Missing Taxes Day 92: Liberal trial lawyer denying truth about his membership in “anti-gun front group”

For Immediate Distribution: News Release June 7, 2010

Texans for Rick Perry: (512) 478-3276 Mark Miner: markminer@rickperry.org Catherine Frazier: catherinefrazier@rickperry.org

Just as he has hidden his income tax returns for 92 days and counting, liberal trial lawyer Bill White is lying to the media and hiding the truth about his membership in Mayors Against Illegal Guns, an organization the National Rifle Association calls an “anti-gun front group.” [1]

“Liberal Bill White is lying to hide his anti-gun beliefs just like he is his hiding his taxes,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “The only reason Bill White quit an anti-gun front group is because a pro-gun Democrat criticized him. Bill White is trying to run from his anti-gun record, just like he is running from his record of mismanagement as Houston’s mayor.”

In addition to signing letters and being included in national newspaper ads promoting anti-gun policies, White has twice lied to reporters about his departure from the group, which White said he joined in 2006 at the request of anti-gun New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. [2]

On July 28, 2009, one day after rival U.S. Senate candidate John Sharp called on White to quit Mayors Against Illegal Guns, White resigned his membership. This date of departure was confirmed by Mayors Against Illegal Guns spokesman Jason Post on March 4, 2010. [3, 4]

However, last year the White campaign lied to the Austin American-Statesman and said White quit the group on July 21, 2009, the day the group ran a full page ad in USA Today promoting its opposition to legislation from Senator John Thune that would allow those with concealed gun permits to carry them into other states. White’s name appears in the ad, as well as on a letter sent to all members of Congress four days earlier asking them to oppose Thune’s legislation. [5, 6, 7]

White recently repeated this lie to the Associated Press, which on June 5, 2010, reported, “In 2009, facing his first statewide political campaign, White quietly resigned from the group. White says he quit because the group opposed a federal law that would have allowed conceal-carry permit holders to carry their firearms across state lines.” [8]

For years, White also supported efforts by Mayors Against Illegal Guns to oppose privacy rights for gun owners. In 2007, White signed a letter from the group to all members of Congress opposing the Tiahrt Amendment, and his name also appears in a newspaper ad opposing the Tiahrt Amendment. [9, 10]

SOURCES:

[1] “The $500 Million Man?” National Rifle Association Institute For Legislative Action, 3/30/07, http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=2828

[2] “Guns could be a tough topic for Texas candidate,” Associated Press, 6/5/10, http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/7038530.html

[3] “Sharp calls on White to quit national anti-gun group,” Sharp For Senate, 6/27/09, http://southeasttexaspistolero.blogspot.com/2009/07/texas-democratic-can...
SHARP CALLS ON WHITE TO QUIT NATIONAL ANTI-GUN-GROUP
Press Release Sharp for Senate Campaign
July 27, 2009
(AUSTIN) — United States Senate candidate John Sharp today called on opponent Bill White to immediately denounce his position in a national anti-gun coalition founded by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, saying that the Houston Mayor’s continued membership in the group is a threat to the rights of law-abiding Texans to own guns.
“Mr. White’s war on guns is already making it impossible for him to be elected statewide in Texas,” Sharp said. “He should immediately disassociate himself from this anti-gun group so he doesn’t also hurt the chances of other Democrats running for public office.”
Sharp said a measure in the U.S. Senate last week that would have allowed legal gun owners with valid permits to carry concealed weapons from one state to another failed by just two votes after fierce opposition from the group, known as Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

[4] E-mail, Jason Post, spokesman, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, 3/4/10, http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/statesman/politifact/03042010_jasonpostemail.pdf

[5] “Despite assurances, Hutchison team makes changes,” Austin American-Statesman, 7/28/09, http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/firstread...
EXCERPT: Former comptroller John Sharp, a Democratic candidate to succeed Hutchison in the U.S. Senate, said Monday that Houston Mayor Bill White, another Democrat seeking the Hutchison seat, should resign from a group called Mayors Against Illegal Guns. White’s campaign said he resigned last week, adding that the group’s focus had grown from its original effort to prevent the sale of stolen guns. Sharp’s campaign pointed to the group’s fight against a proposal to allow those with concealed gun permits to carry them into other states. White’s campaign said he resigned the day that the group took out a newspaper ad denouncing that proposal.

[6] “Mayors Against Illegal Guns Intensify Fight Against Concealed Carry Reciprocity Proposal Currently Before Congress,” Mayors Against Illegal Guns, 7/21/09, http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/media-center/pr007-09.shtml; USA Today ad from July 21, 2009, available at http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/maig_thune_ad.pdf

[7] “Mayors Against Illegal Guns Announce Opposition To Concealed Carry Bill Currently Before Congress,” Mayors Against Illegal Guns, 7/16/09, http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/media-center/pr006-09.shtml; Congressional letter from Mayors Against Illegal Guns dated July 17, 2009, available at http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/7_14_09_maig_lette...

[8] “Guns could be a tough topic for Texas candidate,” Associated Press, 6/5/10, http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/7038530.html

[9] Congressional letter from Mayors Against Illegal Guns dated March 14, 2007, available at http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/tiahrt_letter.pdf

[10] “Bi-partisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns Urges Repeal Of Tiahrt Amendment In Open Letter To Congress,” Mayors Against Illegal Guns, 6/5/07, http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/media-center/pr006-07.shtml; USA Today ad from June 6, 2007, available at http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/mayors-against-ill...

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