US arms lobby backs McCain
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The powerful US arms lobby, the National Rifle Association, Thursday threw its support behind John McCain and his gun-packing vice presidential pick Sarah Palin.
"John McCain has more than two decades of pro-gun and pro-hunting votes in Congress. He has stood time and again to preserve our Second Amendment freedom and our rich hunting heritage," the NRA said in a statement.
The lobby, which counts some 4.3 million members, recalled that McCain had often voted against restricting the country's gun laws. Palin is a paid-up member of the NRA and has trumpeted her skills as a moose-hunter in Alaska.
The NRA's support for the Republican ticket could be important in swing rural states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania, where Obama has been steadily climbing in the polls.
The association has already spent some 2.3 million dollars in negative ads against Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama, and plans to spend more than 10 million by November 4 election day.
On Thursday it ran an ad in USA Today saying "On November 4, defend freedom. Defeat Obama."
Obama has said he supports the Second Amendment of the constitution which authorizes citizens to carry arms, but has called for better controls on sales.
The NRA also supported George W. Bush when he was elected to the White House in 2000 and then again in 2004.
