The National Rifle Association blasted Eric Holder for using the George Zimmerman case to attack “stand-your-ground” laws, accusing the attorney general of exploiting Trayvon Martin’s shooting death for political gain.
Tag Archives: NRA
8th Grader Jailed Over NRA Shirt
By Evann Gastaldo 
From: http://www.newser.com/story/166590/8th-grader-jailed-over-nra-shirt.html
Student reportedly arrested, suspended after argument with teacher over NRA shirt
An eighth-grade student in West Virginia was reportedly arrested and suspended last week after getting into an argument with his teacher about a National Rifle Association T-shirt he wore to school.
WOWK-TV reports that Jared Marcum faces charges of obstruction and disturbing the education process for refusing to change the shirt, which shows a rifle and the slogan, “protect your right.”
Jared told the station the he was punished by officials at Logan Middle School after arguing about the shirt with his teacher, who reportedly objected to the image of the gun on the shirt.
“What they’re doing is trying to take away my rights, my freedom of speech and my Second Amendment,” Jared told the station.
Jared’s father, Allen Lardieri, told WOWK-TV he is upset his son was briefly jailed for something he believes was blown out of proportion.
“I don’t see how anybody would have an issue with a hunting rifle and NRA put on a T-shirt, especially when policy doesn’t forbid it,” Lardieri told the station.
A Logan County School District official refused a request for comment from WOWK-TV, but police in Logan confirmed Jared’s arrest last Thursday.
On the first day of Jared’s suspension, some of his friends reportedly wore shirts displaying images of firearms and at least one was told by an educator to change their attire, according to the report.
Benjamin White, an attorney handling Jared’s case, told the station he is working on getting the charges dropped and plans to file a federal or civil lawsuit.
Click here for more from WOWK-TV.
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/national/~3/aDoXBeD4r-s/
Who Really Calls The Shots In Our Government?
By Floyd Brown
Congress has proven once again that it’s a special interest world – the rest of us are just living in it.
Earlier this week, the Senate voted against tighter restrictions on guns and gun owners, effectively ending the push that began in the wake of the Newtown, CT school shooting.
But the real story here isn’t the vote – it’s the NRA. You see, the NRA spends millions of dollars lobbying and giving contributions to members of the U.S. Senate. The Senate vote on gun control just proves how effective the NRA’s strategy really is.
And I want to talk about this strategy because it provides an excellent view into how Capitol Hill really works. Folks are always telling me they don’t understand why this or that happened on Capitol Hill. Well, it’s time to shed some light on it.
Now, as a matter of disclosure, I want to let you know that I’m a lifelong member of the NRA. I agree with the NRA’s position against restricting the ownership of firearms by law-abiding citizens.
But that’s not what I’m here to talk about.
I want to talk about process…
The White House is in Shock
Right now, the U.S. Senate is controlled by the Democrats. Yet since the Democrats “defected” to the NRA, the Senate just totally jammed their exalted leader.
Barack Obama’s scheme to add additional rules, restrictions, regulations, and limitations to gun ownership lost big. In a progression of votes on amendments, the truth became clear: No one, Democrats included, wants to mess with the Second Amendment.
Even Sen. Harry Reid, Obama’s supposed point man in the Senate, didn’t seem like he wanted to deliver.
Thus, the central proposal to expand background checks was voted down 54-46. Remember – in the Senate, such bills don’t just need a majority. They require 60 votes to get past a virtually guaranteed filibuster.
The White House had even set in motion an intensive, coast-to-coast lobbying campaign that featured gut-wrenching pleas from families of the Newtown school shooting victims.
But it didn’t help. And Obama administration officials were visibly angry after his agenda got shellacked. The anger level was so high that even Obama spoke out. “All in all, this was a pretty shameful day for Washington,” he said of the vote, adding that the effort “is not over.”
But in reality, it’s likely all over.
The Power of the NRA
In a democracy, a president always gets his chance.
But one third of the Senate and the entire House have to face the voters in 18 months, and these members know that the NRA can sway elections. No amount of tears from the Newtown families is likely to trump electoral politics in Washington.
So how does the NRA have such massive influence on national politics? They’ve only got about five million members, compared to a country of over 300 million.
First, it’s important to note that the NRA political machine is truly bipartisan. The NRA will support anyone – liberal, conservative, whatever – as long as that congressman is good on one thing: guns.
It’s this laser focus that gives
From: http://www.westernjournalism.com/who-really-calls-the-shots-in-our-government/
Anheuser-Busch Heir Quits the NRA in Protest
By Frederick E. Allen, Forbes Staff
Adolphus Busch IV, the great-grandson of the founder of Anheuser-Busch, maker of beer, yesterday quit the National Rifle Association in outrage at its role in blocking legislation that would have expanded background checks for gun buyers in America. A member of the organization since 1975 and a strong supporter of gun rights, Busch wrote to David Keene, the president of the NRA: . . . I ask that you immediately remove my name from your membership roles and provide me an acknwoledgement of this action.
From: http://www.forbes.com/sites/frederickallen/2013/04/19/anheuser-busch-heir-quits-the-nra-in-protest/
Video: Law Enforcement Disagrees With Obama
By NewsEditor
Turns out that law enforcement stands with the NRA and America’s gun owners…
From: http://www.westernjournalism.com/law-enforcement-disagrees-with-obama/
Man Shoots Himself at NRA's NASCAR Race
By Kevin Spak 
This probably wasn’t the kind of visibility the NRA was looking for when it decided to directly sponsor its first NASCAR event. A 42-year-old racing fan shot himself in the head at the NRA 500 Saturday night in Texas, the New York Post reports. Kirk Franklin was in a pickup…
From: http://www.newser.com/story/166255/man-shoots-himself-at-nras-nascar-race.html
Motorsports: Man commits suicide at NASCAR's NRA 500 race in TX
Filed under:
A suicide during this weekend’s NRA 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway will likely only add to the controversy behind the National Rifle Association‘s title sponsorship of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Kirk Franklin, 42, of Saginaw, TX, shot and killed himself in the infield of the track during late stages of the race Saturday night following an argument with other race fans.
According to a report from The Huffington Post, Franklin shot himself at 10:30 PM, and his body was found in the back seat of a pickup truck. Texas law prohibits guns at the racetrack, so it isn’t clear how or why Franklin smuggled the gun in to the track in the first place.
Man commits suicide at NASCAR’s NRA 500 race in TX originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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From: http://feeds.autoblog.com/~r/weblogsinc/autoblog/~3/J65S6mj3GCc/
NRA vows fight as key measures of New York's tough new gun law take effect
As the new provisions take effect Monday, New York‘s affiliate of the National Rifle Association said it plans to head to court to seek an immediate halt to the magazine limit.
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/politics/~3/Zo-WHNu2j1M/
NRA flap has NASCAR scrutinizing sponsors
By Terry Blount NASCAR plans to become more involved in race sponsorship decisions by speedways in light of the continuing controversy surrounding the National Rifle Association sponsorship of the Sprint Cup race Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway.
From: http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/9163799/nra-flap-nascar-scrutinizing-sponsors
Gun bill backers face looming hurdles, NRA opposition despite historic vote
The Senate’s procedural vote Thursday on gun control legislation was historic, marking the first time either chamber has advanced a major firearms bill to the floor since the assault-weapons ban of 1994.But both sides are girding for an intense debate ahead, as supporters of the legislation face a looming series of procedural hurdles — on an issue where the politics is more heated than for virtually any other.
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/politics/~3/KjZQZ6_6YSU/
Not Just Guns
By ray2047
Many years ago I read because of the strict gun laws in Japan they have walk by stabbings instead of drive by shootings.
More proof comes gun control may not be the solution. Four months after a shooting at Lone Star College there has been a mass stabbing.
Never owned a gun, not an NRA member, don’t agree with the current interpretation of the second amendment but I don’t believe in deluding people with false logic. A lot of the gun control rhetoric seems to be that to me, false logic. What next, ban knives. This last person also had sharpened tooth brushes and hair brushes in addition to an Exacto knife and a scalpel.
From: http://www.doityourself.com/forum/general-chats-discussions/493004-not-just-guns.html
Video: Sen. Toomey: Background Checks Are Not Gun Control
By NewsEditor
What a sad soul, stabbing us in the back like this. He just doesn’t get it.
From: http://www.westernjournalism.com/sen-toomey-background-checks-are-not-gun-control/
Arming Teachers: Three Reasons Why Teachers Should Not Carry Guns In School
By The Huffington Post News Editors
Written by Ken Corbett for Slate
Last week, the NRA released its National School Shield Task Force Proposal. At the heart of this proposal is the recommendation that schools be staffed with armed school resource officers (SROs). The NRA’s recommendation was preceded on March 8, 2013 by a South Dakota law that will allow trained teachers to carry weapons at schools.
As a child psychologist, I find myself thinking, do these people know children?
Read More…
More on Gun Violence
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post
How the Authors Guild Is Kind of Like the NRA and Why Scott Turow Is Wrong About Authors
By Jeremy Greenfield, Contributor
I never thought I’d be saying something like this, but the Authors Guild, the trade association that defends the interests and rights of published book authors, today reminds me of the National Rifle Association, the organization that ferociously and nonsensically defends the whims of a small group of gun owners under the guise of serving the larger gun-owning community. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Conn. Gov: NRA's LaPierre Is a 'Clown'
By Polly Davis Doig 
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home
NRA Attacks Connecticut ‘Sandy Hook Law’
By The Huffington Post News Editors
WASHINGTON — The National Rifle Association’s top two leaders on Thursday blasted Connecticut’s new gun control law aimed at preventing violence like the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.
Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the pro-gun lobbying group, called Connecticut’s law, passed early Thursday, part of a “decade-long agenda against firearms” during an interview on Fox News. NRA president David Keene, meanwhile, told the conservative publication Newsmax that gun control laws like those passed in Connecticut and Colorado were “the real threats.” New York and Maryland also have toughened gun laws since the school slaughter in December.
The NRA opposes any restrictions on high-capacity magazines or military-style assault rifles, both now banned by the new Connecticut law. The law also provides funding for school safety and has stricter eligibility requirements for ammunition purchases. New gun control laws like the one in Connecticut and another recently passed in Colorado represent rare public losses for the powerful gun lobby, which helped to organize opposition to both bills, as well as large protests in Denver and Hartford.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post
Indiana Bill Would Require Armed Guards In Schools
By The Huffington Post News Editors
The National Rifle Association on Tuesday released its long-awaited “National School Shield Report,” a lengthy document that recommends that schools arm and train staff members who want to carry guns.
A few hours earlier, Indiana’s House Education Committee advanced a similar measure — but one that takes the NRA‘s logic even further.
While the NRA‘s model legislation would lift restrictions on guns in schools and require specific training for school employees who choose to carry guns, the Indiana amendment would make the state the nation’s first to require all public schools to have an armed person with a loaded weapon in the building during school hours. After receiving a yet-to-be-determined training course, any school employee — a teacher, principal, or janitor — could become the school’s guard, called “school protection officers.” The amendment doesn’t specify which firearms the “officers” must hold or whether the guns should be visible or concealed.
Read More…
More on Education: Indiana
Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jay Carney Aboard Air Force One en route Denver, Colorado, 4/3/2013
Aboard Air Force One
En Route Denver, Colorado
2:14 P.M. EDT
MR. CARNEY: Thanks for joining us today on our flight to Denver, where, as you know, the President will be meeting with law enforcement officials and others at the Denver Police Academy where he will discuss the need for Congress to act on common-sense measures to reduce the scourge of gun violence in America.
I think you can expect that he will note that the legislation he supports that has been moving through Congress represents real, sensible, middle-of-the-road attempts to address this problem; that nothing he supports would in any way violate the Second Amendment rights of the American people, the Second Amendment rights that the President strongly supports.
One provision that he supports — the effort to close loopholes in our background check system — is supported by over 90 percent of the American people, by vast majorities of Republicans and Democrats and independents, by a substantial majority of gun owners, and a substantial majority of members of the NRA.
He has made clear in his effort, his concerted effort, to move forward with these measures since the Newtown tragedy; that it is imperative the elected officials of the American people allow all of these measures to come to a vote — and, in his view, to vote for them — but at the very least, to allow them to come to a vote. Because if you disagree with 90 percent of the American people on background checks, you ought to vote no, and not oppose — not use parliamentary maneuvers to prevent a vote. That’s the President’s view.
In any case, he looks forward to this event. As you know, he will be going to Connecticut on Monday to continue this conversation.
Q When the President insists on these votes, particularly on assault weapons and the high-capacity magazines, is it because he thinks that there is a price to pay for voting no? And isn’t there just as well a price to pay by some members of Congress, some Democrats, for voting yes on those issues?
MR. CARNEY: Jim, there are definitely political issues involved in this. This has always been the case. But the President doesn’t look at this through a political lens. He’s not asking for a vote for political reasons, he’s asking for a vote because the victims of Newtown and of Aurora and Virginia Tech, and the countless lesser-known victims of gun violence across America deserve at least a vote. And the kids who were killed — the 20 children who were killed in Newtown, they weren’t Republicans or Democrats; they didn’t care, and their parents don’t care about the political implications of voting yes or no on these bills. They want things done that give other children more protection from this kind of violence, and that includes …read more
Source: White House Press Office
Source: White House Press Office
NRA Study Backs Arming Educators
Schools across the nation should train selected staff members to carry weapons and should each have at least one armed security officer to allow a quicker response to an attack, the director of an NRA-sponsored study said today. Former Rep. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas made the remarks as a task… …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home