This blog is mostly history of the NRA and our gun culture in general. I have tackled the subject a dozen times, but for those inclined to move on to something else for that very reason, this time I mean to be less satirical and considerably more informative. I am suddenly optimistic that we just might have reached a tipping point in the gun control debate. There is a lot of information here, but the last five paragraphs are strictly my opinion and certainly not as technically supportive. If you just want to read more qualified material when you reach that point, skip to the link in the second to last paragraph. All three links in this blog are very enlightening but long, so I have tried to provide content abridgment, for the first two anyway, in the interest of time. I think any of you who are up for confronting your state representatives will find much of the following material useful.
God damn it this pisses me off! Funeral arrangements were still being made for a few of the 17 people mowed down in the Parkland FL school shooting and the CEO of the NRA is centerstage at the CPAC convention fomenting his venomous brand of propaganda. Wayne LaPierre is truly pond scum. And the next day the President of the United States is addressing the same crowd, reenforcing some of Mr. LaPierre’s talking points. Just as annoying was how he once again pandered to the audience for the applause he so desperately seeks by rehashing past state electoral victories and telling blatant lies. However, you would think someone in an advisory capacity would inform him that getting the crowd fired up with chants of “Lock her up” might not be the best idea. This is the sort of thinking I can’t get my head around. Sure the sophomoric response from the crowd gives Trump a boner. But do these people, including Trump, not see the irony in reacting this way when what Trump is accusing Hillary Clinton of is divulging classified information. That is exactly what he is guilty of by employing a White House full of people who have no security clearance. And likely on the horizon are some serious charges being leveled against him and/or his family by Robert Mueller. They are just asking for avenging chants of “Lock him up” in 2020, if the president is even still around.
This is where we are in America. Politics is so polarized people can’t or do not want to reason logically, and the hostility has pervaded society in general. It’s all just nuts. Going on and on about all this just makes people sick. But I have a blog and venting helps me retain my sanity. To spare you, I will try to narrow the focus of this to just one aspect- our gun culture. And I will let others with more knowledge of the subject give you detail. In the interest of time, I will do my best to give a synopsis of the links, because no doubt you don’t have the time to read through all of this. Come back later and read any of the material if you have places to go.
Particularly outrageous during the CPAC convention was the accusation thrown out by Wayne LaPierre’s accomplice Dana Loesch. She implied that mainstream media somehow orchestrates mass shootings. It’s the type of comment that underlines what the NRA does best- promote conspiracy theories.
LaPIERRE
Doesn’t mind shooting her mouth off Doesn’t mind if you get shot
It was not always this way with the NRA. Politicizing their agenda is a fairly recent development. Here is a history of the organization NRA History. A synopsis of the article is this: The NRA dates back to just after the Civil War. So upset were two Union officers with the marksmanship they had witnessed during that conflict they started the organization with the intent of improving the firing efficiency of anyone interested in doing so. As the years went by the NRA became known for its promotion of safe and proper use of firearms, often supporting the governmental restrictions of their use. That all changed in 1975 with the creation of the group’s first lobbying arm- the Institute for Legislative Action.
That branch of the NRA progressively took over, and by the mid 1980’s the organization transformed itself from one advocating gun safety, marksmanship and hunting into an uncompromising political institution intolerant of any form of restriction and proping up its position with the ambiguity of the second amendment.
This is an article about how the NRA has manipulated the very cryptic wording of the second amendment. How NRA Rewrote 2nd Amendment. Synopsis: As late as the mid 1990’s Gallop polling revealed the majority of the country still wanted stricter gun control laws. in 1991, Chief Justice Warren Burger said the second amendment was the biggest fraud perpetrated on the American people by special interest groups that he had ever seen. But as the NRA pounded away at our sensibilities with propaganda and conspiracy theories, and by taking advantage of legal decisions that steadily opened up the spigots of political donations, somehow public opinion started to change. Whether you are happy with the status quo or fed up with the gun culture of this country, you have the NRA to thank or blame.
The landmark 2008 Supreme Court “Heller” decision affirmed the right of non-military individuals to possess a firearm for traditional lawful purposes. It’s the NRA’s “go-to” judicial statement they always refer to. It was one of those 5 to 4 decisions that makes you wonder if the founding fathers got Article Three of the constitution right. As you might know, originalist Judge Scalia wrote the majority opinion, but what is rarely discussed is his clarification. When asked if there are restrictions embedded in the Heller decision, he said “What the opinion in Heller said is it will have to be decided in future cases… some limitations (on the right to bear arms) are permissible.” The right to bear arms he stated, will be decided by what society determines appropriate, and it does not mean individuals have the right to bear all types of arms.
***************************** MY THOUGHTS*************************
Is the Parkland Florida massacre going to finally be the catalyst to initiate limitations? As a society have we at last had enough tragedy to change our gun culture? Not if this congress has anything to say about it. It’s time to start thinking now about making a statement at the ballot box and applying what Judge Scalia was referring to. Yes, enforce current laws and improve access to mental health. If you think violence and permissiveness are too prevalent in society, watch your damn kids. Outlawing bump stocks, raising age limits, mandating universal background checks and coordinating law enforcement reporting are no-brainers. That’s a good start. But we need to do more. It is sickeningly obvious we have too many guns in this country. We need only to look at every other developed country in the world to see how pathetically we compare regarding gun violence and also to study what they have done to make things better. After reviewing all the mayhem as well as the information at our disposal, it is glaring apparent we can no longer fail to address our assault rifle problem. Ordinary citizens should not be allowed to purchase military assault firearms and large capacity magazines. That is a combination of weaponry that is intended to spray rifle fire and kill human beings.
I once had a semi-automatic hunting rifle. I enjoyed target shooting with it more than I did hunting. But when I did hunt I do not ever recall firing more than two rounds at any poor creature I was aiming at. A hunter does not need a military weapon that is intended to spray bullets and kill other human beings. If you require a magazine that holds more than six rounds I would argue you should not be in the field tracking an animal. Any decent hunter will tell you one shot is optimum. Any more and you ruin a good portion of the meat. And if you enjoy target shooting like I once did, fine. By all means it makes sense to hone your skill if you are a responsible gun owner. But you don’t need an AR-15 for the stimulation. Get yourself a true hunting or target rifle. Better yet, a muzzle loader that requires more work than just pulling a trigger. The exercise will do you some good. And there are way better choices for home defense than an assault rifle. As much as I hate to say it, a hand gun makes far more sense for that. I am hopeful future restriction and more severe penalties for illegal use of those things will trickle down from any momentum that initial, positive gun control measures create.
So no more assault rifle sales. But what about all the assault rifles that are already out there? My preferred option would be to round them all up and crush them for scrap metal. But of course that is not feasible. For those who own one now, logically you should be “grandfathered”. But if you do own one, it needs to be re-registered in a national data base. Believe it or not there is no such thing in this country. This is the time and this is where to start. And I believe there should be extremely hefty legal penalties for anyone carrying one around that does not comply with any restrictions that are or will be in place. And by carrying around I mean transporting to a firing range. That is the only place it should ever be used or publicly viewed. I can not comprehend how the NRA succeeded in forcing open carry laws down our throats. Allowing anyone to walk down the street toting an AR-15, or any kind of long rifle, is absurd. We do not live in a third world country. As society has suddenly come to grips with predatory sexual violence, we should be just as appalled by this similar form of hyper-masculinity being foisted upon us by the NRA. I do not know much about assault rifles but if there is a way to add a substantial tax to the ammunition I say do it. I would personally donate generously to any kind of buy-back program. There are assault rifle owners out there that are sawing them in half. I would gladly lend you my reciprocating saw if you are so inclined.
The answer to solving gun violence is not more guns, like the NRA preaches. If the ridiculous idea of having our teachers packing heat does not expose the sorry state of the pathetic, dysfunctional misanthropy that the NRA has instilled in this country I don’t know what will. As a country and leader of the free world we should be far better than this. The conversation has to include banning sales of military weaponry. Read this for reference if you want some depth on assault rifles: Fuck You I Like Guns The first civil right of all Americans is to be free of domestic violence. Corporate America at least is taking a stand. Thank you First National Bank of Omaha for getting the ball rolling. And wow! Thank you Dick’s Sporting Good’s for not stocking assault rifles any longer.
One final word and it is addressed to everyone, but especially those young students that are speaking out. You are inevitably going to feel frustrated with congressional and presidential leadership that is heartlessly absent. But your involvement can have a significant impact. The business community is already listening to you. I was a college student in the 60’s and as a group we were a constant thorn in the side of political leaders, and it made a difference. I caution you not to go to the extremes of that time. But tweeting is not enough. Support political candidates who share your concerns. Help them and apply voting pressure in any way you can. If you are not old enough to vote, you can still volunteer and speak out. The youth vote in the past has tended to be dismal. Don’t let this moment of opportunity wither away.