Gun owners now have one of their own on a presidential ticket. Rep. Paul Ryan recalled ???deer camp over in Fairchild in Eau Claire County??? in his remarks after being chosen as Mitt Romney???s vice-presidential running mate. The Wisconsin Republican is an avid hunter who???s been a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights.
Mr. Ryan, who owns a rifle and a shotgun, is a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA). ???I know firsthand Paul???s commitment to the Second Amendment,??? said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action, to The Washington Times. ???We???ve given him an A rating and endorsed him every cycle he???s been in Congress.???
Mr. Ryan is a co-sponsor of the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act, which passed the House in November but has been blocked from a vote in the Democratic Senate. The bill would allow gun owners with valid concealed-handgun permits the right to carry in any state that doesn???t ban the right to bear arms. He also voted in 2009 for the law that allowed for concealed carry and legal transport in national parks and wildlife refuges.
In April, he voted in favor of the Sportsmen???s Heritage Act, which would promote hunting throughout the country. Mr. Ryan was co-chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen???s Caucus and remains a member.
The veep candidate???s wife, Janna Little Ryan, is also a shooting enthusiast. In the mid-1990s, she co-founded the Washington Women???s Shooting Club with Suzie Brewster, wife of former Rep. Bill Brewster, Oklahoma Democrat. ???Janna was instrumental in bringing women into shooting sports around the D.C. area,??? said Jill Dowell, a longtime friend of Mrs. Ryan???s and a member of the club, which meets quarterly at Prince George???s Trap & Skeet.
