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Contra Costa Times – Rep. Mike Thompson is quite the marksman

May 15, 2015
News Articles

By Josh Richman

House Democrats' point man on gun control is a pretty good shot, it seems.

Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, named by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi to lead the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force after 2012's Connecticut schoolhouse massacre, won "Top Gun" honors at this week's Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation annual shooting competition.

Members of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus joined the foundation and representatives from the sportsmen's community Tuesday at Prince George's County Trap and Skeet Center in Glenn Dale, Md., to shoot rounds of trap, skeet and sporting clays.

Thompson, a Vietnam combat veteran and avid hunter, outshot 35 other members of Congress who participated to win the top individual prize. But in team competition, Republicans led by Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., prevailed over Democrats led by Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., with a score of 235-227.

"This annual shoot-out is a great event that brings together folks from both political parties for an afternoon of fun and comradery," Thompson, a former two-time chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, said in a news release."It was an honor to win the ‘Top Gun' award, and I look forward to working with my fellow members of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus to advance conservation, recreation and safety issues that are important to us all."

Thompson in March joined with Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y., to re-introduce a bill that would require background checks for all firearm purchases, including those at gun shows, over the internet or in classified ads. Their H.R. 1217, with only six other cosponsors, was referred to Judiciary and Veterans' Affairs subcommittees and hasn't moved an inch since in the Republican-led House.