That’s me and my family at the Democratic Convention in 2008, watching Barack Obama accept the nomination. We’re big Obama fans. But I find myself cringing when I read all the calls from the left for Obama to come out strongly for gun control in tonight’s State of the Union address.
The shooting of Rep. Giffords is, at least in part, a gun story, so allow me to weigh in. The New York Times, a paper I really like, had two dumb things to say about it. This, from today’s editorial:
(Arizona’s) gun laws are among the most lenient, allowing even a disturbed man like Mr. Loughner to buy a pistol and carry it concealed without a special permit. That was before the Tucson rampage. Now, having seen first hand the horror of political violence, Arizona should lead the nation in quieting the voices of intolerance, demanding an end to the temptations of bloodshed, and imposing sensible controls on its instruments.
It’s time to take a deep breath and ask what “sensible controls” one could devise that could have prevented this . . .
God, how I love irony. (It’s like goldie or bronzie, but more afforable.) Today, when word went out across the InterWebs that someone had taken hostages at the formerly-credible tree-hugging network known as The Discovery Channel, I shuddered. Not because of the potential loss of innocent lives. That’s ALWAYS scary. No, I figured it would end up being some nut that was protesting how every other word on Discovery seems to be “green” and how they’ve become Al Gore’s bee-yatch on Ecological Ponzi Schemes (a.k.a. CLimate Change). But noooooooooo! It wasn’t a pistol-packin,’ Palin-lovin,’ animal-eatin’ cowboy shootin’ up the joint. Nope It was some moron who thought The Discovery Channel is too Conservative, and too soft on ecological issues.
Not to tweak liberal gun rights champion Dan Baum‘s nipples again, but lefties hate guns. And crime. And violence. And social policies that create a criminal underclass by denying disadvantaged Americans the chance to better themselves through education, subsidized housing and federal job creation. But definitely guns. So it’s no surprise that San Francisco residents want a gun store in their city about as much as they want Rush Limbaugh to join the City Council. But there is one—count it one— gun store in The City by the Bay. High Bridge Guns. Which needs a permit to reopen . . .
It’s official: gun ownership is trendy. When a prime exemplar of the liberal press publishes a “Come to Jesus (Armed)” feature, you know it’s only a matter of time before every state in the these here United becomes a “shall issue” state. Yes, even California, Rhode Island and New York. The press release for Harper’s Magazine’s August cover story Happiness is a Worn Gun: My Concealed Weapon and Me tells the tale of a left-leaning jobbing journo who gets serious wood for firearms. Yes, well, Baum’s text (provided by Harper’s Magazine to TTAG) doesn’t really answer the crucial question: does carrying a firearm change one’s political views? He gets close, but there’s no cigar.
The Truth About Guns provides news, reviews, and insights to help you stay informed on the latest trends in gun culture, legislation, and industry developments.