Gun groups rate the NY21 candidates: Stefanik "A" - Cobb "F"
Two gun rights groups are giving North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik an "A" rating and her Democratic opponent Tedra Cobb an "F"...
Oct 09, 2018 — Two gun rights groups are giving North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik an "A" rating and her Democratic opponent Tedra Cobb an "F" grade.
Both candidates are on the ballot in November for the 21st district House seat, along with Green candidate Lynn Kahn.
The NRA and the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association both praised Stefanik, a Republican, for her support of 2nd amendment rights and gun ownership.
Gun rights became a major issue in the campaign last spring after the deadly mass school shooting in Parkkland, Florida.
During town hall meetings, Stefanik drew praise and faced criticism for taking campaign contributions from the NRA.
Mary Ann Johnson from Crown Point spoke in April, calling for more restrictions on military-style assault rifles.
"Guns are a very important part of our culture up here, for hunting, for self-protection, but assault weapons are a very different kind of animal. It could happen right here to this group of people; it could happen at a school concert. What can we do about the assault weapons, to get them from harming people?" Johnson asked.
Stefanik said at the time that she's proud of her ties to the NRA and would continue accepting the group's support.
"There are many gun owners who are law-abiding citizens - thousands in this district - that own semi-automatic weapons, and they use them for recreation, they use them for sports and they use them in some cases for hunting," Stefanik said.
In a statement released on Friday, Stefanik said she "strongly stood on the side of law-abiding gun owners."
Cobb, meanwhile, faced controversy this summer when a secretly recorded video captured her voicing support for a ban on assault weapons. On the tape, Cobb says she won't speak publicly about such a ban because it would hurt her in the November election.
On her website, Cobb says she's "committed to maintaining an individual's access to firearm for safe hunting and personal protection." She also calls for a range of tougher gun rules, including universal background checks for all gun sales, tighter conceal carry laws, and more research into gun violence.
