Gun control advocates lost at the federal level after the horrific Sandy Hook shooting. They’re now focusing at the state-level, trying to emulate the success of the gay marriage movement. Given that Republicans represent the most state legislatures since 1920 and two-thirds of the governorships, I doubt this shift will be successful. In essence, gun control is dead. The movement may make some inroads in states that are already notoriously anti-gun, but it’s probably not going to expand in the foreseeable future (which is a good thing).
So, with nowhere to go, the gun control advocates have resorted to abject insanity and shaming to get their points across.
In New York, a group called the States United to Prevent Gun Violence set up a fake gun store where an actor playing the dealer tells would-be customers the lurid details of the firearms they’re looking to purchase, like having the price say, “this gun was used by Adam Lanza at Sandy Hook” on it.
Here’s why they did it:
The point of the PSA is to debunk the perception, held by six in 10 Americans, that owning a firearm makes a home safer. In fact, according to studies, those who own a gun—and those around them—have an increased risk of injury and death.There's a sense here of preaching to the choir. These folks are awfully quick to backtrack from their desire to own a weapon, and the NYC setting might not do much to convince people in less liberal places to consider changing their views.
But it does, at least, suggest—indeed, demonstrate—that minds can be changed on the matter. And it's chilling in the video to see the actual guns that were used in notorious crimes, and must have been that much more so in person.
"Our goal is to educate those looking to purchase a firearm and ensure they are aware of the potential risks [and to promote responsible gun ownership]," says Julia Wyman, executive director of States United To Prevent Gun Violence.
Of course, this video is nonsensical drivel. There are just as many instances when guns are used, lawfully, in self-defense situations. Now, the people in the video, which is accompanied by the soundtrack from “Moneyball,” obviously had a change of heart after being “guilt-tripped” into it. First of all, one of the people in the video isn’t even holding the firearm properly; he has his finger on the trigger. Any real gun dealer would correct him in the interests of safety and protocol regarding handling firearms. Let’s repeat the age-old mantra: there are no gun accidents, only negligence.
Oh, and as Allahpundit wrote,these activists might have broken the law with this stunt. Ironically, the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association is asking the attorney general to investigate if the SAFE Act was violated. Bob Owens at Bearing Arms wrote what a real gun history should look like on a firearm if dealers wish to indulge in this tedious endeavor.
GLOCK 199mm
- 15-round standard capacity magazine (limited to a 10-round magazine in New York because we fear tools, and you my only load seven cartridges because we’re insane)
- used by numerous law enforcement agencies and some U.S. military units
- owned by hundreds of thousands of law-abiding American citizens
- used in self-defense thousands of times to stop rapes, robberies, domestic violence, and attempted murder by law-abiding citizens just like you
- an popular firearm for both informal recreational target shooting and several kinds of organized shooting sports
Uzi submachine gun
9mm
- 32-round standard capacity magazine
- exported to over 90 countries for use as a personal defense weapon (PDW)
- heavily regulated under the National Firearms Act of 1934
- none have been manufactured or imported for the public since 1986 (29 years ago) thanks to the Hughes Amendment to the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986
- never used in a violent crime in the history of the United States
As with their various studies trying to undercut our civil rights, their PSA attempts are just as embarrassing and fraught with falsehoods.
As we head down south, a father penned a letter to the editor in the Alexandria Times saying there shouldn’t be ceremonial rifles in parades anymore because … guns [emphasis mine]:
Following the Newtown shooting on December 14 2012, I and many other parents across the country have spoken to our young children about guns. We told them that if they ever found themselves around a gun, they should get out of there and tell an adult. A couple of months later, my family and I were watching the 2013 President’s Day parade in Old Town when my 5-year-old daughter Charlotte turned to me with a deeply concerned face and said, “Daddy, they have guns!”It was the Alexandria Fire Department marching by with rifles on their shoulders, since — I guess — firefighters carry guns? Realizing I was undermining everything I had told my daughter about guns during the previous two months, I told her that in this case it was OK since they were the firefighters.
Similarly, at this weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, a group dressed as Star Wars characters marched by carrying weapons that closely resembled real-life assault rifles. In fact, the rifles were actually aimed at spectators as they marched by. This time, I had to convey to my 3-year-old son that while guns in general are dangerous, there’s nothing wrong with people pointing an assault rifle at you while they walk through Old Town. What?
Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we put parents in the position of having to tell their kids that guns are dangerous, except that sometimes they’re not? Could we please just set a standard of not having guns in our parades?
Is this real life, or just expert anti-gun trolling?
Over at Penn Live, Jamar Thrasher wrote about the "modest proposal” of banning civilian gun ownership.
“I took nothing away from that NRA class except a steady aim and a confirmed realization that some Americans just want guns because they want them, not because they need them,” he wrote. He suggested we go the way of Australia on gun rights, where they have none.
Before our side goes nuts, the Second Amendment isn’t going anywhere. It’s codified in our Bill of Rights–and there aren’t enough states that would ratify some insane amendment banning civilian gun ownership in our Constitution. For goodness sake, the ATF Director decided to find refuge at the NFL following the backlash over the proposed ban on green tip 5.56 ammo that’s widely used for AR-15 rifles.
Gun ownership is indelibly American–and it will stay that way. As for the PSA, the letter to the editor, and Thrasher’s piece, represent a horrid amalgamation that's indicative of a political movement that’s grossly un-serious. Banning ceremonial rifles and civilian gun ownership – is this just trolling?
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