Salon.com > NRA

NRA is getting a new president

Thu, 02 May 2013 22:21:00 +0000

David Keene will be replaced by Alabama attorney Jim Porter as president of the NRA, once Keene's two-year term officially ends at this weekend's NRA convention in Houston.

CNN reports:

While Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre is widely known as the face of the NRA, Keene had an active role in publicity and media appearances, especially in the wake of the Newtown elementary school massacre that left 26 people dead.

Porter has been serving as the NRA's first vice president, and before that he served as the group's second vice president. The presidency, an unpaid position, is the next stop in the NRA's leadership rotation.

Big money arms the NRA

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:00:00 +0000

In the days leading up to last month’s crucial votes on the most significant gun control legislation to come before the Senate in nearly two decades, polls showed that about 90 percent of Americans supported background checks for all gun purchases. But when the clerk called the roll, the centerpiece amendment — requiring background checks for firearm sales at gun shows, through classified ads and on the Internet — got just 54 “yea’s,” six votes short of the 60 vote super-majority required.

Just four months after Adam Lanza killed 26 people at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and President Obama promised tougher gun laws, the vote proved to be the latest in a long-running string of victories for gun rights activists, the firearms industry and particularly the National Rifle Association, the nation’s pre-eminent gun lobby.

How to interpret Kirsten Gillibrand’s political opportunism

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:10:00 +0000

You're not allowed, it seems, to write an article about New York Sen. and possible presidential hopeful Kirsten Gillibrand without comparing her to Tracy Flick (Politico yesterday dutifully observed the tradition). Yes, Gillibrand is ambitious, female and blonde and has been said to have sharp elbows -- it's taken less than that to trot out the "Election" protagonist before -- but there may be a more interesting comparison here: Mitt Romney.

When Gillibrand -- a hot topic in political circles this week, as a potential liberal presidential candidate and a champion for addressing sexual assault in the military -- was appointed to Hillary Clinton's Senate seat in 2009, Nate Silver wrote, "This is not a terrific outcome for progressive Democrats," because "Gillibrand, statistically speaking, has been one of the more conservative Democrats in the House. Moreover, she is a somewhat proud conservative, being a member of the Blue Dog caucus. In a state like New York, which is capable of electing and re-electing a very liberal senator, that’s a somewhat underachieving result for the Democrats."

Anheuser-Busch heir resigns life-long NRA membership

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 02:07:00 +0000

The great-grandson of the Anheuser-Busch company renounced his membership in the National Rifle Association on Thursday, furious that the NRA helped defeat the Senate bill which would have expanded background checks in response to the tragedy in Newtown.

Adolphus Busch IV, in a letter to NRA president David Keene obtained by a St. Louis television station, wrote that "I fail to see how the NRA can disregard the overwhelming will of its members who see background checks as reasonable."

He said that the NRA seems to have become a lobby for gun and ammunition manufacturers, rather than one for hunters and gun owners.

"One only has to ask why the NRA reversed its original position on background checks. Was it not the NRA position to support background checks when Mr. (Wayne) LaPierre himself stated in 1999 that NRA saw checks as 'reasonable'?"

Celebrities condemn Senate for blocking gun control bill

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 21:30:00 +0000

It's been an especially bad week in America. Adding insult to injury, the Senate failed to pass a gun control measure expanding background checks -- a bill that's been highly anticipated since the Newtown massacre.

Celebrities took to Twitter to condemn the senators and NRA lobbyists who worked to shut down the bill.

Aaron Paul retweeted "Breaking Bad" cast member Bryan Cranston:

[embedtweet id="324947583946596353"]

Actress Elizabeth Banks tweeted a link to an article that shared the Twitter handles of the senators who voted to block the bill:

[embedtweet id="324870675972120576"]

And many other celebs vocalized disappointment and anger and ridicule:

[embedtweet id="324704403934281728"]

[embedtweet id="324642787339427840"]

[embedtweet id="324620966653210624"]

[embedtweet id="324654247587229696"]

[embedtweet id="324630844021026816"]

[embedtweet id="324633175450083329"]

[embedtweet id="324635220978585600"]

Senate rejects expanded background checks

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:48:00 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has rejected a bipartisan effort to expand federal background checks to more firearms buyers in a crucial showdown over gun control.

Wednesday's vote was a jarring blow to the drive to curb firearms sparked by December's massacre of children and staff at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. President Barack Obama made broadened background checks the centerpiece of his gun control proposals.

The roll call was also a victory for the National Rifle Association, which opposed the plan as an ineffective infringement on gun rights.

The proposal would have required background checks for all transactions at gun shows and online. Currently they must occur for sales handled by licensed gun dealers.

The system is designed to keep criminals and people with mental problems from getting guns.

Will gun bill die while we mourn Boston?

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:46:00 +0000

Against the backdrop of the Boston Marathon tragedy, it feels unspeakably sad that even compromise gun control legislation looks to be doomed in the Senate. Bombs, not guns, were used in the Boston attack – trauma surgeons say they’ve pulled pellets and nails out of the bombing victims; some had between 10 and 40 pieces of shrapnel inside them. The Associated Press is reporting that the explosives may have been made with pressure cookers along with metal and ball bearings.

But on a day when the forces of violence have clearly achieved a temporary victory – the forces of good always win in the end, as Patton Oswalt beautifully notes -- our failure to combat the most common source of violence in our culture, the proliferation and easy availability of guns, seems particularly tragic. The fact that today is also the sixth anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre adds just another layer of poignance to the news. While xenophobes obsess about a possible Muslim or al-Qaida role in the bombing, we ignore the most obvious ways to keep ourselves safer: by cracking down on automatic assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and the loopholes that let evil people kill so easily.

Supreme Court won’t hear New York gun law challenge

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:52:00 +0000

The Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a challenge to a New York gun law that places stricter limitations on concealed carry permits.

The lawsuit, which was brought by the Second Amendment Foundation and supported by 20 states, objected to the requirement that residents show that they have a specific need to carry concealed in public. The NRA called it “a de facto ban on carrying a handgun outside the home.”

From the New York Times:

In November, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, in New York, upheld the law. California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey have similar laws.

In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled for the first time that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to own guns, and it struck down a District of Columbia law that barred keeping guns in homes for self-defense.

NRA 500 suicide highlights “hidden epidemic”

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:45:00 +0000

News that a man shot and killed himself at a NASCAR race sponsored by the National Rifle Association Saturday night is sure to launch a thousand columns and politicians' statements making liberal use of the word "irony" -- and rightly so -- but it also underscores a type of gun violence that is the least talked about in Washington but also the most common: suicide.

Here's what we know about the incident: 42-year-old Kirk Franklin was found dead in the infield of the Texas Motor Speedway, where he had been camping. Police say the man died of a “self-inflicted” gunshot wound, apparently after getting into an argument with other campers. Alcohol may have been involved.

Of the more than 32,000 firearm-related deaths in 2011, almost 20,000 -- 62 percent -- were suicides. While horrific mass shootings like the one in Newtown, Conn., provoke national outrage and demands for legislation, they represent less than 1 percent of all gun deaths. It's the kind of quotidian but lethal admixture of mental health issues, interpersonal dispute and the presence of a firearm that is responsible for the majority of all gun deaths in this country.

Best of the Salon limerick contest

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 15:00:00 +0000

The best limericks submitted by Salon readers since the election:

So we’ve come to this point, as a nation,

Where a white man with money and station,

Is no longer a shoe-in,

So the Right Wing’s now stewin’:

“’Tis the End of Civilization!”

Bruce F. Cole

Kamuela, Hawaii

From Delaware hails our VP,

A fiscal cliff jumper is he.

He'll work on your pecs,

Offer old ladies sex,

Won't someone please put this guy on TV?

Josh Klemons

Madison, Wis.

Where’s Obama’s diversity minder–

His “qualified female” staff finder?

He’s named white guys galore,

To positions top-drawer,

Perhaps he should borrow Mitt’s binder.

Madeleine Begun Kane

Bayside, Queens

Did we have an assault weapons binge?

Just the thought should make all of us cringe.

Can we trust NRA,

To be honest when they,

Are the voice of a lunatic fringe?

Stephen Whitred

Barriere, B.C., Canada

In a tale of pro cycling woe,

Doping brought down a mighty hero.

But one detail I find,

Really frazzles my mind,

Who knew Oprah still had her own show?

Tom Foltz

Fort Wayne, Ind.

Although your new limerick contest is thrillin',

My brain appears not to be willin'

When every new verse

Than the last one is worse.

How the NRA got what it wanted

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 13:00:00 +0000

It’s hard to remember now, but in the immediate aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Conn., this country seemed serious about gun safety reform. President Obama visited the community and tearfully invoked Scripture and vowed real action. Hunting enthusiast and senator Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) suggested he’d consider supporting an assault weapons ban. And National Rifle Association foe Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) called the organization “enablers of mass murderers” and vowed to wage war on it -- and few rushed to its defense.

Then, somehow, things seemed to get even worse for the NRA. After a full week of silence after the tragedy, it held a press conference in Washington, D.C., in which its leader, Wayne LaPierre, inspired laughter and ridicule by supporting zero reforms to guns, aside from a call for more of them (arm teachers!).

Bloomberg gun group to grade lawmakers

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 13:04:00 +0000

Michael Bloomberg's pro-gun control nonprofit, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, is borrowing the NRA's system of handing out letter-grades to lawmakers, except it will rank them on how strong they are on gun control.

“For decades, the NRA has done an admirable job of tracking to minute detail how members of Congress stand on gun bills. We’ve simply decided to do the same,” said the group's director, Mark Glaze.

The Washington Post reports:

The Republican who can save gun control

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:20:00 +0000

If the Senate has any hope of expanding background checks to private gun sales, it may rest in the hands of Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Pat Toomey, who has emerged as the pivotal lawmaker on the issue as Congress reconvenes for a do-or-die week on gun control. Toomey, a Tea Party-backed conservative with an "A" rating from the NRA, is a bit of a surprising choice, but he has supported closing the so-called gun show loophole in the past.

After a fruitless campaign to win the endorsement of Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn, Democrats turned their attention to Toomey, hoping his co-sponsorship of a gun control package will give moderates of both parties political cover they need to vote for the bill.

In 1999, after the Columbine school shooting, the Senate passed a bill to close the gun show loophole, but the House killed it. Toomey, then in the lower chamber, voted for the GOP alternative to the Senate bill that would have expanded background checks to all sales at gun shows, but lowered the time required from a check to 24 hours from the three days favored by Democrats.

Bipartisan deal on background checks inches forward

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:42:00 +0000

The Senate could soon reach a bipartisan deal on universal background checks, with Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., reportedly negotiating a framework for legislation.

From the Washington Post:

Manchin and Toomey are developing a measure to require background checks for all gun purchases except sales between close family members and some hunters, which addresses concerns of some conservatives, according to the aides, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly about the talks.

Spokesmen for Manchin and Toomey said only that the senators are talking to many of their colleagues about gun legislation and could not confirm details of their discussions.

Both senators have received A-ratings from the NRA.

Manchin has been involved in talks for a gun control deal for several weeks, along with Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla. But the talks recently hit a roadblock over Coburn's opposition to keeping records of private gun sales.

16 of the NRA’s frightening police-state “solutions” for our schools

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

The NRA doesn’t just want to put armed teachers, armed guards and volunteer vigilantes in schools to prevent more school shootings. It wants to turn schools into veritable prisons, where security staff patrol and lockdown schools, and indentify and spy on problem students and employees, according to an NRA-sponsored report that included model legislation to allow such measures.

The National Federation of Teachers and well-known civil rights advocates slammed the report, issued by former GOP congressman and Department of Homeland Security official Asa Hutchinson. They said militarizing schools with more guns was not the answer to gun violence. Nor was putting more police into schools, particularly in communities of color. That only increases hostilities for students, not safe learning environments.

Gun Owners of America out-hardlines the NRA

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:55:00 +0000

The NRA's smaller but more hardline gun lobby cousin, Gun Owners of America, is steadily gaining influence and pressuring Republicans to oppose gun control legislation.

The New York Times reports that the group, led by Executive Director Larry Pratt, has been effectively targeting senators, particularly Republicans who have indicated that they are open to supporting things like universal background checks.

For example, Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who began working with Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for a deal on background checks, was pounded by calls and emails from constituents after the Gun Owners of America got involved.

Part of the group's increasing profile might come from its decision to remain outspoken against gun control in the days just after the Newtown school shootings - which led to newfound media exposure. At the time, the NRA and other gun lobby groups went into hibernation mode, while Pratt made comments like "Gun-free zones are like magnets for the monsters in our society."

From the Times:

NRA’s rhetoric on gun “confiscation” appears to be working

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:24:00 +0000

A new poll by Quinnipiac University finds that 48 percent of Americans believe that universal background checks will lead to gun confiscation -- a favorite talking point of the NRA. Despite this, 91 percent of those polled still favor the policy.

Fifty-three percent of gun owners believe universal background checks will lead to confiscation, according to the poll, as well as 61 percent of Republicans.

Meanwhile, debate over gun control legislation, including universal background checks, has been delayed in the Senate.

The original GOP gun flip-flop

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 22:20:00 +0000

If you've been following the gun control debate, you probably know that universal background checks are on life support after Republicans lawmakers flip-flopped on their support for closing the private seller loophole. You may also know that the National Rifle Association itself once supported universal background checks, even though it's leading the charge against them now.

But would Republicans really kill a bid to expand background checks, even though they supported them so recently and despite polls showing nine in 10 American favor an expansion?

Five questions that will decide the gun debate

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

President Obama's visit to Colorado today to press his case for modest gun control comes as the fight over firearm policy becomes more complicated -- and in some cases, more oxymoronic -- than ever. In advance of his visit, the National Rifle Association released a rehash of its earlier ridiculed proposal to supposedly solve the scourge of gun violence by arming teachers. However, as expected, the proposal did not endorse universal background checks for gun purchases.

In a CNN interview discussing the plan, NRA official Asa Hutchinson claimed he is "open to expanding background checks," but the Huffington Post notes "he stopped far short of endorsing the type of universal background checks for all gun sales that have been proposed" in major legislation before the U.S. Senate.

All of this points to five key questions at the heart of today's increasingly bizarre gun debate - and their not-so-satisfying answers:

1. Why does the NRA oppose the universal background check policy it once championed?

Rand Paul backs group targeting Republicans on gun control

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:29:00 +0000

Rand Paul is helping the National Association for Gun Rights fundraise, as the group, which finds the NRA too soft on gun control, targets Republicans in their home districts.

Politico reports:

The group has blitzed the districts of Virginia Republicans Cantor and Rep. Scott Rigell with $50,000 worth of TV and radio ads accusing them of helping President Barack Obama pass gun control legislation.

Paul’s email pitches for the group don’t mention Cantor or Rigell by name, but his activity for an organization that attacks fellow Republicans shows the potential 2016 presidential contender isn’t afraid to pick a fight inside the party.

“Rand signs normal, run-of-the-mill activist emails and letters for numerous groups and this is one of them,” Paul's spokesman said. “That’s all he’s ever done for them, he’s not affiliated with the group in any way, he doesn’t control how they decide their activism should take place in terms of who the people are that need to be shored up on an issue.”