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“In a strange, dystopian press conference a week after the terrible murder of twenty-six people at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice-president of the N.R.A., lamented that some gun-control advocates “exploit tragedy for political gain.” Perhaps there’s a kernel of truth in LaPierre’s distorted vision of what it is we do. The gun issue is emotionally charged—and ripe for emotional appeals. It’s easy to make data-driven arguments for stronger gun laws built on statistical evidence; but that levelheaded approach has never been enough . . .

“Second Amendment advocates know this, too; they’ve developed a case with its own emotional weight, on which the core issue is not guns but freedom. It’s about liberty fought and died for two hundred and thirty years ago, and paid for with blood in fields in foreign lands ever since.

“Advocates for stronger gun laws would be unwise to diminish the deeply felt sense of history, culture, and liberty that for so many years has motivated millions to send thirty dollars a year to the N.R.A., call a member of Congress, hold a sign at a rally, or run for office.”  – Former MAIG CEO Arkadi Gerney in Guns and My Mother [via newyorker.com]

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17 COMMENTS

  1. It’s easy to make data-driven arguments for stronger gun laws built on statistical evidence; but that levelheaded approach has never been enough.

    Maybe if they actually tried a fact based approach, they’d understand why it’s “not enough”.

    • “It’s easy to make data-driven arguments for NO gun laws built on statistical evidence; but that levelheaded approach has never been enough.”

      There, I fixed for the MORON. Wow, they actually believe they use facts.

      • They do use facts. Some facts, that is – taken out of context and sprinkled with a hundredweight of B.S.

        They use facts like a bad guy uses a gun, and should be regarded similarly.

  2. Better yet do NOT buy trash like USA today news, and turn off network TV, get your kids out of public education. save money, save the kids, save America.

    • If it weren’t for car dealership waiting rooms and airports making up 99% of its readership, no one would read USA today anyway.

  3. Re: …”paid for with blood in fields in foreign lands ever since,” he’s forgetting the single, domestic conflict that caused more American deaths than any single other: The Civil War.

    The things Sen. Feinstein, et al. are pushing for will break something they will be unable to fix. Perhaps because, as I say, “Elites lerv chaos. It works for them.”

    In my direct experience, key politicians are immune to facts and reason supporting 2A. TRKBA supports an orderly society, and that does not suit their agenda.

    • There’s certainly been a focus on not letting any crisis go to waste(tm) in the last few years, but I honestly think these people are immune to the idea that the storm they’re kicking up could ever rain on them.

  4. For a second or two there I thought this guy had some sort of real epiphany, but as I read further I realized he was just trying to twist the argument in a different direction. The unrepentant perversion of the gun prohibitionist’s thinking never ceases to appall me.

  5. Here’s the only two 90-10 facts I need for making sensible gun laws, only made possible by Nick aggregating the news facts and research:

    1) About 90% of the people in homicides were killed by people with existing criminal records. Only 10% did not have prior criminal records.
    2) About 90% of the criminals get their guns do not go through a background check, but only 1% get their guns from a gunshow… the rest get them through family, friends or other “acquaintances”. The remaining percentage did go through a background check, see rule #1.

    I know what _I_ would do, what would you do MAIG? Make a progressive proud…

    • What about the roughly 260 million people murdered by various world governments from 1900-2000? It makes the deaths at Sandy Hook look literally a million times smaller by comparison. Too bad most Americans could care less about people who die in other countries.

      • Too bad most Americans could care less about people who die in other countries.

        As long as we aren’t causing those deaths in other countries, then yes, I couldn’t care less. We have our own psychopathic government to deal with.

  6. His phrase, “what it is we do” demonstrates they know their agenda inside and out. They actually do have a clear vision of purpose; only they out a mask on it in the public arena.

  7. Whats level headed for him is straight out of Belleview mental hospital for me, we have a failure to communicate here. More common sense from a brady type, just let the criminal kill you, everything will be alright, Randy

  8. No matter how “well written” Arkady Gerney’s article seems, his argument is ultimately flawed. He still wants to rely on emotion and “guilt” people into agreeing with his views. Somebody forgot to tell him that when one makes a decision based on emotion without facts, it’s usually a bad decision.

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