At the gun range, political targets, literally
Rand Paul’s autographed target hangs on the wall at CrossRoads Shooting Sports in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo: Khue Bui for Yahoo News)
JOHNSTON, Iowa — As political memorabilia goes, it’s a little unusual.
In a back hallway near the restrooms at CrossRoads Shooting Sports, a gun range here in the suburbs of Des Moines, a group of old shooting targets, some marred by dozens of bullet holes, are hung like posters on the wall. They belong to the Republicans who have stopped here over the last year while campaigning for the presidency.
All of the targets are autographed by the political celebrity who used them, including Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Bobby Jindal, Mike Huckabee and Huckabee’s wife, Janet. While many in the GOP field brag of their love of hunting and firearms in order to woo gun enthusiasts, the targets here offer some clues as to whether they were telling the truth or just pandering for votes.
Ted Cruz’s target. (Photo: Khue Bui for Yahoo News)
Jindal’s target, from a visit last September, is completely unscathed. Meanwhile, Ted Cruz’s target suggests he’s a pretty good shot, with bullet holes punched through its center heart. “The fight for liberty never ends!” Cruz wrote on the target, dated from last June.
During his visit on Jan. 17, just two weeks ago, Rand Paul skipped the usual target and shot up one of his own campaign posters featuring a stack of thick books labeled “IRS Tax Code.” “Thanks for letting us stop by,” he wrote on a note accompanying the target.
Mike Huckabee’s target. (Photo: Khue Bui for Yahoo News)
And then there are the Huckabees — Mike and Janet — who have made frequent visits to CrossRoads. The couple most recently campaigned there Saturday, reporters in tow. But the range displays targets from previous stops. The former Arkansas governor, who has gone on numerous pheasant hunting trips here while campaigning, was mostly a center shot, though he seems to have missed his aim a few times.
Janet Huckabee appears to be the most precise shooter among all the Republicans, obliterating the bull’s-eye with a barrage of shots — and even landing a few in the head of the body outline on her target. “Practice makes perfect!” she wrote after a visit in November 2015.
Janet Huckabee’s target. (Photo: Khue Bui for Yahoo News)
Soon, the range will likely be adding two more to its political celebrity wall of fame. On Saturday night, Donald Trump’s sons, Don Jr. and Eric, came by the range and spent about a half-hour shooting an array of guns, including an AR-15 rifle, as reporters watched through the safety glass.
It was part of an effort to humanize their father and score points with gun-loving Iowans in the waning hours of the campaign here. “We love shooting,” Eric explained. “It’s a lot of fun. We’ve done it our entire lives.”
Who’s the better shot? “Obviously me,” Eric joked.
Only the targets will tell.
Journalists try to get a shot of Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. shooting at the Crossroads Shooting Range in Johnston, Iowa. (Photo: Khue Bui for Yahoo News)
