Sullivan attack ad compensates for Sullivan’s failures as attorney general & anti-Second Amendment record

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 09/22/2014

ANCHORAGE — U.S. Senate candidate Dan Sullivan’s latest attack ad is compensating for his failed record as attorney general and his campaign misstep of lying about his role in passing Alaska’s Stand Your Ground legislation.

During Alaska’s contentious Senate primary Sullivan lost credibility with Alaskans and came under fire from opponents Mead Treadwell and Joe Miller for failing to stand up for Alaskans’ right to self defense. Sullivan is now trying to make up lost ground by stooping to attacks on Mark Begich’s well-established record of supporting the Second Amendment and the rights of Alaskans.

“Sullivan spent months claiming he ‘passed Stand Your Ground’ legislation in Alaska when he opposed the legislation as attorney general. Sullivan failed to produce a shred of evidence expressing his support for Alaskans’ self defense rights when questioned by Joe Miller and Mead Treadwell. Mark Begich has a strong record of standing up for the rights of Alaskans to defend themselves and own firearms, Dan Sullivan’s latest attacks don’t change that,” said Max Croes, Communications Director for Alaskans for Begich.

Mark Begich has an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association and is a lifetime member of the organization. Begich opposed President Obama’s national gun control bill in 2013.

Alaska’s Stand Your Ground law didn’t end up passing until Sullivan was Department of Natural Resources Commissioner. Sullivan came under attack in his primary by former Senate candidates Mead Treadwell, Joe Miller, the Gun Owners of America and the National Association of Gun Rights for these false statements. Independent fact checkers have called Sullivan’s claim “false”.

Sullivan has run multiple ads desperately trying to defend his Second Amendment credentials while groups like the National Association of Gun Rights have said Dan Sullivan is too close to President Obama:

The Claim:

Sullivan: “I’ve Always Been Supportive Of Stand Your Ground And Hugely Strong Advocate Of Second Amendment Rights.” During a March 2014 meeting with the Conservative Patriots Group in Wasilla, Dan Sullivan said, “So I’ve always been supportive and the articles that say the AG wasn’t, or this letter, that was a letter from one of my staff. Look, I run a big organization. I’m not going to say he was wrong, but it was about simplifying that. […] I’ve always been supportive of Stand Your Ground and hugely strong advocate of Second Amendment rights. That’s the story.” [Sullivan Conservative Patriots Group meeting, 3/27/14]

The Facts:

March 15, 2010: Sullivan Sent Letter To Alaska House Judiciary Committee In Opposition To Stand Your Ground Legislation. In April 2012, KTUU reported, “Tonight (Tuesday) momentum seems to be building for a change in Alaska’s 3-decade-old self-defense law. . . . Senator Hollis French (D-Anchorage) — the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee — is not happy about a proposed change. He accuses the new attorney general — Michael Geraghty — of abandoning the policies of his predecessor, Attorney General Dan Sullivan. Just 2 years ago, then attorney Sullivan wrote a letter to the House Judiciary Committee specifically arguing that he was against a similar bill — because ‘it would encourage violence.’ The letter is dated March 15, 2024 and was sent to Jay Ramras, the chairman of the committee at the time.” [KTUU, 4/3/12]

 

Compared with Mark Begich’s record of protecting Alaskans’ ability to defend themselves:

Begich Is A Lifetime Member Of The NRA. Reported NPR in December 2008, “Begich plans to steer his own course, even if Democrats don’t quite recognize him as one of their own. He’s a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association and wants to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.” [NPR, 12/14/08]

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