Posted on 12/20/2012 10:04:57 AM PST by neverdem
Gun control supporters march to the National Rifle Association office in Washington on Monday.
Global outrage over the Newtown massacre, including at the role played by a gun that no civilian should possess, has forced the National Rifle Association to speak publicly, instead of privately in the halls of Congress.
America’s mighty proponent of deadly weaponry here, there and everywhere, including in bars and kindergartens, announced that on Friday, “The NRA is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again.”
Don’t get your hopes up.
The only “meaningful contributions” the NRA has ever made to public safety have been malignant ones — most notably, the millions of dollars by which the organization buys influence in the House, Senate and state capitals.
In the most recent election cycle, the NRA’s disbursements to candidates totaled more than $18.6 million, and its lobbying expenses in Washington ran to more than $2 million. The group got its money’s worth and wants to keep it, you can rest assured.
Barring the possibility that pigs start flying, look for the NRA to engage in evasions about everything other than guns that may have come into play in murdering 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School — everything from mental health to violent video games.
On Friday, in the immediate aftermath of the killings, the host of an NRA video news program preposterously attributed the deaths to a shortage of love, saying:
“I don’t think the issue is an issue; I don’t think the issue is parenting, or Hollywood, or guns, or rap music, or young men. . . . It is the foundational stuff . . . whether it’s a lack of love, a lack of empathy for others, an apathy.”
Lunacy like that has left the NRA in increasing isolation.
To escape disgrace, Cerberus Capital Management, a private equity firm whose officers include former Vice President Dan Quayle, is selling its interest in the company that makes the Bushmaster AR-15, Adam Lanza’s weapon of choice.
Dick’s Sporting Goods pulled semiautomatic rifles from its shelves in 511 stores nationwide. Walmart removed the AR-15 from its website. And the movie industry has canceled the premieres of violent films for fear of revolting audiences.
With President Obama signaling that he will back a renewal of an assault weapons ban, a bar on high-capacity ammunition magazine, the institution of more rigorous background checks for gun purchasers and closure of the so-called gun show loophole, the NRA is fighting a rearguard action for the first time in memory.
Now is the time to think even bigger, to get all that and more, in an epic battle to stop mass murders in the U.S.
Louis L’Amour summed up the real issue:
“Understand one thing……You can make laws against weapons but they will be observed only by those who don’t intend to use them anyway. The lawless can always smuggle or steal, or even make a gun. By refusing to wear a gun you allow the criminal to operate with impunity.”
It is 1968 all over again. I remember the signs then, NATIONAL RIFLE ASSASINATIONS! that the picketers were carrying then.
Meanwhile in Newtown, law-abiding gun owners concerned for the safety of their children are preparing for local meetings on school security where they will ask that permitted teachers and parents be allowed to "carry" on campus.
“Now is the time to think even bigger, to get all that and more, in an epic battle to stop mass murders in the U.S.”
Their intent is clear, they are committed to taking away our un-alienable an moral right to keep and bear arms...
“How dedicated are YOU in keeping the right???”
I did some digging last night and found a few things. The FBI estimates that about 100 million US households have legal firearms and they also tracked about 350 deaths where a “rifle” was used. Semi-automatic rifles are some subset of that 350 number, but it is not explicitly tracked separately from bolt actions, pump actions or single shot rifles. So, the rate of “preventable deaths from semi-automatic rifles that are not needed” is no more than 0.00035%.
Then I went to the CDC stats and found that they estimate that about 8-10 million US households have swimming pools and they tracked about 3,500 drowning deaths, but they do not track specifically the subset of drownings that occurred in bath tubs, lakes, streams or swimming pools. So, the rate of “preventable deaths from swimming pools that are not needed” is no more than 0.035%.
Our government’s own numbers are showing us that swimming pools are 1,000 times more dangerous than semi-automatic rifles!
If we are willing to accept the premise that the federal government should infringe on our liberty to address unnecessary deaths, then we would see much more value in banning swimming pools! In addition, we would cause harm to much fewer individuals and we don’t even have to deal with a Constitutional issue.
Heck, we all know that swimming pools are a luxury that no family needs! We should only allow people to swim in government owned pools.
Or we could simply live with the consequences of individual liberty and understand that we can address evil doers whenever possible, but we will never be able to stop all evil.
NRA Membership & gun purchases are surging for fear of losing gun rights.
As contrasted by donations made by the NEA and SEIU, both of whom own the Democrat party outright.
The Second Amendment is NOT about the right for individuals to own and bear weapons, it is about the balance of power between an oppressive federal government and the individual freedom of the people. THAT'S why the leftists hate the Second Amendment so much - they are about power and control and the Second Amendment is the ONLY thing that stands between the freedom of the people and America becoming North Korea or Cuba!
Joe Manchin lost his desire for gun control pretty fast when his constituents voiced their opinion....I suspect that to be the case for a lot of dems. remember...nothing matters more to a pol than election....nothing!!! A lot of them found themselves unemployed the last time they voted their consciences!!!
I look at the picture and see a lot of people that should be at work and apparently have nothing better to do except protest this or that.
What do they even mean by semi-autos that aren’t needed? Who says we don’t need them? Need them for what? Hunting? But we don’t have a right ti hunt. We have a right to self-defense, and also defense of the free republic.
Wow, what did they have? 60 people?
and all with preprinted signs...
Regards,
GtG
It wasn’t an AR-15. But if you continue a lie long enough.....
I actually posted that on FB to combat a friend’s wife who is void of logic. However, they have a pool that they love!
Couple of notes to the writer of the article:
1. The NRA is actively involved training throughout the US. It would be adavantageous for you to actually do some research on an organization you write about. It’s on the Internet too. EZ as pie.
2. Your article was so snarky that it caused me to go to www.NRA.org and join up again. See how that works?
Plenty of the initial reports were fiction. Dr. H. Wayne Carver was the medical examiner, IIRC. He's waiting for the results from toxicology. I just googled lanza toxicology in the news. Lanza used the Bushmaster.
Point #2, who is this moron to say exactly WHAT a civilian should possess?
including at the role played by a gun that no civilian should possess
As a civlian, I demand the right to own such weaponry. It puts me on par with the average GOV agent or member of the military.
The NRA has ended more Democrat politician careers than expense account scandals and underage bimbos combined. And I expect that to continue.
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