NRA's Reckless Agenda

[alfsauve]

In Friday's Marietta Daily Journal, columnist Kevin Foley attacked gun owners and the NRA with,

If you’re appalled by America’s runaway gun violence epidemic and believe we should enact sensible gun safety legislation, you’re among the biblical “wicked” that “never rest.”  So claims National Rifle Association board member and former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr.

http://www.mdjonline.com/opinion/kevin-foley-nra-s-reckless-agenda-at-odds-with-law/article_9ee975b6-1337-11e6-9534-27ce4776fd41.html

It goes on and on (25+ column inches), talking about "gun safety" and how the NRA is a industry trade organization.

I couldn't address every issue, but I did compose a short reply to the editors. 

Columnist Kevin Foley's article on NRA's Reckless Agenda (5/6/2016) was full of misstatements and misdirection, including his opening sentence.  Checking the facts with the FBI web site one finds that the U.S. hardly has a "runaway gun violence epidemic."  It may be the impression ones gets from the media's constant stream of coverage, but statistics show otherwise.   Both criminal usage and accidents have been on a steady decline despite an ever growing number of firearms and firearm owners.

A little research would have also shown that the firearm industry's "trade organization" is the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), which has around 13,000 member companies. The NRA is a membership organization of over four million people. A considerable grass roots number of voters, who yes, exert their influence on elected officials as citizens should.  The NRA, just like the Marietta Daily Journal, does take advertising for the publications, but it hardly influences their decisions.   NRA advertisers don't always agree with the NRA's positions, as I'm sure happens with the MDJ.

I also noticed Mr. Foley the used latest buzz words, gun safety, that is being promoted by gun control advocates instead of the words, gun control.  Everyone is for safety, but it is disingenuous to pass off 2nd amendment infringement as a "safety" issue when it is a "control" one.  Another word being misunderstood and misused is, regulated.  The word, especially in the context of the Constitution, did not mean to control or govern, but to be well ordered or well practiced.  In order for the people to be effectively armed, they need to have everyday access to firearms so they could practice with them, so they could be intimately familiar with them and have them available when needed.   A pivotal point of the US Revolution occurred 4/20/1775 and whose lesson was probably foremost on the minds of our founding leaders when they drafted the 2nd amendment.

It is the conservative and the gun rights advocate that are often accused of fear mongering and misdirection, but I believe in practice it is precisely articles like Mr. Foley's that do so the most.

[tombogan03884]

Guess the idiot hasn't seen the FBI stats for the last 20+ years that show a 50% DECREASE in violent crime as CCW becomes easier and more widespread.

[PegLeg45]

Guess the idiot hasn't seen the FBI stats for the last 20+ years that show a 50% DECREASE in violent crime as CCW becomes easier and more widespread.

They always seem to miss, er, ignore that pesky little detail.


Great reply, Alf.

[Solus]

The administration is taking steps to correct that "pesky little detail".

"We'll just see how much the crime rate drops once the flood of Syrian refugees gets active.  THEN we can rub the NRA's nose in those statistics."

[alfsauve]

Yeah!   Though it's 10 days after the original article, but the MDJ ran my letter today, along with 2 others.  Mine got top billing though.

Positive comments of FaceBook, where I posted it.  My County Commish's wife dropped by my office to tell me her husband thought it was an excellent letter.

I have several, not-friendly-to-guns friends on FB.  I'm hoping that without beating them over the head on the issue, they will absorb some of what I said.




Here's the link, but you might have to wait till tomorrow.  They want you to pay for today's paper.

http://www.mdjonline.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/reader-addresses-gun-control/article_4054649a-1bc3-11e6-b2c0-2fef322e8066.html

[Sponsor]

[billt]

Anti gun liberals are getting pretty desperate. Gun violence, in spite of Chicago, is actually going down nationwide. While gun sales are at an all time high. Fewer and fewer people are buying into gun control. And they, (liberal communists), are receiving more opposition. Funny thing is they're still pushing it, even though it's been all political risk, coupled with no reward.

They just never get it. Just like all of these Trump "protesters". The more they carry on, the higher he goes in the polls. These people aren't very bright.

[tombogan03884]

Anti gun liberals are getting pretty desperate. Gun violence, in spite of Chicago, is actually going down nationwide. While gun sales are at an all time high. Fewer and fewer people are buying into gun control. And they, (liberal communists), are receiving more opposition. Funny thing is they're still pushing it, even though it's been all political risk, coupled with no reward.

They just nevewr get it. Just like all of these Trump "protesters". The more they carry on, the higher he goes in the polls. Tehese people aren't very bright.