A Democratic congressman from Georgia unveiled a new commercial Monday trumpeting his endorsement by the National Rifle Association and saying no one is taking his guns.
Rep. John Barrow uses the 30-second spot to show a small Smith & Wesson handgun that he said his grandfather used to help stop a lynching and a rifle that he said his father used for the family's safety. Barrow then talks about his support for Second Amendment rights and says he owns both guns.
"These are my guns now and ain't nobody going to take them away," Barrow says in the ad.
Barrow, one of the few white Democratic congressman in the South, is facing a challenge in November from state Rep. Lee Anderson (R-Grovetown). Anderson is also playing up his support for the Second Amendment on his website and his "A" rating from the NRA for his work in the state legislature.
"Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars," Anderson writes on his website. "Our founders gave us the right to own a gun, and I'm sick of people trying to take them away."
The Augusta Chronicle reported on Tuesday that Barrow has $1.19 million in his campaign account going into the final weeks of the election compared to $174,297 for Anderson.
Anderson's spokesman Ryan Mahoney, accused Barrow of using his position in Congress to obtain the NRA endorsement and said the Republican candidate has a better record on gun issues. Anderson was backed last week by the Gun Owners of American Political Victory Fund, which characterized several of Barrow's votes as anti-gun, including two votes against guns in national parks.
"It's a shame that entrenched, liberal Democrats like John Barrow are able to leverage their incumbency to secure an endorsement from the NRA," Mahoney said in an email. "Lee Anderson is a real advocate for our 2nd amendment rights and is honored to have the endorsement of the Gun Owners of America - an organization that doesn't endorse two-faced, flip-floppers like John Barrow for the sake of political expediency."
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