Second Amendment, the group said.
Though he isn’t the most gun-owningest, Cruz is reportedly packing two guns at home.
Cruz has said he’s a staunch supporter of gun rights and as president has promised to veto unreasonable gun control legislation. The junior senator’s track record on guns, while limited, includes a no-vote on banning high-capacity magazines and opposition to the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, which others have argued could restrict certain imports and thus individual U.S. citizens’ rights to keep and bear arms.
Though our government has said it would not ratify the treaty, one provision could give governments the power to collect importer information similar to a national gun registry, which has been a longtime fear among gun owners.
With that, Cruz also opposed President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, claiming it was anti-gun and would be used to feed gun owners’ medical records into the NICS system, or national background check database. To that end, the senator led Congress on a 21-hour filibuster, which ultimately saw ObamaCare pass the U.S. House by a 79-19 vote, to include 25 Republicans in favor. After some provisions were stripped from the bill, it was later passed 54-44 in a party line vote.
Cruz also voted against a 2013 measure seeking to expand background checks, telling Guns.com in April the Constitution trumps public opinion and what “might be popular at the moment.”
“It’s obvious that Senator Cruz follows the Constitution, not a political party,” Tim Macy, chairman of the GOA political action committee, said in a statement.
The gun lobby group took heat last year when it showed its support for gun rights and the Fourth Amendment by filing amicus in support of a known white supremacist and convicted felon charged under the Armed Career Criminal Act for illegal possession of a firearm.
Considered less radical than the GOA by some, the National Rifle Association has also given Cruz its stamp of approval. That group has been a longtime supporter of Cruz, backing him in 2012 during his bid for the Texas Senate.
Does Ted Cruz have your support in 2016? Let us know in the comments section who you want to see become the next president.
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