Hartford, Ct. –  The Connecticut Citizens Defense League (CCDL), Connecticut’s extreme gun rights group, yesterday endorsed Clay Cope for Congress. But why? On the campaign trail and in media interviews, he has been reluctant to answer questions on just about anything, and he has not definitively answered whether he would support the absolutely no-brainer proposal to bar people on terror watch lists from purchasing firearms – legislation opposed by CCDL hardliners who see no room for compromise or equivocation. This is an endorsement Cope would have to actively seek out with meetings, promises, and candidate questionnaires.

So the question is: What did Clay Cope tell CCDL that he will not tell voters of the 5th district? The Connecticut Democratic Party is calling on Cope to immediately disclose any promises he made in order to gain CCDL’s endorsement.

“CCDL would not endorse a candidate they didn’t trust to vote in lockstep with their extremist agenda, yet Clay Cope has been far from forthright with his positions on gun safety reforms when talking to voters of the 5th district,” said Connecticut Democratic Party spokesman Leigh Appleby. “Voters deserve to know what Mr. Cope has promised in order to earn CCDL’s endorsement. He cannot be open in private, but hide his positions from voters in public. It is time for Mr. Cope to show some leadership and release his agenda and any promises he has made to CCDL. The voters deserve to know how he really feels and – more importantly – what he would do if elected.”