They say they want a discussion on gun control. They want to reach a consensus. They know this issue is highly partisan and charged. And yet, they call us terrorists. Yeah, that’s really going to get both sides to the table to have a grounded and respectful discussion on gun control. Then, the Left and their allies in the media wonder why they entrench themselves, unmoved (beautifully) in their position that supports the Constitution, individual rights, and the Second Amendment. We don’t trust the other side. We can’t trust the other side if they just call us racist and terrorists because they can’t convince us to shred the Bill of Rights. This salvo was fired by the deep blue and anti-gun state of Connecticut, where Gov. Dannel Malloy said the National Rifle Association is like a terrorist organization. The mayor of Hartford, who scoffed at the notion of the NRA being a gun safety organization, joined Malloy in bashing; it is, Mr. Mayor but whatever (via Fox61):
A war of words has erupted between two Connecticut lawmakers and the National Rifle Association.
"The idea that the NRA should be recognized as a voice for gun safety is ridiculous," Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said Tuesday night.
Bronin firing back at the NRA, said the organization does more to oppose progress and prevent collaborative dialogue about gun safety than any other organization in the country.
[…]
Malloy also came out Monday and agreed with Bronin’s call, even going on to say the NRA has developed into a “terrorist organization.”
"They act quite frankly in some cases as a terrorist organization,” said Malloy. “You want to make safer guns? We will boycott your company. That's who they are. That's what they do."
Yeah, talk about a total lack of self-awareness with both these guys. Malloy seems to be unaware that leftist mobs have bullied and browbeat scores of companies from nixing their discounts with NRA members, some of which were rarely used. Mayor Bronin talks about a “collaborative dialogue,” yet the governor just called millions of people terrorists.
The NRA’s Jennifer Baker and Catherine Mortensen responded to both allegations that the NRA is not a gun safety organization and an all-powerful terrorist hub.
“No organization in the world does more to promote the safe and responsible use of firearms than the NRA. The NRA’s Basics of Pistol Shooting course is the best training available for anyone seeking to carry a concealed firearm for self-protection," said Mortensen in a statement. “By eliminating the NRA training and standards for Connecticut’s permit holders, Mayor Bronin is putting politics above the safety of Connecticut citizens.”
On the ludicrous charge that the NRA is like ISIS, Baker said:
The NRA is comprised of over five million law-abiding citizens many of whom are teachers, doctors, policeman, farmers , moms and dads residing in Connecticut. So let’s be clear Governor Malloy just called tens of thousands of his constituents terrorists.
Voters are fed up with politicians who engage in political stunts and childish name calling rather than serious policy discussions aimed at making our schools and communities safer. A perfect example is the absurd political stunt to remove NRA trainers from the permitting process in Connecticut. No organization in the world does more to promote the safe and responsible use of firearms than the NRA.
The NRA’s Basics of Pistol Shooting course is the best training available for anyone seeking to carry a concealed firearm for self-protection. Public safety isn’t improved by eliminating the NRA training and standards for Connecticut’s permit holders or by calling people who disagree with you terrorists.
NRA members love our children and want them to be safe just as much as anyone else we just disagree that punishing law-abiding citizens who want to exercise their constitutional right to self-defense is the way to achieve that goal.”
On improving mental health, making sure that issue is strengthened in our background checks system, and incentivizing states to continually send the FBI updated information for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System is something we can find agreement. Instead, we’re called terrorists. And they probably won’t accept that as a legitimate piece of legislation since it doesn’t chip away at Second Amendment rights. Can we have a debate about guns? No, if the Left and the media keep peddling garbage facts and butchering basic firearm knowledge and terms, there’s no way we can have that discussion.
I know it’s par for the course, but it doesn’t make it any less tragic that standing for certain Constitutional rights makes you al-Qaeda in the eyes of left wingers. So, open-minded of them, huh?
Full disclosure: I’m a proud NRA member.