Last week Emily Cain, Democratic Candidate for the Second Congressional District of Maine, posted a photo in which she poses with a man whilst holding a gun and wearing a blaze orange vest many Mainers associate with fall hunting.
The post was captioned, “Our sporting traditions should be left to us. That’s why Emily worked across the aisle to protect our rights, and supported our constitutional right to hunt. Thanks to Ronnie for the great wingshooting lessons!”.
The backlash began almost immediately.
With many sportsmen pointing out that the Constitution does not seem to give us a ‘right to hunt,’ but rather a right to bear arms. Ms. Cain attempted to defend herself by explaining to multiple commenters, “this was referring to the Maine Constitution.”
It appears that after responding to several comments, she felt the need to clear up the confusion by editing her post to say, “Our sporting traditions should be left to us. That’s why Emily worked across the aisle to protect our rights, and supported a Maine Constitutional right to hunt. Thanks to Ronnie Green for the great wingshooting lessons!”
Unfortunately for Ms. Cain, Maine Sportsmen are not so easily dismissed or deceived. With its rich history in forestry, hunting and fishing, Mainers are raised knowing their rights as gun owners and sportsmen. They were quick to point out it doesn’t matter if it is the Constitution of the United States or the Maine Constitution, there is no ‘right to hunt’.
The backlash was swift, with comments pouring into the post, one man saying, “Emily, I might suggest rereading the Maine Constitution, especially Article 1 Section 16. I have copied and pasted in case you are not familiar with where to find it.
Section 16 which states that ‘Every citizen has a right to keep and bear arms and this right shall never be questioned.’
Help me find the article and section that deals with hunting, please.”
Another commenter asks, “As many others have already said Ms. Cain, the U.S. and Maine constitutions have nothing to do with hunting. In fact, hunting and firearms aren’t mutually exclusive. There are many other ways to hunt other than with a firearm. Your comments of ‘constitutional right to hunt’ don’t necessarily support firearms ownership. Please clarify your stance on Question 3. We are firearms owners NOT hunters.”
It would seem that with an attempt to appeal and even pander to the Sportsmen of Maine, Ms. Cain opened a can of worms.
You see, when your only career has been to be a politician and you’ve been around for a while, people do remember your votes.
With a history of pro-gun control votes, it is no surprise that Ms. Cain would dance around her views on gun ownership and instead try to focus on ‘our Constitutional right-to-hunt’.
It was with the protest in the comment section that brought about another question for Ms. Cain, the issue of where she stands on Question 3, the “universal” background check initiative.
If you are unfamiliar with Question 3 you can learn the specifics here.
In short, Question 3 is a Bloomberg funded push to impose a number of strict regulations and possible penalties on Maine gun owners and sportsmen alike. It is the epitome of a campaign funded by outside special interests and even what Ms. Cain would call, ‘Wall Street money.’
It was yesterday that Ms. Cain’s team told Paul Merrill of Channel 8 that she was in fact in favor of Question 3. It would seem her words have spoken louder than her actions, after all.
You see, as another commenter pointed out, “…you support Question 3. As such, I certainly hope that you went to an FFL dealer and went through a background check before you posed [the shotgun], and went back and had another one to transfer it back to Ronnie, because that’s what you support; a bill that would make sportsmen common criminals.
This photo alone would constitute a $2,000 fine and a year in prison under this proposed referendum. Do you really think that’s right?”
In a press release from the Maine Gun Owners Association, Ms. Cain’s anti-gun policy is laid out bare,
“Emily Cain’s record on gun rights is clear…Her Facebook posting is a transparent attempt to deceive those who are unfamiliar with her record and her statements into falsely believing she is an advocate of gun rights. Yet her own bumbling statements and ridiculous fauxhunting costume for a hot August day’s shooting practice make clear it that she is no such thing.
If Emily Cain truly believes that Maine’s Traditions should be left to Mainers to decide, we call upon her to denounce Question 3, which would criminalize those very traditions.”
It is important for Ms. Cain to understand that the Second Amendment exists for reasons other than photoshoots and hunting.
Hopefully Ms. Cain will take a break from the campaign trail to familiarize herself with the U.S. and Maine constitutions, as well as the ballot questions she is taking positions on that will be before Maine voters this fall.
The last thing we need is another uninformed politician blindly toeing the party line.
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