COMMENTS WORTH REPEATING
Guns and the Most Controversial Nonprofit of Them All
By Bill Schneider, 6-26-08
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Mirror, Mirror on the Wall. What is the Most Controversial Nonprofit Organization of Them All?
Can we agree that it is the National Rifle Association?
Fervently supported by millions of gun owners, but bitterly criticized by its detractors, including many hunters who feel the gun group elects anti-hunting politicians who vote consistently against the protecting wildlife habitat. Critics think the NRA stands for Not Really an Ally or National Republican Army.
I’ve been writing about the NRA for three years now, mostly about the gun group’s failure to represent hunters, and it’s clear that any mention of the letters, NRA, brings a strong reaction, either a defense or damnation. Witness the recent comments from several recent articles on guns and the NRA, most loved or hated nonprofit of them all.
“Bill, Thanks for calling a spade a spade. Senator Coburn’s amendment has nothing to do with upholding the legal rights of gun owners and everything to do with rank partisan politics.” (mthunter)
“The liberal left including Barrack, Hillary, Kerry, Reid, T. Kennedy, Pelosi and on and on want to take away all guns and not just on National Park lands. The NRA has no other agenda than to protect our right to own and carry guns. Thank God for NRA! Keep up the fight!” (T. Klumker)
“That is the essence of the right-wing, racist gun morons…who think they are actually protecting themselves when they really are nothing more than willing pawns to help the NRA elect Republicans and subsidize international arms dealing. People who want to carry everywhere they go scare the hell out of me more than drug dealers etc.” (Cort)
“I have heard the NRA whine for the better part of my grown life about ‘no more gun laws. Enforce the laws on the books.’ Now they are advocating another gun law. They are pushing a couple more specifically in Wyoming too, including one that gives gun rights back to wife beaters. Hypocrites!” (flounder)
“Lay off of the NRA for a change; they’ve got this one right. I deserve the chance to protect myself and family without worrying about being treated like a common criminal and having an arrest record as a result of choosing to be a responsible, self-sufficient citizen.” (Lee)
“A handgun is a lot like a seat belt, airbag, child car seat, motorcycle helmet or home fire sprinkler system. They are all intended to save your or your family’s life in an emergency situation …Just think of a concealed handgun as your Personal Defense Assistant or PDA. Never leave home without it.” (John)
NPCA Blasts NRA, Administration Over Guns in National Parks Issue
“Any gun one would carry concealed under a shirt in an IWB holster, ankle holster or shoulder holster would be totally inadequate for poaching. But it is exactly those arms that would be best for self defense against human predators…. How many must die on the alter of gun control in so called gun free zones before you get it? CCW permitees are not the problem, but they can be part of the solution.” (Tommy Gunnn)
“When the flag goes up, who comes out to play? I gotta wonder, though, what’s next for the NRA squad? Guns in schools? Guns on planes? Guns in court? Guns in church? Will there be sanctuary anywhere?” (Becky Griplight)
“George Washington Parkway, in Virginia, is National Park Service land. How many otherwise law-abiding carry permit holders have driven down that road, not knowing that by doing so they were committing a federal crime? If it’s legal for you to carry outside the park, it should be legal for you to carry inside the park. The National Forests have operated under that rule for as long as we’ve had National Forests, and it’s caused no problems at all.” (Jeff Dege)
Montana Conservationists Defend Obama’s Record on Hunting, Gun Issues
“Why would anybody in their right mind defend Obama regarding his position on gun issues? Sure, he might let you keep your one shotgun and your one single shot rifle, but that is about it.” (John from Illinois)
“I have to take issue with the people who are against gun control and wrap themselves in the constitution when confronted with the specter of such control. Limitations are part of the law; what about that do you not understand? We are allowed to own and drive cars, but we can’t just go buy a car and drive it. First you have to buy the car, then you have to register it, then you have to insure it, then even when you drive, you can’t just drive however you want, there are “rules of the road” and this pesky limitation called a “speed limit”. You want to put up a fight about someone taking your rights away from you and then turn around and want to remove rights from others (think: women’s rights). I think people who want a literal interpretation about some of the rights guaranteed and a biased interpretation of others to meet their agenda are hypocrites!” (Red)
“Please do not degrade Our Rights any further with more ‘common sense’ gun laws. There are too many of them already that restrict my right to defend my life and family in the most efficient manner. If you want to keep guns off the street, keep them from being stolen from our homes. Fight poverty. Bring jobs back to the US. Restore the middle class and bring our citizens out of poverty so that they do not think they need to commit crime to survive. That is common sense.” (Robert L.)
For more articles on guns and the NRA, click here.
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Comments
"If you want to keep guns off the street, keep them from being stolen from our homes. Fight poverty. Bring jobs back to the US. Restore the middle class and bring our citizens out of poverty so that they do not think they need to commit crime to survive."
I see the likelihood of these issues being addressed under Obama a helluva lot more than with McCain in the White House.
This is a nice piece of writing; actually, its better than that because it exposes just how fraudulent the alliance between the NRA, hunters, and gun freaks is. The NRA, and you show it clearly, and it takes determination to say it openly, is whats wrong with America today.
Brian L. Horejsi
The Joyce Foundation has given more than a million dollars to the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, which is a gun control organization. It has touted its role in “litigation designed to change the way guns are designed, marketed, distributed, and sold,” and it has long argued guns in the home are more dangerous than protective.
It will be interesting to see how Obama squares his work with the Joyce Foundation with his claim that he supports the right to bear arms.
My point is I have been reading that more people are buying guns because of the recently announced cutbacks. Effective 911 response to urgent life threatening situations is becoming scarce.
On page 1 notice the hand written notes at the bottom. On page 7, notice his answer to support legislation to ban the manufacture, sale, or possession of handguns. Blaimng his answers on a staffer strains credulity as does his explanation today regarding the SC opinion. He is on the record of supporting the DC handgun ban that was declared unconstitutional. He can't straddle the fence and not have people notice and ask, "what the hell?"
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Barack Obama on Gun Control
Democratic Jr Senator (IL)
Ok for states & cities to determine local gun laws
Q: Is the D.C. law prohibiting ownership of handguns consistent with an individual's right to bear arms?
A: As a general principle, I believe that the Constitution confers an individual right to bear arms. But just because you have an individual right does not mean that the state or local government can't constrain the exercise of that right, in the same way that we have a right to private property but local governments can establish zoning ordinances that determine how you can use it.
Q: But do you still favor the registration & licensing of guns?
A: I think we can provide common-sense approaches to the issue of illegal guns that are ending up on the streets. We can make sure that criminals don't have guns in their hands. We can make certain that those who are mentally deranged are not getting a hold of handguns. We can trace guns that have been used in crimes to unscrupulous gun dealers that may be selling to straw purchasers and dumping them on the streets.
Source: 2008 Philadelphia primary debate, on eve of PA primary Apr 16, 2008
FactCheck: Yes, Obama endorsed Illinois handgun ban
Obama was being misleading when he denied that his handwriting had been on a document endorsing a state ban on the sale and possession of handguns in Illinois. Obama responded, "No, my writing wasn't on that particular questionnaire. As I said, I have never favored an all-out ban on handguns."
Actually, Obama's writing was on the 1996 document, which was filed when Obama was running for the Illinois state Senate. A Chicago nonprofit, Independent Voters of Illinois, had this question, and Obama took hard line:
35. Do you support state legislation to:
a. ban the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns? Yes.
b. ban assault weapons? Yes.
c. mandatory waiting periods and background checks? Yes.
Obama's campaign said, "Sen. Obama didn't fill out these state Senate questionnaires--a staffer did--and there are several answers that didn't reflect his views then or now. He may have jotted some notes on the front page of the questionnaire, but some answers didn't reflect his views."
Source: FactCheck.org analysis of 2008 Philadelphia primary debate Apr 16, 2008
Respect 2nd Amendment, but local gun bans ok
Q: You said recently, "I have no intention of taking away folks' guns." But you support the D.C. handgun ban, and you've said that it's constitutional. How do you reconcile those two positions?
A: Because I think we have two conflicting traditions in this country. I think it's important for us to recognize that we've got a tradition of handgun ownership and gun ownership generally. And a lot of law-abiding citizens use it for hunting, for sportsmanship, and for protecting their families. We also have a violence on the streets that is the result of illegal handgun usage. And so I think there is nothing wrong with a community saying we are going to take those illegal handguns off the streets. And cracking down on the various loopholes that exist in terms of background checks for children, the mentally ill. We can have reasonable, thoughtful gun control measure that I think respect the Second Amendment and people's traditions.
Source: 2008 Politico pre-Potomac Primary interview Feb 11, 2008
Keep guns out of inner cities--but also problem of morality
I believe in keeping guns out of our inner cities, and that our leaders must say so in the face of the gun manfuacturer's lobby. But I also believe that when a gangbanger shoots indiscriminately into a crowd because he feels someone disrespected him, we have a problem of morality. Not only do ew need to punish thatman for his crime, but we need to acknowledge that there's a hole in his heart, one that government programs alone may not be able to repair.
Source: The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p.215 Oct 1, 2006
Bush erred in failing to renew assault weapons ban
KEYES: [to Obama]: I am a strong believer in the second amendment. The gun control mentality is ruthlessly absurd. It suggests that we should pass a law that prevents law abiding citizens from carrying weapons. You end up with a situation where the crook have all the guns and the law abiding citizens cannot defend themselves. I guess that's good enough for Senator Obama who voted against the bill that would have allowed homeowners to defend themselves if their homes were broken into.
OBAMA: Let's be honest. Mr. Keyes does not believe in common gun control measures like the assault weapons bill. Mr. Keyes does not believe in any limits from what I can tell with respect to the possession of guns, including assault weapons that have only one purpose, to kill people. I think it is a scandal that this president did not authorize a renewal of the assault weapons ban.
Source: Illinois Senate Debate #3: Barack Obama vs. Alan Keyes Oct 21, 2004
Ban semi-automatics, and more possession restrictions
Principles that Obama supports on gun issues:
• Ban the sale or transfer of all forms of semi-automatic weapons.
• Increase state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
• Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks with firearms.
Source: 1998 IL State Legislative National Political Awareness Test Jul 2, 1998
Voted NO on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers.
A bill to prohibit civil liability actions from being brought or continued against manufacturers, distributors, dealers, or importers of firearms or ammunition for damages, injunctive or other relief resulting from the misuse of their products by others. Voting YES would:
• Exempt lawsuits brought against individuals who knowingly transfer a firearm that will be used to commit a violent or drug-trafficking crime
• Exempt lawsuits against actions that result in death, physical injury or property damage due solely to a product defect
• Call for the dismissal of all qualified civil liability actions pending on the date of enactment by the court in which the action was brought
• Prohibit the manufacture, import, sale or delivery of armor piercing ammunition, and sets a minimum prison term of 15 years for violations
• Require all licensed importers, manufacturers and dealers who engage in the transfer of handguns to provide secure gun storage or safety devices
Reference: Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act; Bill S 397 ; vote number 2005-219 on Jul 29, 2005
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As an aside, Obama also denounced this week the court's ruling that capital punishment could not be used in cases where children were raped. That ruling was made by the same liberal judges he so admires.
Hmmm. One begins to wonder if this guy really means what he says.
Never mind a little tiddybit that came up. Remember that white preacher who did the "I'm entitled" riff on Hillary? Well, he was noticeably absent from Jesse Jackson's latest protest visit to DSA Arms down in southern Illinois. But he was there at the first. So that tells you just a little more about Obama and his friends.
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johnsmith
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