NMSU Round Up - Gun Owners for Harry Meet in Cruces

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NMSU Round Up - Gun Owners for Harry Meet in Cruces

Gov. Bill Richardson signed his name to the list of "Gun owners for Harry" Tuesday afternoon at the Las Cruces Downtown Mall after voicing his support for Harry Teague, second congressional district democratic candidate.

Richardson said "false attacks" have recently been made against Teague that question his support of the Second Amendment.

"Nothing can be further from the truth," Richardson said. "They're trying to distort Harry's record, which is an excellent record."

Richardson said the Republican Party thinks they "own the Second Amendment."

"The rights of the Second Amendment are not Republican or Democratic issues," Richardson said. "They're American issues."

Democratic State Sen. Mary Kay Papen, voiced her support for Teague and his beliefs on the Second Amendment as well.

"It's not often that someone like me and a Republican can come and stand together, but we come together in our support for Harry Teague," Papen said. "I know he will stand proud for the Second Amendment and our ways of life."

Many members of "Gun Owners for Harry" also double as members of the National Rifle Association.

"The [Gun Owners for Harry] committee is made of bi-partisan people, democrats, republicans and independents," Teague said. "But they all know one thing. That I will fight for the same values and traditions for all New Mexicans in Washington, D.C."

Teague said he grew up in Hobbs and as part of life in Lea County, learned to hunt at an early age. He recalled the first time he went hunting with his father and called it "a memory that will stay with me for a long time."

"Now as a parent and grandparent of five, I'd like to carry along the same tradition," Teague said.

Republican candidate Ed Tinsley, Teague's opponent, has accused Teague in a television commercial of not being "a gun fan" and of saying "it would be fine with me to turn my guns in.

Those quotes were taken from an article printed eight years ago in the Albuquerque Journal, Teague said. He said he remembers the conversation very well.

"I remember telling [The Albuquerque Journal] 'I'm not a big gun fan. I only have seven or eight guns'," Teague said. "The humor got lost somewhere in the quote."

"The other quote was 'It would be fine with me for them to pick up my gun if they gave me a key to the armory,'" Teague added.

Teague said if he had known he would some day run for Congress, he would have phrased his words differently.

"Let me assure you that as a proud gun owner myself and as your next congressman, I will stand strong for the Second Amendment," Teague said, "and I will go to congress to fight for the values of Southern New Mexico."

When asked if NMSU students should show more interests in the second amendment, Richardson said: "What we need are young people that follow the Constitution."

"The Second Amendment is their individual rights," Richardson said. "It's not just important to protect issues for young people like global climate and the budget, but also existing right of the constitution. Excessive government should not bar those rights."

Kate McKinney, an NMSU student who plans to study government, attended the conference and said gun rights are a part of life and culture in New Mexico.

"As a citizen you have a right to participate in hunting and [to use] guns for protection," McKinney said. "It's part of American history."

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