But see here's the thing, the NRA members are paying there dues to a madman who may or may not have suffered a full break with reality. On Friday NRA president Wayne LaPierre gave a speech about what he thinks is causing gun violence and proves that he doesnt live in the same reality as the rest of us.
Here are some of the "highlights"
"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."
Armed Guards in a bank? I gotta be honest, I've NEVER seen one. I've banked or been in banks in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, DC, Pennsylvania, and New York City, and I've never seen an armed guard anywhere in any bank. Hell I live in a place that earlier this year had had more murders then we had had days in the year, so I'm sure if armed guards were needed I'd see them.
Now did we used to have them? sure I would assume so from what people tell me, and to be fair I'm sure a few banks still have them. But the fact of the matter is the vast Majority of banks dont have them, cause they dont need them, thanks to a shit ton of security cameras and time locks on the vaults so they cant be opened no matter what.
Same's true for a sporting event, while I'm sure its happened on occasion depending on the events, I've never seen an armed guard there either, and I've been to a fair amount of sporting events (DC, Baltimore, Philly, NYC)
And when's the last time you heard about a mass murder at a bank or a sporting event? As far as I know its never happened.
So analogy fail here for Mr. LaPierre, who apparently doesnt get out much......or hallucinates guns.
"So now, due to a declining willingness to prosecute dangerous criminals, violent crime is increasing again for the first time in 19 years! Add another hurricane, terrorist attack or some other natural or man-made disaster, and you've got a recipe for a national nightmare of violence and victimization."
To be fair I believe Mr. Lapierre is right on the first half of his paragraph, based on the last few years we have complete records for violent crime is starting to swing up again, and has for the last 3 complete years or so (so thats about 2006-2009....we only have rough numbers for 2010 and 2011 that I could find anyways, and they also show that).
Now thats where is gets kinda interesting/the part Mr. LaPierre would prefer you not know about. 19 years ago was 1994. The year the assault weapons ban went into place.Which apparently led to a decrease in violent crime, according to Mr. LaPierre, which has only increased in recent years (after the Ban was allowed to lapse.....)
So yea in a speech talking about why we dont need more gun restrictions the NRA president just made an argument [indirectly] for the assault weapons ban.....OOPS
Here are some of the "highlights"
"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."
Armed Guards in a bank? I gotta be honest, I've NEVER seen one. I've banked or been in banks in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, DC, Pennsylvania, and New York City, and I've never seen an armed guard anywhere in any bank. Hell I live in a place that earlier this year had had more murders then we had had days in the year, so I'm sure if armed guards were needed I'd see them.
Now did we used to have them? sure I would assume so from what people tell me, and to be fair I'm sure a few banks still have them. But the fact of the matter is the vast Majority of banks dont have them, cause they dont need them, thanks to a shit ton of security cameras and time locks on the vaults so they cant be opened no matter what.
Same's true for a sporting event, while I'm sure its happened on occasion depending on the events, I've never seen an armed guard there either, and I've been to a fair amount of sporting events (DC, Baltimore, Philly, NYC)
And when's the last time you heard about a mass murder at a bank or a sporting event? As far as I know its never happened.
So analogy fail here for Mr. LaPierre, who apparently doesnt get out much......or hallucinates guns.
"So now, due to a declining willingness to prosecute dangerous criminals, violent crime is increasing again for the first time in 19 years! Add another hurricane, terrorist attack or some other natural or man-made disaster, and you've got a recipe for a national nightmare of violence and victimization."
To be fair I believe Mr. Lapierre is right on the first half of his paragraph, based on the last few years we have complete records for violent crime is starting to swing up again, and has for the last 3 complete years or so (so thats about 2006-2009....we only have rough numbers for 2010 and 2011 that I could find anyways, and they also show that).
Now thats where is gets kinda interesting/the part Mr. LaPierre would prefer you not know about. 19 years ago was 1994. The year the assault weapons ban went into place.Which apparently led to a decrease in violent crime, according to Mr. LaPierre, which has only increased in recent years (after the Ban was allowed to lapse.....)
So yea in a speech talking about why we dont need more gun restrictions the NRA president just made an argument [indirectly] for the assault weapons ban.....OOPS
"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. And here's one: it's called Kindergarten Killers. It's been online for 10 years. How come my research department could find it and all of yours either couldn't or didn't want anyone to know you had found it?
Then there's the blood-soaked slasher films like "American Psycho" and "Natural Born Killers" that are aired like propaganda loops on "Splatterdays" and every day, and a thousand music videos that portray life as a joke and murder as a way of life. And then they have the nerve to call it "entertainment."
Actually to be fair, Mr. LaPierre is totally right here. I've been to Canada, France, England, Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic in my life time, and I can attest they dont have video games over there. In fact the leading form of entertainment is other countries still beating a hoop with a stick.....except for Canada where its hockey. But yea I mean that's why their homicide rates are so low, they have never seen or played video games, and they have no idea what "Mortal Kombat" is.
They also dont have internet so they cant download american games from online. Instead they still communicate via smoke signals and carrier pigeons....except for Englands wizard population, they use owls.
They also dont have internet so they cant download american games from online. Instead they still communicate via smoke signals and carrier pigeons....except for Englands wizard population, they use owls.
So clearly it is the unique availability of video games in America that is the problem.
A child growing up in America witnesses 16,000 murders and 200,000 acts of violence by the time he or she reaches the ripe old age of 18."
Yea I dont know where those numbers came from in that last sentence either. Normally I would assume they came from Mr. LaPierre's ass.....but then i dont know where he would store his head.
I also assume that Mr. LaPierre is referring to acts of violence and death in video games. I could be wrong though cause you dont usually call a video game death "Murder".........well at least not if your able to distinguish between real murders, like say 20 children in CT, and the blinking out of various electronic pixles meant to show the fictional death of a fictional person......but maybe that's just me.
Or maybe we just found out way more about the reality Wayne LaPierre is living in, and that he really cant tell the difference......which is terrifying since he's leading a gun lobby.
Oh but wait we are about to reach one of my favorite parts. And by favorite parts I mean the absolute proof Mr. LaPierre no longer exists in reality.
"And throughout it all, too many in our national media … their corporate owners … and their stockholders … act as silent enablers, if not complicit co-conspirators. Rather than face their own moral failings, the media demonize lawful gun owners, amplify their cries for more laws and fill the national debate with misinformation and dishonest thinking that only delay meaningful action and all but guarantee that the next atrocity is only a news cycle away.
The media call semi-automatic firearms "machine guns" — they claim these civilian semi-automatic firearms are used by the military, and they tell us that the .223 round is one of the most powerful rifle calibers ... when all of these claims are factually untrue . They don't know what they're talking about."
Oh but wait we are about to reach one of my favorite parts. And by favorite parts I mean the absolute proof Mr. LaPierre no longer exists in reality.
"And throughout it all, too many in our national media … their corporate owners … and their stockholders … act as silent enablers, if not complicit co-conspirators. Rather than face their own moral failings, the media demonize lawful gun owners, amplify their cries for more laws and fill the national debate with misinformation and dishonest thinking that only delay meaningful action and all but guarantee that the next atrocity is only a news cycle away.
The media call semi-automatic firearms "machine guns" — they claim these civilian semi-automatic firearms are used by the military, and they tell us that the .223 round is one of the most powerful rifle calibers ... when all of these claims are factually untrue . They don't know what they're talking about."
By the way, I should point out that .223 were the caliber fired by the Sandy Hook shooter last week. Just FYI.
So yea there you have it, according to Mr. LaPierre the shooting is the media's fault, as is the hysteria behind it. Because rather then take away our video games, so we can beat hoops with sticks like they do in Europe, the media lies about how dangerous bullets are.
So yea there you have it, according to Mr. LaPierre the shooting is the media's fault, as is the hysteria behind it. Because rather then take away our video games, so we can beat hoops with sticks like they do in Europe, the media lies about how dangerous bullets are.
I mean lets face it, .223's only killed 20 kids, that's not dangerous thats normal. A really dangerous bullet would have killed a kid, penetrated the wall behind the kid, and shot the kids in the next room too.
One child per bullet is simply the bullet working as advertised and therefore totally not dangerous, right? I mean whats the worst that could happen? other then 20 dead kids........
"Worse, they perpetuate the dangerous notion that one more gun ban — or one more law imposed on peaceful, lawful people — will protect us where 20,000 others have failed."
I know right, people like Wayne LaPierre who point out how crime was lower when the assault weapons ban was in place are trying to distract and mislead you from the real issue. I mean we all know gun ban's dont work....that's why crime was lower when we had a ban, just like LaPierre said......
One child per bullet is simply the bullet working as advertised and therefore totally not dangerous, right? I mean whats the worst that could happen? other then 20 dead kids........
"Worse, they perpetuate the dangerous notion that one more gun ban — or one more law imposed on peaceful, lawful people — will protect us where 20,000 others have failed."
I know right, people like Wayne LaPierre who point out how crime was lower when the assault weapons ban was in place are trying to distract and mislead you from the real issue. I mean we all know gun ban's dont work....that's why crime was lower when we had a ban, just like LaPierre said......
"The only way to stop a monster from killing our kids is to be personally involved and invested in a plan of absolute protection. The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. Would you rather have your 911 call bring a good guy with a gun from a mile away ... or a minuteaway?"
See here's the problem with that theory......
here's the list of shooters I could find taken down during the rampage by unarmed civilians:
The Long Island Railway shooter, Jared Lee Loughner* (Congresswomen giffords assination attempt), The Richland High School Shooter, The Frontier Middle School shooter, Michael Carneal (heath high school shooter), The Thurston High School Shooter, The Rocori High School shooter, The Campbell County High School shooter, The Weston High School shooter, University of Alabama shooter and the Chardon High School shooter.
See here's the problem with that theory......
here's the list of shooters I could find taken down during the rampage by unarmed civilians:
The Long Island Railway shooter, Jared Lee Loughner* (Congresswomen giffords assination attempt), The Richland High School Shooter, The Frontier Middle School shooter, Michael Carneal (heath high school shooter), The Thurston High School Shooter, The Rocori High School shooter, The Campbell County High School shooter, The Weston High School shooter, University of Alabama shooter and the Chardon High School shooter.
Now for the list of shooters taken down by armed force from someone other then the police:
Thats the whole list. It's never happend. Not once. In fact at the Gabby Giffords shooting, someone in the crowd did have a gun, and even drew it.....and then by his own admission almost shot and killed the man who managed to get the real shooters gun away from him. So yea he almost shot the wrong person.
But you see in Wayne LaPierre's reality there are actually events on that second list......never mind that you cant see them....they are real to him damn it.
And then there is more from the strange universe of Wayne LaPierre.
"Now, I can imagine the shocking headlines you'll print tomorrow morning: "More guns," you'll claim,"are the NRA's answer to everything!" Your implication will be that guns are evil and have no place in society, much less in our schools. But since when did the word "gun" automatically become a bad word?
A gun in the hands of a Secret Service agent protecting the president isn't a bad word. A gun in the hands of a soldier protecting the United States isn't a bad word. And when you hear the glass breaking in your living room at 3 a.m. and call 911, you won't be able to pray hard enough for a gun in the hands of a good guy to get there fast enough to protect you."
Again thats a favorite mass delusion of the NRA's. ASSUMING someone is going to break into your house in the first place, the most recent crime statistics say that there is a 75% chance you wont be home. of the 25% chance you will, there is only a 7% chance the robber will turn violent, and of that 7% only a 40% chance he has a weapon, and only a 12% chance of it being a gun.
Basically assuming your one of the 3 million people (out of a population of 314 Million) who will have their house broken into, you have about a .006% chance of the guy carrying a gun.
Now on top of all of that, 75% of robberies happen during the day, further reducing the changes of a 3am break in. (to .0015%)
In fact the much better odds suggest the robber is totally unarmed and as soon as they realize your home they will run like hell. (because he meant to break in when you werent home and made a mistake)
So in short Mr. LaPierre's situation sounds scary.....but it basically never happens.
"So why is the idea of a gun good when it's used to protect our president or our country or our police, but bad when it's used to protect our children in their schools?
They're our kids. They're our responsibility. And it's not just our duty to protect them — it's our right to protect them.
You know, five years ago, after the Virginia Tech tragedy, when I said we should put armed security in every school, the media called me crazy. But what if, when Adam Lanza started shooting his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School last Friday, he had been confronted by qualified, armed security?"
So in short Mr. LaPierre's situation sounds scary.....but it basically never happens.
"So why is the idea of a gun good when it's used to protect our president or our country or our police, but bad when it's used to protect our children in their schools?
They're our kids. They're our responsibility. And it's not just our duty to protect them — it's our right to protect them.
You know, five years ago, after the Virginia Tech tragedy, when I said we should put armed security in every school, the media called me crazy. But what if, when Adam Lanza started shooting his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School last Friday, he had been confronted by qualified, armed security?"
To be fair we all know the armed police officer at columbine prevented that shooting, right? I mean there was never a shooting at columbine high school right? see how well armed cops work.....(and yes by the way, there was an armed police officer at columbine named Neil Gardner)
"With all the foreign aid, with all the money in the federal budget, we can't afford to put a police officer in every school? Even if they did that, politicians have no business — and no authority — denying us the right, the ability, or the moral imperative to protect ourselves and our loved ones from harm."
"With all the foreign aid, with all the money in the federal budget, we can't afford to put a police officer in every school? Even if they did that, politicians have no business — and no authority — denying us the right, the ability, or the moral imperative to protect ourselves and our loved ones from harm."
Exactly, I mean why are we giving foreign aid to by sticks to hit hoops with, instead of trying the stratigy that worked to prevent the Columbine shooting?
"Now, the National Rifle Association knows that there are millions of qualified active and retired police; active, reserve and retired military; security professionals; certified firefighters and rescue personnel; and an extraordinary corps of patriotic, trained qualified citizens to join with local school officials and police in devising a protection plan for every school. We can deploy them to protect our kids now . We can immediately make America's schools safer — relying on the brave men and women of America's police force."
"Now, the National Rifle Association knows that there are millions of qualified active and retired police; active, reserve and retired military; security professionals; certified firefighters and rescue personnel; and an extraordinary corps of patriotic, trained qualified citizens to join with local school officials and police in devising a protection plan for every school. We can deploy them to protect our kids now . We can immediately make America's schools safer — relying on the brave men and women of America's police force."
Hold up, Reserve Military? The NRA president just called for putting Active Duty [reserve] Military in our schools? Do I really need any more proof this guy has suffered a full break from reality?
Like seriously does anyone want more evidence?
Like seriously does anyone want more evidence?
"The budget of our local police departments are strained and resources are limited, but their dedication and courage are second to none and they can be deployed right now.
I call on Congress today to act immediately, to appropriate whatever is necessary to put armed police officers in every school — and to do it
now, to make sure that blanket of safety is in place when our children return to school in January.
Before Congress reconvenes, before we engage in any lengthy debate over legislation, regulation or anything else, as soon as our kids return to school after the holiday break, we need to haveevery single school in America immediately deploy a protection program proven to work — and by that I mean armed security ."
I call on Congress today to act immediately, to appropriate whatever is necessary to put armed police officers in every school — and to do it
now, to make sure that blanket of safety is in place when our children return to school in January.
Before Congress reconvenes, before we engage in any lengthy debate over legislation, regulation or anything else, as soon as our kids return to school after the holiday break, we need to haveevery single school in America immediately deploy a protection program proven to work — and by that I mean armed security ."
Just by the way, that would cost about 6 BILLION dollars assuming one new cop, at usual pay for the local department, per school. (which again didnt work in columbine)
So yea that's 6 BILLION in NEW spending the house republicans would have to OK, in the middle of the Fiscal Cliff negotiations to reduce spending on something that we (and by we I mean those who dont live in LaPierreland) know doesnt work....instead of trying to find something that might.
And now one final point from LaPierre
"The NRA is going to bring all of its knowledge, dedication and resources to develop a model National School Shield Emergency Response Program for every school that wants it. From armed security to building design and access control to information technology to student and teacher training, this multi-faceted program will be developed by the very best experts in their fields."
Wait a second "student training"? Training to do WHAT, exactly....shoot a weapon? I mean I dont really see anything else he could be suggesting for the student. I mean "RUN" is pretty self explanatory and the only other option would be for the students to confront the shooter.
So just remember in January, when your kid's go back to kindergarten to make sure they dont forget their lunchboxes or their AK-47's.......but on the upside we will finally be teaching something more bad ass then Home Economics.
"For the sake of the safety of every child in America, I call on every parent, every teacher, every school administrator and every law enforcement officer in this country to join us in the National School Shield Program and protect our children with the only line of positive defense that's tested and proven to work."
And by tested to work, we mean that shit has never ever ever ever once worked. Again Columbine had a Cop at the school.... Virginia Tech has a whole damn police force...and again unless I totally misunderstood the news there were massacres at both schools.
But I guess in LaPierreland lack of evidence counts as evidence. After all I'm pretty sure its always ass-backwards day in LaPierreland.
Also one last point from me. I admit I cropped the speech a bit (full transcript here ) but I hit every one of his points. And apparently Wayne LaPierre only thinks kids can be killed in school. Not in Movie Theaters (one of the victims of the batman shooting was 6) or parking lots (another victim at the gabby giffords shooting was 9). So we dont need to address those at all. Or mall shootings. Or Military Base shootings (Ft. Hood).
And by tested to work, we mean that shit has never ever ever ever once worked. Again Columbine had a Cop at the school.... Virginia Tech has a whole damn police force...and again unless I totally misunderstood the news there were massacres at both schools.
But I guess in LaPierreland lack of evidence counts as evidence. After all I'm pretty sure its always ass-backwards day in LaPierreland.
Also one last point from me. I admit I cropped the speech a bit (full transcript here ) but I hit every one of his points. And apparently Wayne LaPierre only thinks kids can be killed in school. Not in Movie Theaters (one of the victims of the batman shooting was 6) or parking lots (another victim at the gabby giffords shooting was 9). So we dont need to address those at all. Or mall shootings. Or Military Base shootings (Ft. Hood).
Cause you know that could never happen, and we never need to protect our kids there, since those places are never marked as "gun free zones" no one would ever try to shoot a kid or anyone else in any of those places. And really how else do you stop the next major crisis from happening if we cant pretend they only happen in places that serve our ass backwards argument.
And one last final point to my friends who are NRA members (and I do have several, although I have no idea if they are reading my blogs) YOU GUYS ARE PAYING THIS MAN'S SALARY.
This is what your dues money is going towards. Over a Million Dollars a year to this guy's salary in order to spew this kind of insane ass backwards bullshit.
But hey I guess if you want active duty military and kindergardener's with guns in all your schools, and believe that its a good idea to defend the ammunition choices of mass murder's then it's money well spent.
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