You couldn’t have missed it if you watched the news today — the NRA’s latest volley in its fight against tighter gun control. This time they attacked the administration for providing armed protection for Sasha and Malia Obama at their school, and not doing the same for all the other school children in America. Stupid on its face and repugnant in its reference to the president’s children in its fight against gun control.
With this ad and controversial spokesmen like Wayne LaPierre and Alex Jones, the NRA is doing America a valuable service. They are clearly demonstrating the need for both stricter gun control laws and better mental health care and screening.
Meantime, NRA President David Keene is defending the ad and insists, “We were not talking about the president’s kids.” Could have fooled me.
Keep shooting yourself in the foot, NRA. You’re doing a great job so far.
Shameful PT, just shameful… 😕
It’s disturbing that an organization so large and powerful (and heavily armed!) is also apparently so irrational and narrow-minded. Or at least is led by such people. If, as they would have us believe, their members are responsible, average folks-next-door Americans, those “normal” people need to speak up and show us the organization is not just a bunch of gun manufacturers, gun dealers, and gun nuts.
I watched it yesterday, and my first thought was, “yeah, people are gunning for my kids as much as the president’s kids, right?” What a load of shit. What are they thinking? Conservatives bitch about social programs but they largely support the NRA, and the NRA wants the government to institute a MASSIVE social program that would put armed guards in public schools at taxpayer expense? Who is the hypocrite in this scam? For the NRA, more guns will always be the solution, not less. They’d like to see everyone in America armed to the teeth. Their philosophy that no one shoots when everyone is armed is inherently flawed. It’s mutual assured destruction on a public level. But MAD works for nations because the people with their fingers on the buttons are screened, trained, and prevented from pushing that button by themselves. A crowd of armed angry civilians is not the same. An insane teenager is not the same. A nut with a gun is not the same. A fanatic with a cause is not the same.
Is this what we’ve come to? Putting armed paramilitary forces in schools at taxpayers expense to protect our children? Is this really what we want at a time when the economy is barely sputtering and the deficit is running out of control? One wonders is the NRA would happily end medicaid and medicare to pay for armed security in schools. This is about priorities, resources, and vision. The NRA should have a hard look at what they want for America’s future before they start spouting such drivel to their fanatical constituents. And using the “elitist” line again – give me a fricken break. That again? Is that the best insult they can come up with? That “elitist” crap went out eight years ago. Check the record, NRA, who elected Obama. Was it a collection of elitists?
Oh, I think they’ve already had a hard look at what they want for America’s future — and what they want is a gun in every home, a gun on every hip, armed civilians at every school and public venue. They want a paramilitary citizenry where they, not our elected government, are in charge. At least this is the image they are projecting.
In which case, their goal is revolution and anarchy.
I’d actually written “anarchy” and then deleted it. So far they seem to be relying on bluster and intimidation. But when the bully has a gun, what are you supposed to think?
Normal people know Presidents’ kids go to private secure schools (well, not Amy Carter who’s parents were determined to be “average people”) and have security guards…especially at concerts, parties, spring breaks, trips outside the US…etc. These kids are at risk.
Still some with some topics, all children should be excused from the room while grown-ups talk about grown-up things.
Children might be stressed less if allowed to be kids and not forced by adults to be topics of controversies or pawns in political jabs.
The NRA ad is stupid, counterproductive, and a blatant violation of the unspoken rule to not drag the president’s children into the spotlight. But I also didn’t approve of the president himself, on the same day, bringing kids on stage while he announced his new gun initiatives. Yesterday both sides were guilty of exploiting children for political gain.
Yes so disappointed in both sides.
Agree that the more NRA leaders speak, the more they hurt their own cause. Whether or not Mr. Obama is successful in curbing some of the more outrageous abuses of gun ownership rights, it is good that we are having the debates and that a forthright attempt has been made to strengthen controls.
It baffles me that, if most NRA members really are average, normal, everyday Americans, they haven’t moved to take or retake control of their organization and prove that it really is a rational, reasonable organization and not just a bunch of gun nuts. Unless, of course, it really is just a bunch of gun nuts …
*Picks jaw up off floor*. I’m speechless, PT. Man’s ignorance knows no bounds. This is a clodhopper of a campaign: it worries me considerably if the people with the intellects to produce this are running a campaign to keep America armed. Thank you for posting about it.
At the very least, with their resources, I’d expect them to produce beautifully executed, well-thought-out ads with flawless reasoning, the sort of thing that would win over the other side, not repel it. There are some valid reasons for some people to have some guns. Why don’t they talk about that?
Personally, I’m convinced that the NRA isn’t run by a bunch of Gun nuts. It is run by the gun manufacturers. It’s people like the CEOs of various gun production companies who are now in charge of the NRA. Gun restrictions mean less gun sales and therefore reduced profits for their companies. The major gun manufacturers have long since taken over the NRA since the early nineteen ninties. The NRA is little more than an expanded PR arm for the weapon production companies of America. It really is that simple. The people who hold NRA membership cards are now just along for the ride, utterly helpless to do or say anything that can stop what the CEOs of the NRA are now doing. Sad really.
I read that somewhere recently and it makes a lot of sense; financial interests drive everything else in Washington. But whether it’s the gun manufacturers or the members, there are some nut jobs running the current publicity efforts.