NRA

The past three months have been busy ones for North Carolinians concerned about the scope of gun violence in the United States.

In January, for instance, a few Apex and Cary residents gathered to discuss the issues involved and coalesced into the Kitchen Table Group. About 15 members of the group met in mid-February with a representative from U.S. Sen. Richard Burr's office to discuss their perspectives and suggestions. Later that afternoon, about a dozen of us traveled to Dunn to meet with representatives from U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers. A month later, the Kitchen Table Group, led by Nancy van Dijk of Cary, has grown to more than 350 members and counting.

Money Talks. Congress Listens.

Does the NRA reflect the feelings of its members or the needs of its donors? What are its real priorities? A survey of membership in 2012 found that 74% of members are in favor of mandatory background checks for gun purchases. 74%. Why does NRA rhetoric not reflect this in their chosen talking points but instead pushes against background checks? Could it be that they don’t really serve their members but their masters--the armament producers? In the minds of most Americans there is a big difference between defending an individual’s right to gun ownership and a manufacturer’s supposed right to make huge profits by selling the same.

Or goes out of its way to not talk about guns, I should say:

“It is appropriate that we have a national dialogue about how and why this kind of violence keeps happening,” said Hudson, a lifelong hunter and National Rifle Association member. “This is not an issue that can be solved by a new law. It has to do with culture, with mental health issues, with how we respond to the social isolation this young man evidently felt...

All of a sudden Republicans are concerned about mental health issues. It will be interesting to see if they back that up with funding (don't hold your breath). She probably didn't mean to, but Renee Ellmers came real close to the mark with this comment:

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D, said she intended to introduce a gun control bill on the first day of the next Congress. Paired with a twin version in the House, Feinstein's law would take aim at limiting the sale, transfer and possession of assault weapons, along with the capacity of high-capacity magazines.

"It can be done," she said on NBC's "Meet the Press." The senator, a proponent of gun control, said she expected Obama to offer his public support for the law.

Also on Meet the Press, NYC Mayor Bloomberg discussed the influence of the National Rifle Association in politics. Bloomberg said NRA’s power is ‘vastly overrated.'

OK, here’s the scenario… You are driving by the local school and you notice a young man pull an assault weapon and a handgun from the trunk of his car and move quickly towards the school. A woman and child are coming out of the front door and he shoots them both. You just happen to have your assault weapon in the car. You pull up, jump out and head toward the entrance. As you enter the school, you see the gunman calmly walking down the hallway shooting children. You raise your weapon and order the gunman to stop. He turns, raises his weapon towards you and you shoot him down.

You’ve saved countless lives. Your face is on the cover of People, Newsweek and Guns and Ammo Magazines. You are interviewed on FOX, MSNBC and The View. President Obama has a state dinner in your honor. Sounds great!

Attention National Rifle Association:
I believe in the Second Amendment. I have studied history and I know that when a government wants to turn it’s citizens into subjects, the first thing they do is deny access to weaponry. The founding fathers made this amendment a part of our constitution as a way to keep constant, subtle pressure on government to maintain the freedoms they envisioned for us all.

While watching coverage of Gabby Giffords and her poignant resignation appearance in the House it caused me to recall the Tucson tragedy and how the carnage might have been lessened had there been laws in place controlling the size and types of magazines and clips available to the general gun owner. Limiting the number of rounds that could be fired before the shooter would have to reload led me to consider the irony of an existing Federal Law that applies to every state.

It is illegal to hunt migratory birds, waterfowl, doves, ducks, etc, anywhere in this nation using a shotgun larger than 10 gauge and one that does not have its magazine permanently plugged to LIMIT it to no more than 3 shells, 2 in the magazine and one in the chamber. This dates to the early 20th century and was designed to stop "market hunters" and others from obliterating entire flocks with high-capacity magazines or large bore "punt" guns that could fire up to a pound of lead shot. Having been an avid duck hunter growing up in south Alabama with Mobile Bay being a major flyway I never met a serious hunter who disagreed with the law. If you can't hit a bird on the wing in three shots, the fourth or fifth won't matter.

It's hard to lobby when you can't even stand up:

The American Kennel Club, among other groups who profit from commercial breeders, was outspoken against it. The bill didn’t pass.

Hunting and agricultural groups say the Humane Society's true goal is to outlaw hunting and farming. They've told lawmakers cracking down on puppy mills could be the first step toward that.

You want a legitimate slippery-slope example? How about a legislative body that has become so afraid of offending campaign contributors that they won't even discuss protecting puppies from cruel treatment.

The NRA leadership, far removed and unaccountable to their members, is one of the strongest opponents of the Democratic party up and down the ticket.

The fact that they co-opt some Democratic officials just makes them that much more dangerous to our party's success.

Bev withdraws at the last minute for this:

Gov. Bev Perdue was scheduled to appear at an event next week organized by a group backing ethics reform, one of her pet issues.

But there was a catch that the governor's staff says she didn't know about: The event is a fundraiser for the reform group, and was being hosted by an all-star group of lobbyists, a format that seemed to run counter to the proposals to clean up state government.