NRA Statement

[MikeBjerum]

So lets see. the poll states that 55%  of americans think all semi-auto weapons should be band. The big word here is ALL. No semi hand guns, No semi shotguns, No semi Rifles. Sounds alot like other countries bans.  Just how many of this 55% have one ore more of these semi-auto weapons at home.

Fact from Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Firearm Safety and Hunter Education:

Nationally, there are ten percent of the national population at each poll of firearms and hunting - 10% aware and unaware and positive, and 10% aware or unaware and negative.  Let's say that of the 80% in the middle, those that have a knowledge of how firearms work equals the unaware in both the positive and negative slots.  What this means, and DNR believes the numbers show this, 80% of the national population does not understand what they are talking about on this topic.

Time is in our favor in this debate.  Emotions are starting to settle.  The funerals and memorial services will be over soon; Santa Claus comes next week; people get drunk in ten nights; we're going to get something done or not done on the budget; and before Congress comes back Dancing With the Stars will be back on the air.    If we just stick to the unemotional facts, and keep our cool perspective we will show how the previous ban did not work, and banning this time will not either.

Glimmers of hope - I stated elsewhere that here in Minnesota two that stated the supported a ban on Monday are now pulling back from the DFL talking points and stating facts that show bans don't work.

[Solus]

I think the swat at the entertainment industry might be to put them on the defensive...let them rant about free speech and their 1A rights. 

One of the real kickers is that the program is FREE to individual schools.   That may sidestep a lot of opposition because the decision to protect the kids  now rests in the local school district. 

Any school district that passes on the offer will be asked what is there objection to protecting the kids with armed good guys.

What needs to be repeated is how we protect our money and elected officials with armed guards....but deny that same protection to the kids. 

We now have a strong position to say   "If it saves just one child's live, isn't it worth it?  It's for the children."

The statement is full of very nice 'sound bites' and slogans.

"Who you gonna call?  Good guys with guns!"


 

[Magoo541]

I think the swat at the entertainment industry might be to put them on the defensive...let them rant about free speech and their 1A rights. 

One of the real kickers is that the program is FREE to individual schools.   That may sidestep a lot of opposition because the decision to protect the kids  now rests in the local school district. 

Any school district that passes on the offer will be asked what is there objection to protecting the kids with armed good guys.

What needs to be repeated is how we protect our money and elected officials with armed guards....but deny that same protection to the kids. 

We now have a strong position to say   "If it saves just one child's live, isn't it worth it?  It's for the children."

The statement is full of very nice 'sound bites' and slogans.

"Who you gonna call?  Good guys with guns!"

It is an attempt to deflect some of the attention and place it were the liberals live.  Pretty good Sun Tzu/Salinski Tactic divide your enemy and get them fighting within.

I personally believe, and others have stated here on DRTV, is that LBJ's "Great Society" is more at fault than anything else.  Even if you can get a liberal to agree they will just say they had good intentions, yeah and Hell is full of people that had good intentions too.

[tombogan03884]

Local news was exactly what I expected .
15 seconds or less of Wayne LaPierre and the rest of the 5 minutes was School principles and Superintendents saying "the NRA is crazy, the last thing they need is more guns".
Then they cut to Obama's "Fiscal Cliff" speech.

[rv8tor]

Here is how we are addressing the issue in Spartanburg , SC
http://www2.wspa.com/news/2012/dec/21/2/upstate-elementary-schools-add-armed-officers-ar-5218468/

[Sponsor]

[seeker_two]

The biggest disappointment to the NRA position is that it infers that the Gun-Free Zones should remain in place and that teachers & other school staff (in whom we already entrust with our children's safety) should not be allowed to voluntarily participate in armed defense. Instead, we need more "Only Ones Professional Enough For This Glock .40" types while educators will continued to be trained to hide behind locked doors unarmed....by the NRA, no less.

[santahog]

I think the swat at the entertainment industry might be to put them on the defensive...let them rant about free speech and their 1A rights. 

One of the real kickers is that the program is FREE to individual schools.   That may sidestep a lot of opposition because the decision to protect the kids  now rests in the local school district. 

Any school district that passes on the offer will be asked what is there objection to protecting the kids with armed good guys.

What needs to be repeated is how we protect our money and elected officials with armed guards....but deny that same protection to the kids. 

We now have a strong position to say   "If it saves just one child's live, isn't it worth it?  It's for the children."

The statement is full of very nice 'sound bites' and slogans.

"Who you gonna call?  Good guys with guns!"

I think you've got it right here..

I appreciate that Wayne waited a week, for the sake of sensitivity in the face of tragedy..
I think the NRA has it right in that what they're offering is a plan that depends on local districts and local people to choose it and staff it.
His suggestion that the entertainment industry, gaming and otherwise contributes to the presence of (actual, non-virtual) violence is spot on. (Col. Grossman, James Dobson and many others made videos and wrote books pointing this out a good 15 years ago now, with predictable response from that industry.)

I think (hope) that Wayne didn't drill down any harder on essentially treating the mentally ill like they do the Sex Offender Registry, I suspect is because of the "who's and why's" of finding one's self listed as such.
The 2013 NDAA allows the VA to declare a veteran to be emotionally incompetent without recourse, or if you remember dealing with the VA, (which is not dissimilar to dealing with the IRS), can make declarations and pronouncements based on the observations of a Nurse Practitioner or similar unqualified staff.. That one is done without even the opportunity to come before a Judge for redress or review..
Don't give the government sponsored health care system that tool.. They know how to use it to their agenda and advantage..
That one will end up being a very effective "back door" to accomplishing the same end as an outright ban, ultimately..

Congress granting funds for immediate implementation of this or any "plan" is a dangerous and easily perverted mine field for something like this..
I can see Block Granting back to the States, I suppose, as start up funding, but only if a locality has a plan agreed upon and accepted by local convening authority designated/empowered to make such a decision.. The quickest way to screw up an otherwise good idea is to throw government money at it.. Government funding of education is a good illustration. It runs afoul of Constitutionality and will immediately require triple funding to subsidize the 2 to 1 public sector unionized bureaucracy that comes with every Federal Dollar spent on something, like this or anything else..
I'm not sure that this approach isn't as much an emotional knee jerk response as those on the other side, (but I understand, tactically, why he approached it this way).

Arming and training teachers MUST be voluntary.. Face it, there are alot of "sane, normal" people who none of us would like to see armed, in any setting.. Discipline in the classroom is nonexistent as it is. How long before some halfwit uses a CCW as a veiled or overt threat to a student?.. It might seem a humorous thought sitting here. Take it to a courtroom and it's not funny anymore.. Some folks just aren't cut out for it..
Developing a precautionary process for something like that will translate directly to a civilian requirement for the same.. Again, easily perverted. And once that genie is out of the bottle, you'll never get it back in, not without armed insurrection..

Without prattling on about  "on the other hand" stuff, this "plan" should be developed and made available, easily altered to the general differences in requirements that different localities would be expected to have.
If the NRA wants to provide free training or a training program of armed staff, great.. It has no business getting entangled with government funding. Government Dollars seem much like heroin (or food stamps or SSI), creating addictions that make the recipient easily manipulated, or "suggestible".. We don't want that..

Doing this could be easy and nearly free to make happen. Don't demand funding for an NRA branded program..

******

Any of that make sense?? 

[tombogan03884]

There is no need for any funding, or other administration if they simply allow already qualified CCW teachers to carry in school with the stipulation of no "off body" carry .
As for the mental health aspects, perhaps tie "preventive detention", or some other form of monitoring to specific mental conditions or medications .
It's unlikely that a Veteran having nightmares will be on the same medications as a homicidal maniac.

[MikeBjerum]

The issue we have is that the victimized sheep of this nation have no understanding of how personal responsibility and self defense work, and this is multiplied by their total lack of awareness of the environment they live in.  Not only do they go through life with their noses buried in their smart phones and ipads with earphones shoved deep in their cranium where most used to store a brain, but they have disconnected with the real world so much that they have no idea what is happening all around them.

It is true that as I am here at home or in my private personal and professional office my loaded self protection firearm, knife, flashlight and other available tools are sitting off my body.  Also, when I am reclining watching a movie or reading in the Lazy-Boy those tools are not on my body.  However, whenever there are guests in any of these settings or I am in a public setting (this would be comparable to a classroom) these tools are in their designated carry position, and most never know I have them.  Those that do are the ones who know I am prepared, and they spend their time trying to figure out where I have it.

We need to continue these discussions in the open and as a part of everyday life.  What Wayne LaPierre did on behalf of the National Rifle Association is to not only say we aren't going to give up, but he gave reasonable and workable solutions.  He said we should put armed police officers in every school.  That is a reasonable solution in the eyes of the anti's as opposed to letting private citizens carry in schools.  Now as the debate continues we can go back and forth until it is existing school staff with permits that can act as the guardians of our public educational facilities.

I also like the idea that Mr. LaPierre threw a portion of this back at the entertainment industry.  It is time that we look at the social issues that have desensitized people to the level that they feel killing others is an appropriate way to solve a dispute or reaction to emotional pain or confusion.  I hope that the numbers are already prepared so that when the NRA is slapped with the dollars they spend "buying" conservatives that we can show the dollars the liberal entertainment industry spends to "purchase" their protections of irresponsible actions.

Regardless of how this twists and turns we need to keep the focus on the action and prevention rather than the tool and elimination.

[PegLeg45]

What's totally funny about the liberal view and speaking out against the NRA's plan, is that during his administration, even ol' William the Slick wanted to fund higher school security and training........but now that it's the NRA's plan, it's a bad idea.

Even though technically it was for some different reasons, the end goal was for better security......

Clinton Pledges Funds to Add Police to Schools

Marking the first anniversary of the shooting deaths at Columbine High School, President Clinton announced $120 million in new federal grants Saturday to place more police officers in schools and help even the youngest kids cope with their problems.

"In our national struggle against youth violence we must not fail our children; our future depends on it," the president said in his weekly radio address.

----------------------------------

Parents, teens, teachers, youth workers and others will discuss research that indicates the preteen years set patterns for behavior and success in adulthood. Other subjects will include the risks, challenges and anxieties faced by young people today and what can be done to avoid dangerous or risky behavior.

"We need to talk about safety and security in every house in America," Clinton said.

Republican critics said the federal government is a clumsy middleman in trying to cope with problems that should be addressed locally. They cast doubt on whether the teen conference would accomplish anything, accused Clinton of ignoring media violence and said he should support stiff jail sentences for anyone carrying a firearm in a violent or drug-related crime.

Clinton announced $40 million in grants for 23 school districts that he said have found successful, comprehensive approaches to help troubled young people.

"These districts are bringing school nurses and counselors together to respond to warning signs like depression or bullying," Clinton said. "They are improving classroom security and expanding after-school and mentoring programs."

Clinton also unveiled the $60-million fifth round of funding for "COPS in School," a Justice Department program that helps pay the costs of placing police officers in schools to help make them safer for students and teachers. The money will be used to provide 452 officers in schools in more than 220 communities.

"Already, it has placed 2,200 officers in more than 1,000 communities across our nation, where they are heightening school safety as well as coaching sports and acting as mentors and mediators for kids in need," Clinton said.


http://articles.latimes.com/2000/apr/16/news/mn-20323