NRA's Wayne LaPierre is all bluster, few ideas
Barb ShellySeriously, I had expected better from the National Rifle Association.
I had thought its executives, the great and powerful, would get out in front of the rejuvenated gun controversy by calling for a modified ban on the most outlandish of weapons. Or perhaps they would join Congressional Republicans and take a sudden interest in helping the mentally ill.
But no. Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre’s only prescription to gun violence in American was armed security officers in every school.
There’s nothing wrong with the idea itself. Many urban schools do have security. My son attended one of them in Kansas City. He went through a metal detector daily and the security guards (who weren’t armed) were an additional resource for the students.
But putting weapons into the hands of “good guys” in school buildings won’t even reduce school shootings, much less the dozens of other attacks that take place around the country every day.
A security officer can only be in one place at one time. And that person is as vulnerable to attack by a shooter with military-style assault weapons as an unarmed principal. You would need an entire police unit to actually make schools secure, and there’s no money to pay for that, even if you think it’s a good idea.
LaPierre, who was interrupted twice by protestors, painted a grim picture of America.
“Our society is populated by an unknown number of genuine monsters,” he said. “People that are so deranged, so evil, so possessed by voices and driven by demons, that no sane person can possibly comprehend them….does anybody really believe that the next Adam Lanza isn’t planning his attack on a school?”
Apparently, the fact that these deranged, evil people can easily obtain a Bushmaster assault rifle and purchase enough high-capacity magazines to mow down an entire small town doesn’t bother the NRA executive. He said nothing about that.
LaPierre criticized the video and computer game industry that markets violence, calling it “the filthiest form of pornography.” I agree that many video games, and some movies as well, are out of hand. But there’s this thing called the 1st Amendment, and it’s just as sacred as the 2nd Amendment. Both can be misused, and require people of common sense and good will to stand up and protest the abuses.
This was a blustery, defiant news conference that probably was intended to shore up the NRA base. It certainly provided no substantive proposals for reducing gun violence in America.
At the end, Dave Keene, president of the NRA, comically informed reporters: “This is the beginning of a serious conversation. We won’t be taking questions today.”
That kind of summed it all up.
Mark Robertson
5 months agoIt takes class to recognize class. Wayne LaPierre deals in reality and truth. Those who deal with problems in a direct and honest manner offend many. Those “protesters” were far leftists radicals, Code Pink. Speaking of kooks. Thank you. Mark Robertson Independence
Greg McFarland
5 months agoWhile armed security will increase safety, in my opinion, I wish he would have talked about things that are proven to make a difference. Longer prison terms, not letting kids drop out of school, etc. The NRA had a chance to take the lead on this and blew it talking about things that studies don’t seem to show have a strong causality to.
Phil Cardarella
5 months agoIt is the sort of hypocrisy and illogic that should make your teeth ache.
Postulating the existence of several hundred thousand reliable, sane and competently trained potential guards out there (as opposed to those many who will be more of a danger than a help) just who is going to pay the $40-50K per school tab — at least $40 MILLION per thousand schools? Will funding that be on the NRA grade card?
And, that expense is before we retrofit our schools into medium-security prisons, so that one “guard tower” entrance will suffice.
Oh, and one security officer per school will hardly suffice. After all, if there had been such a guard at Sandy Hook, if he was on a bathroom break (Yes, retired policemen are human, folks!) at 80 rounds per minute, everybody would have been dead by the time he zipped up.
Assuming he, himself, was not the first victim, since he would have been substantially outgunned. So, we will need a platoon for each school. With Uzis.
Of course, like Wayne said, the President has the Secret Service to protect him, right? But, remember, the last time a crazy took a shot at a President, Reagan got a bullet in the lung, so the plan is not exactly fool-proof — even with a dozen or more guys protecting one target.
Oh, and don’t forget that we will need the same security for each movie theater — or are we going to rely on an armed audience to “win” that gunfight? Armored seatbacks will help.
Action movies in 3-D Plus?
Oh, yes, and it is the fault of digital and visual guns in TV, movies and games, not the real ones actually used to commit mass murder. As if these children had been killed in a game, not in real life — and we could just press reset intstead of holding funerals with tiny caskets. (Kids in Australia play violent games and watch violent movies — and there has been no mass murder there since they banned assault weaponry in 1996.)
And we should have a better list to check for those with mental probems (a list opposed by the NRA and which would have included NOT ONE of the mass killers) — but not to be used at gun shows where 40+% of guns are sold.
And it is the Justice Department’s fault for not prosecuting enough people who are NOT committing violent crimes with guns (guys who are technically felons, but not doing anything criminal besides possessing a gun). None of our mass-murderers had felony records, folks.
It is everyone’s fault except the NRA leadership and the cowardly legislators who are letting madmen have easy and legal access to weapons of mass destruction — because what possible logical connection could there be between the dead kids and the gun that fired the bullets into them?.
Hey, a gun did not kill those kids, right? A madman — and those who made it possible for him to have an instrument with which to kill so many, so quickly — did.
Save the crocodile tears, Wayne. Not all great Neptune’s Ocean can wipe that blood from your hands.
Phil Cardarella
5 months agoI’ve lost track, Greg. Which of these mass murderers had recently been released from prison? Or had dropped out of school?
Oh, right. None.
Mark Hastert
5 months agoThat’s the NRA for you. Find a “solution” that will sell more guns! They must have had their lobbyists and marketing departments working overtime on this one. Can there be any doubt at all that the NRA is just a marketing organization for arms dealers and manufacturers?
Steve Alleman
Kansas City
5 months agoJust remember that LaPierre and the NRA are wholly owned by the gun manufacturers, so they can only propose ‘solutions’ that make those manufacturers more money. More guns are the only options for people whose only goal is to make more money from guns.
Jack Gates
5 months agoI carry a firearm everywhere I go. I don’t care if its “posted” or not. I’m not even remotely worried about becoming a victim. Pretty simple really. Like my cop friends like to say, “At the end of the day, I plan on going home.” If you choose not to carry, that’s your business. But, if you even attempt to restrict me from protecting myself, I will be in your face. Count on it.
Greg McFarland
5 months agoYou are right about mass murderes, they seem to be an anomaly. That being said many studies show that an increase in graduation rate would have a major impact on crime. Also consider that around 75-80% of shooters have some criminal record and over 50% have a felony conviction, I think that would be we’re our money is better spent. I also had a good friend send me links showing that violent entertainment has a major impact on violence in real life. So back to my main point, why spend money on thinks like gun control that has no impact at reducing crime and may make it worse, when money is better spent on things that actually work like raise the drop out age and longer prison terms. If you want to restrict my 2nd rights, I demand that we restrict everyone’s 1st for violent entertainment.
Mark Hastert
5 months agoThree killed in PA yesterday then a rolling shootout in which three officers were injured before the shooter was killed. The shooter was in possession of multiple firearms. People don’t kill people….people with guns kill people.
Greg McFarland
5 months agoBet they were already felons. Maybe they should just be in jail for life!
Mark Hastert
5 months agoThe child struck by a stray bullet here in KC was taken off life support yesterday.
Maybe we need armed guards on every front porch in America….or maybe we need to put an end to our perverse adoration of firearms.
Mark Hastert
4 months, 4 weeks agoTwo firemen ambushed, guess we need armed guards on every firetruck too.