Dec 19 2012

NRA Breaks Its Silence After Sandy Hook Massacre; Gun Control Advocates See a Turning Point for Change

After four days of deafening silence, the nation’s biggest gun lobby, the NRA, released a statement late yesterday regarding the massacre of 20 children and 7 women at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut saying “we were shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the news of the horrific and senseless murders.” The NRA explained its silence saying they were allowing “time for mourning, prayer and a full investigation of the facts before commenting.” The influential organization has announced a press conference for this Friday.

In fact the NRA’s Twitter feed went silent on Friday one day after reporting 1.7 million “likes” on their Facebook page. That Facebook page that was pulled from the web entirely and has been apparently replaced by a new page.

Historically silence in the wake of a high profile shooting has been standard practice for the NRA, which has generally waited out the controversy before delaying any new gun control legislation and trying to dismantle it in the process.

This behavior follows a philosophy laid-out in the 1970s when a radical group of gun rights advocates staged a coup and seized control of the NRA. An organization that once supported strict and responsible gun control was mutated into the behemoth lobbyist organization of today, devoted to the slaughter of any and all gun-control legislation.

Today the NRA is facing its biggest public relations challenge in the wake of the massacre, targeted harshly for its extreme gun policies by dozens of newspaper op-eds and statements by elected officials, TV commentators, and social media users. Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Mark Warner of Virginia, both conservative Democrats and staunch gun-rights advocates, have declared a change of heart. “Never before have we seen our babies slaughtered,” Manchin said on Monday morning, “I don’t know anyone that needs 30 rounds in a clip to go hunting.”

Meanwhile, gun control advocates have been filling the NRA’s silence this week, calling for increased firearm regulation in the wake of the Newtown massacre. But, as Adam Winkler, author of Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America, writes: “If President Obama is serious about meaningful action, he better act now. In several months, the sad truth is that people will have forgotten the victims of Friday’s tragedy.”

GUEST: Adam Winkler, Constitutional Law Professor at UCLA, author of Gunfight: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America

2 responses so far

2 Responses to “NRA Breaks Its Silence After Sandy Hook Massacre; Gun Control Advocates See a Turning Point for Change”

  1. Gil Contrerason 19 Dec 2012 at 12:05 pm

    I recommend you guys broaden your google searches and check out Dr John Lott. Sometimes this show has some very interesting guests with perspectives not heard anywhere else on radio…mostly because they are so off the map, but still interesting to listen to.

    Then you guys actually do a disservice to the greater community by not doing your homework or simply choosing to ignore facts you dont like. Either way, you really mislead the public.

    I am a NRA member & NRA handgun instructor, I’d be happy to come on your show and help you better understand the issue of gun laws, violent people and how to effectively respond to an active shooter situation (armed & unarmed).

  2. jim pettinatoon 19 Dec 2012 at 12:30 pm

    Here’s a thought,”Day of the Lord”Jesus empties hell onto Earth for seven yrs dragon wages war against the remaining people.Devils see it’s coming soon,devils want countries to go gunless like England.They’ll be”Bambies in the headlight”no chance to defend themselves.All they have to do is go into a weak person and have them do a horrific crime, scare everyone? into gun control, they laugh at how easy it is to manipulate people into reacting like scared sheep.

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