NRA Official: People Arming In Case Politicians 'Attack'
By Robert Schlesinger, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Today's Washington Post has an interesting piece on skyrocketing sales of guns and ammo (12 billion—that's billion, with a b—rounds sold in the last year, up from 7 to 10 billion in an ordinary year). Whichever side you're on in the gun control debate, it's an interesting read. And buried deep in the piece is this arresting explanation for the phenomenon:
"I think it's Katrina. I think it's terrorism. I think it's crime. And I also think that it's people worrying about [whether] they'll be attacked by politicians," said Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association. "They're suspicious, and justifiably so."
Attacked by politicians? Now presumably he means that people think politicians are going to push gun control laws, and so "attack" their right to bear arms. But presumably as a long-time participant in this particular debate LaPierre understands the importance of picking the right words (especially since every other example he gives involves a real, physical threat). Couple LaPierre's comment with the assertion by North Carolina GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx that healthcare reform is a greater threat to the United States than "any terrorist right now in any country."
The message all around? Be scared.
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Reader Comments
Makes perfect sense... Not
Yes, let's make sure to not upset the people who actually believe the government is going to disarm them completely. First of all, anyone who understands lobbying would know the NRA would never let that happen. Second, politicians who don't represent their constituents get voted out of office - and most politicians would prefer keeping their jobs, if for no other reason than the great healthcare plans.
I hear the same ignorant people talking about Democrats wanting to ban God. Really? America is roughly 85% Christian, last I checked. And we're still a voting democracy - right? So when a majority of people decide that religion should not be forced on public school children, it has nothing to do with banning God from life. Same false arguments are made about guns. Wanting to protect the rest of us from crazy alarmist paranoid whackos, and maybe also some of those "inner city" people someone else not-so-subtly mentioned, has nothing to do with the right to bear arms. American citizens do not have absolute rights to do whatever they want in a vacuum. Everything must be balanced against the wishes of our neighbors and peers - and in our American democracy, every decision itself is the balanced result of a vote (either direct, or of our representation whom we expect to vote in support of our core interests and not the fringe)...
With every word, these people confirm they don't have any idea what they're actually talking about - and there's at least one political party today that is more than happy to exploit this ignorance. Shame on them both.
To Jaja of TX
Apparently you have never tried to have a discussion with a "gun nut". Bill from Mo is typical of this ilk. Just mention the 2nd Amendment and they jump to the "You can have my guns when you pry them from my cold, dead fingers" argument. These people do nothing to further the discussion. It's like most hot button topics of today. You have the two extremes - Take Away All Guns and No Restrictions. We should gather all of those people in a large corral and let them fight it out while the rest of us figure out how to design, enact, and enforce fair and reasonable laws.
When a joke is not funny
Bill Gedges of MO
My comments may have been silly, but yours are incoherent. I'm sure there is an argument for something in there somewhere, but I can't figure out what it is.
What does your comment have to do with what I said? Who cares who has access to your "collection" and who cares what's in it? Who said anything about stealing anyone's guns? What in the world are you talking about? Did you accidently reply to the wrong post?
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