Well, now the 2nd District Democratic Congressional primary has all the elements of a really good opera: adultery, allegations of bribery and political corruption…and now murder. Over the weekend, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. aired an aid featuring a woman who blamed former Rep. Debbie Halvorson for the murder of her son, because she opposed gun control while representing a rural district in Congress. Here’s the script:
I’m Pam Bosley. My son is dead. Dead because he was shot outside of church, right before choir rehearsal. Dead because Debbie Halvorson sided and voted with the Republicans and the NRA. Against gun control. Against the very laws that might have kept my son alive. President Obama and Congressman Jackson fought them every step of the way, but too many people like Halvorson voted the wrong way. Please help get rid of these handguns. Vote for Jesse on March 20th.
Is the ad fair? As a congresswoman, Halvorson was an ally of the gun lobby. The National Rifle Association’s Political Victory Fund, which typically endorses Republicans, supported Halvorson in her unsuccessful 2010 re-election campaign against Adam Kinzinger. According to a 2010 press release from the organization:
As a member of Congress, Halvorson signed the pro-gun congressional amicus brief arguing that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right that protects all Americans in the McDonald case. She voted for an amendment that allows carry permit holders to carry concealed in national parks and wildlife refuges and cosponsored legislation to force much-needed reform of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Halvorson also signed a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder opposing re-enactment of the failed 1994 ban on semi-automatic firearms and ammunition magazines. Additionally, she cosponsored the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity amendment, which would provide a national standard for carrying concealed firearms.
Nonetheless, saying Bosley’s son is dead because of a vote Halvorson cast in Congress is over the top, especially because Terrell Bosley was killed in 2006, two years before Halvorson was elected.
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