Plumb Campaign Sets Record Straight Regarding 2nd Amendment Comments

John Plumb

LAKEWOOD, NY – The Democratic candidate for New York’s 23rd Congressional District is highlighting false statements regarding the 2nd Amendment that have been made against him by Republican incumbent Tom Reed (R-Corning).

Lakewood Democrat John Plumb’s campaign sent out a media release this week, citing several regional news sources that reported accusations made by Reed about Plumb’s record on 2nd Amendment rights, with the Plumb campaign saying they are factually incorrect.

Plumb’s campaign spokesperson Sam Newton said Reed is fabricating quotes about Plumb’s stance on protecting 2nd Amendment rights – in particular siding with the president Obama on gun control. Newton said that Plumb never said that, but instead said that he would rather have congress address the issue of gun violence, rather than the president.

Newton cited several articles in the media release that show how Reed has inaccurately presented Plumb’s view on the 2nd Amendment, including an Aug. 30 article from the the Hornell Evening Tribune:

After Plumb spoke, asserting his support for the Second Amendment, Reed took to the microphone and said, ‘”I don’t know where he (Plumb) stands on any of the issues, but I know where he stands on one.” Citing a Plumb interview with The Evening Tribune, the congressman said, “You said publicly that you support President Obama’s executive action on gun control. That’s not standing for the Second Amendment.”

… In a Jan. 8 article titled “Reed, Plumb Agree to Disagree,” the challenger actually said he would prefer Congress step up and address the issue of gun violence rather than the president.”I don’t like the president’s unilateral approach because Republicans and Democrats alike should work together to find solutions to keep weapons out of the hands of criminals, terrorists and the dangerously mentally ill — which Tom Reed opposes and our current Congress steadfastly refuses to do anything about,” [Plumb] said.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

Newton said the false claims by Reed are just the latest example of him making false statements about Plumb. Earlier in the campaign Reed’s reelection campaign was accused of making a fake website and social media pages about Plumb. Newtown said Reed has also denied voting for every foreign trade deal that came before him and has claimed he didn’t vote to shut down the Department of Homeland Security – both of which are false statements.

“First, Congressman Reed made a fake website about Commander Plumb to mislead voters. He then denied voting for every foreign trade deal that came before him and has claimed he didn’t vote to shut down the Department of Homeland Security,” Newton said. “Now he is fabricating quotes about Commander Plumb’s stance on protecting our Second Amendment rights. Congressman Reed embodies the unethical behavior that we are all fed up with in Washington. Those are not the values Commander Plumb stands for and why it’s time for a new representative here in the Southern Tier, Western New York and the Finger Lakes.”   

Plumb is challenging Reed for his seat in the 2016 general election. Over the past two decades he’s served as a submarine officer in the Navy and later as an official at the Department of Defense. Most recently he’s served as director of defense policy and strategy at the National Security Council and is also a Navy Reserve Commander. He graduated from Randolph High School in 1988.

Reed is an attorney and former mayor of Corning who was elected to Congress in 2010 and has represented Chautauqua County since January 2013, when redistricting created the new boundaries for the state’s 23^rd congressional district.