Shooting for a Bush Re-Election
With a picture of President George W. Bush taped to the window of his office at the Westside Rifle and Pistol Range, it is not hard to figure where the allegiance of co-owner Robert Derrig lies. A towering, middle-aged figure dressed in simple dungarees with a holstered pistol clipped to his belt, Derrig has no problem delineating his reasons for supporting the incumbent and no hesitation in thrashing the Democratic camp.
“Personally I would feel safer if Bush won,” says Derrig, a reddish-faced man who looks like he should be sporting a brushy white moustache.
Despite the minor uproar over the expiration of the assault weapons ban by President Bush, the normally critical issue of gun violence has been overshadowed during the election campaign by the contenders exchanging jabs over the Iraq War, terrorism and the economy. Running the only remaining firing range in Manhattan, Derrig does not fear the upcoming election’s effect on his livelihood, but he does worry about the possibility that a change in the nation’s leadership could mean a further encroachment on the rights of gun owners.
Occupying the basement level of the building at 20 W. 20th St., the Westside Rifle and Pistol Range claims approximately 1,200 members, ranging from construction workers to lawyers. From the poster of an early American settler standing behind a modern day hunter green with the simple declaration, “Vote!” to a white and green bumper sticker boldly stating “Ignore your rights and they’ll go away,” it seems almost impossible to separate politics and guns and this refuge for the city’s shooting enthusiasts.
Derrig, who became co-owner of the range in 1992, explained that apart from his concerns over national security, Bush has won his support by protecting the rights of gun owners both across the country and in New York City, a place he describes as an “anti-gun” metropolis.
“[Bush] seems to have more of an interest in gun holders and their rights,” says Derrig, comparing the incumbent to John Kerry, whose party he sees faults with when it comes to gun control. “It’s not necessarily Kerry but the liberal agenda which Kerry adheres to.”
According to Derrig, a Baldwin, Long Island resident, New York City is one of the most highly regulated areas for gun owners across the country. He pointed out that firearm owners are required to undergo a mandatory six-month background check before earning a permit to keep their guns at home, and that despite President Bush’s decision to let the national ban of assault weapons expire last month, assault weapons are still prohibited in the city.
“What makes it an assault weapon is because of what it looks like,” says Derrig, criticizing one of the more restrictive aspects of the law.
Derrig says that under the assault weapons ban, many non-automatic weapons such as the AR-15 rifle are outlawed because they might have simply incorporated a “pistol grip” into the weapon. For him, it seems as if such over-inclusive gun-control legislation is one reason why the issue always receives attention from candidates during an election year—and why gun owners become so frustrated.
“The politicians can only go after the law abiding citizens so you make a law that criminals won’t obey and that’s the problem,” he says, unfazed by the periodic thuds emanating from the shooting range less than 20 feet away. “It seems as we go on there just seems to more restrictions—these are freedoms we’ve always had.”
With the Westside Rifle and Pistol Range as one of only ten shooting ranges remaining in the five boroughs, Derrig says that the upcoming election does not necessarily pose a threat to his business, which is supported through the range and gun sales. At the same time, he says that he feels like he can no longer trust any politician (even though he has made up his mind to cast his vote for Bush on Nov. 2).
“Years ago you could hold them to something,” says Derrig. “Now they don’t promise anything anymore—you never see anything they promise because there is so much red tape.”
With multi-colored NYPD badges and posters offering support to the troops lining the hallway, the atmosphere alone indicates that a hungry politician cannot ignore the vocal and active American gun owner demographic. But Derrig admits that even when gun control laws have been burning campaign issues in recent years, in most cases, those issues are relatively minor in the larger spectrum of social issues. He says that even his vote is not solely based on gun control—but it is important.
“Nobody goes to vote specifically for gun rights—I make a living at it so it’s more important to me,” says Derrig. “Gun rights are rights though—we don’t want them to go away.”
