Jan 12 2011
The Right Hook – 01/12/11
The Right Hook, a weekly segment which covers the machinations of the right wing, from the Republican Party to the Tea Party Patriots, and beyond. By Chris Bennett
In the wake of the gun-murders committed by Jared Loughner in Tucson, Arizona last weekend, Rep. Peter King of NY has proposed a new gun control law. King’s bill would make it illegal to bring a gun within 1,000 feet of– not a polling place, not an abortion clinic– but a government official. King is the first Republican to announce any new gun control legislation after the shootings. But anyone who thinks this law would stop a deranged shooter from bringing a gun to a political event is deluded. Instead, the better approach would be to reform the federal background check system. Even though Loughner was rejected by the military for drug use, and had a prior arrest for drugs, he was able to legally buy a firearm. With King’s bill, Politicians would get a 1,000 foot protective “Green Zone” free of firearms, while the rest of us get a free-fire zone. And nowhere is this free-fire zone more free than in Arizona.
Just last January, Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill which repealed a state law that required gun owners have permits to carry concealed weapons. Arizonans may carry their concealed weapons inside government buildings, in bars as long as they are not consuming alcohol, and to schools in order to pick up or drop off kids (as long as the weapon is unloaded). Laws may or may not inhibit the violently deranged such as Loughner. But, semiautomatic handguns, high-capacity magazines, low-capacity mental health facilities, and instant background checks make it clear that it’s the 2nd Amendment that is in need of remedy. According to Bloomberg News, Glock sales are up in Arizona. Greg Wolf, the owner of two Arizona Glockmeister gun shops reports that sales of the Glock 19 (the same gun used in the shootings) have nearly doubled since Saturday’s murders. According to Wolf, “When something like this happens, people worry that the government is going to ban stuff.” The semiautomatic Glock 19’s are selling like hotcakes for $499 per piece.
Meanwhile, the right wing media is frantically trying to disown Jared Loughner. No one knows what motivated Loughner, but Rush Limbaugh says that “What Mr. Loughner knows is that he has the full support of a major political party in this country . . . he knows that . . . the Democrat party is attempting to find anybody but him to blame.” But since Loughner just attempted to assassinate a congresswoman who is a Democrat, this sounds crazy. Right wingers have tried to call Loughner a liberal because he once listed Hitler’s Mein Kampf on his favorite books list. In case you didn’t know, Fox News hosts have tried for years to link Hitler’s fascist regime to liberals and progressives. Again, this is at odds with reality. Hitler was a fascist. Loughner’s unknown politics aside, what he has in common with Hitler, with Fox News’ noise machine, and with Arizona’s gun laws– is insanity.
And in South Carolina, Republican Joe Wilson’s “You Lie” interruption of one of President Obama’s key health care speeches is being commemorated. The Columbia Free Times reports that the words “You Lie” are being engraved onto a new, limited-edition line of assault rifle components. The Palmetto State Armory manufactures the lower receivers for the popular AR-15 assault rifle. The lower receiver is the part where the trigger is housed. This announcement is ahead of President Obama’s planned visit later this year to the Palmetto State. According to the manufacturer, only 999 of these commemorative AR-15 components will be made.
The Right Hook– Reality Based News and Views.
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