After the passage of the despicable health control bill a few weeks ago, I made it one of my missions to do my part to send a strong and clear message to every single member of the House of Representatives who voted Yea that we will not tolerate tyrants who wish to rule over us as opposed to servants who do nothing more than their constitutionally limited powers. In times of peace, a Congress that does nothing would be a step up from what we’ve got today. Treat us with benign neglect and we will do what everyone throughout history has done in those cases: prosper.

So my target is Bob Etheridge of the North Carolina 2nd congressional district. Recent ratings from GOA, NRA, and GRNC put him pretty consistently in the F category, with occasional appearances in the D category, according to votesmart.com. The candidates I know of who are running in the GOP primary for a chance to unseat Etheridge are Renee Ellmers, Frank Deatrich, Todd Gailas.

I’m told that Dan Mansell is running again, but haven’t seen any confirmation of that, and he hasn’t updated his campaign website as of this writing.

A fifth candidate I believe is running is Jay Johnson of Harnett County, but I have yet to find a campaign website or email address for him. There is a Meetup.com posting from April of last year by him, so I signed up with Meetup and posted the questionnaire there.

So far, I’ve sent David Codrea’s questionnaire to Jay Johnson (through Meetup.com), Frank Deatrich, and Renee Ellmers. I will soon be sending it to Todd Gailas, whom I just found out about and who has a detailed description of his support for gun rights that almost suffices on his campaign website. Dan Mansell will also get a copy. Out of fairness, I will also send a copy to Bob Etheridge, but he’s already made his position against individual liberty pretty clear with his abysmal voting record. But my current focus is the primary and to the best of my knowledge, Etheridge has no primary challenger.

The good news is that I did finally get one response to the questionnaire which is posted here. I will post others as they respond. I would like to thank Frank for responding as that may help turn up the heat on the other candidates to go on the record as true supporters of gun rights. Questionnaires aren’t a guarantee, of course, of good behavior while in office, but they serve their purpose, particularly when they are as specific as this one.

Here are Frank Deatrich’s responses, modified only for formatting. His answers in italics:

1. Do you believe that the Constitution is the “supreme law of the land” and that the Bill of Rights acknowledges our birth rights? Yes
2. If so, should these rights be proactively protected from infringement by all levels of government, including city, county and state? Yes
3. Please give some examples of gun laws you consider constitutional. The 2nd amendment covers our right to keep and bear arms and is the standard for our nation.
4. Please give some examples of gun laws you consider unconstitutional. The Gun Control Act of 1968, which turned the right to own a gun in the US into a priviledge rather than a right. The many Gun Control that have followed this 1968 Gun Control Act were a direct result of the 1968 act.
5. Does the right to bear arms include the right for any peaceable citizen to carry them concealed without a permit, as in Vermont? Yes, it does not state in the constitution that you have to have a permit.
6. Do you believe that Americans have a right to own, use and carry weapons of military pattern, and will you use the prestige of elected office to publicly promote that right? Yes
7. Do you support or oppose registration of weapons? I oppose registration of weapons. Why? Because the constitution codifies us that right.
8. Do you support or oppose licensing requirements to own or carry firearms? I oppose. Why? The constitution does not state that it is required that you have a license to own or carry firearms.
9. What specific gun laws will you work to get repealed? The Gun Control Law of 1968.
10. If elected, will you back your words of support for firearms rights up with consistent actions? Yes How? By the introduction of a bill to repeal the above law and support NRA and publish my support on my website as well as speaking out publically.

If you’re not visiting David Codrea’s War On Guns blog and national Gun Rights Examiner column on a daily basis, you’re missing out on a lot of important information that can equip you to contribute to the battle to roll back the decades-, or even century-long infringements on our freedoms and retain what few remain.

Update: Per Frank’s request, I have changed the wording of his answer to question 7 above.