NRA On Virginia Tech
As you may or may not know, the NRA has remained silent on the Virginia Tech massacre, until today Offered in its entirety from the NRA Blog:
It’s been more than a week now since a mass murderer struck on the campus of Virginia Tech, and as the NRA joins the debate on policies and laws, there are a few things I want to point out.
It wasn’t 24 hours after the horrific shootings that the politicians started flapping their lips. Congressman Jim Moran suggested that somehow the tragedy was the fault of Republicans and President Bush. Barack Obama compared the evil events in Blacksburg to outsourcing jobs overseas. Senator Dianne Feinstein called for a new dialogue on gun control. Mayor Bloomberg spoke of the events in Blacksburg as he pushed to stop the Tiahrt Amendment from being renewed. And that’s just the politicians.
Gun control advocates had a field day. Within hours, the Brady Campaign had a “Donate Now!” button on their website. The Violence Policy Center was blaming “lax gun laws” in Virginia for the murders, instead of placing the blame on the madman. John Rosenthal, head of Stop Handgun Violence in Massachusetts, even suggested that the gun laws in that state make it less likely for mass murder to occur there.
While this was going on, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine made a statement that seemed to fall mostly on deaf ears. He said, “People who want to take this within 24 hours of the event and make it, you know, their political hobby horse to ride, I’ve got nothing but loathing for them. To those who want to, you know, try to make this into some little crusade, you know, I say take that elsewhere. Let this community deal with grieving individuals and be sensitive to those needs.”
I absolutely agree with that statement. We’ve been debating gun control in this country for decades now. What does it hurt to pause for a few days in the midst of a tragedy to let the families of the victims grieve in peace, without being turned into a poster child either for gun rights or gun control? The answer, frankly, is it doesn’t hurt anyone. Sure, you might not get to appear on national television to promote your agenda, but there’s a time and a place for that. Even the brightest television studio lights can’t hide the fact that you’re standing in the shadow of an enormous tragedy in order to further your cause.
There is a time and a place for the discussion, the debate, and even the argument over gun control. I believe there is a time to resume this conversation. That is not hours after an event like this takes place. I wish my opponents felt the same way.
Doghouse:
Personally, I’m a GOA man.
April 26, 2007, 8:38 pmDiary of the Mad Pigeon:
Open Topic of the Week: Gun Control
With all the gun control discussions heating the airwaves I figured this would be a good time to put the topic in your hands. I gathered many sources for this topic; it’s testy enough to warrant the extra research opportunity
April 26, 2007, 10:30 pmJeffrey Quick:
To see the USA’s Biggest Gun Control Organization get all “sensitive” like that…well, it’s not about sensitivity, it’s about image control. They don’t want to get blamed for VT, even if it wasn’t their fault.
April 27, 2007, 11:08 amFree Speech America:
Many vetrans want a plan for the war in Iraq. Americans now believe the war is the most important issue facing us as a nation. Should we have a time line for withdrawl or not? Staff Sgt Blake Baxter discusses a timeline for Iraq, is it possible to have a timeline for troop withdrawl without letting the country fall into the control of terrorists? What’s your view? What would you say?
May 8, 2007, 1:01 am