Level Extreme platform
Subscription
Corporate profile
Products & Services
Support
Legal
Français
The NRA Statement on Newtown
Message
From
21/12/2012 13:30:38
 
 
To
All
General information
Forum:
Politics
Category:
News
Title:
The NRA Statement on Newtown
Miscellaneous
Thread ID:
01560402
Message ID:
01560402
Views:
85
LaPierre manages to make logical sense and then dive into political blame shifting in a matter of minutes.

Full Text Here:
http://o.canada.com/2012/12/21/full-text-of-wayne-lapierres-speech-at-nra-press-conference-on-newtown-massacre/

My Analysis:
Out of respect for those grieving families, and until the facts are known, the NRA has refrained from comment. While some have tried to exploit tragedy for political gain, we have remained respectfully silent.

This is a solid opening with which I wholeheartedlty agree, given the gross misreporting of events that not only happened at Newtown but seems to happen with every major tradegy lately.

Here's what I loved:
Politicians pass laws for Gun-Free School Zones. They issue press releases bragging about them. They post signs advertising them.

And in so doing, they tell every insane killer in America that schools are their safest place to inflict maximum mayhem with minimum risk.

How have our nation’s priorities gotten so far out of order? Think about it. We care about our money, so we protect our banks with armed guards. American airports, office buildings, power plants, courthouses — even sports stadiums — are all protected by armed security.

We care about the President, so we protect him with armed Secret Service agents. Members of Congress work in offices surrounded by armed Capitol Police officers.

Yet when it comes to the most beloved, innocent and vulnerable members of the American family — our children — we as a society leave them utterly defenseless, and the monsters and predators of this world know it and exploit it.


I've read a couple pieces recently which relate mass shootings to "gun-free" zones. Here's one example on Aurora:
So why did the killer pick the Cinemark theater? You might think that it was the one closest to the killer’s apartment. Or, that it was the one with the largest audience.

Yet, neither explanation is right. Instead, out of all the movie theaters within 20 minutes of his apartment showing the new Batman movie that night, it was the only one where guns were banned. In Colorado, individuals with permits can carry concealed handgun in most malls, stores, movie theaters, and restaurants. But private businesses can determine whether permit holders can carry guns on their private property.

Most movie theaters allow permit holders carrying guns. But the Cinemark movie theater was the only one with a sign posted at the theater’s entrance.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/09/10/did-colorado-shooter-single-out-cinemark-theater/

Coulter makes the point more bluntly:
You will notice that most multiple-victim shootings occur in “gun-free zones” — even within states that have concealed-carry laws: public schools, churches, Sikh temples, post offices, the movie theater where James Holmes committed mass murder, and the Portland, Ore., mall where a nut starting gunning down shoppers a few weeks ago.

Guns were banned in all these places. Mass killers may be crazy, but they’re not stupid.

http://www.humanevents.com/2012/12/19/ann-coulter-we-know-how-to-stop-school-shootings/

Note: Yes, I realize that citing foxnews and Coulter will immediately turn a lot of people off. Try not shooting the messenger and reading the message.

Also note: While I think that LaPierre is making an excellent point regarding the security of our children v. our money, politicians, etc, I do not agree with having armed guards at all schools.

After starting out so well, LaPierre then joins in the shift the blame game:
And here’s another dirty little truth that the media try their best to conceal: There exists in this country a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry that sells, and sows, violence against its own people.

Through vicious, violent video games with names like Bulletstorm, Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat and Splatterhouse.


I said before I wish we had organizations as powerful and effective as the NRA for all our rights, however, they're certainly not above "weasely" lobbiest behavior as Charles recently pointed out.
Wine is sunlight, held together by water - Galileo Galilei
Un jour sans vin est comme un jour sans soleil - Louis Pasteur
Water separates the people of the world; wine unites them - anonymous
Wine is the most civilized thing in the world - Ernest Hemingway
Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance - Benjamin Franklin
Next
Reply
Map
View

Click here to load this message in the networking platform