USA – -(Ammoland.com)- “I had a great meeting tonight with @realDonaldTrump & @VP,” Executive Director for NRA’s Institute for Legal Action Chris Cox tweeted Thursday. “We all want safe schools, mental health reform and to keep guns away from dangerous people. POTUS & VPOTUS support the Second Amendment, support strong due process and don’t want gun control. #NRA #MAGA”
Cox was obviously doing damage control to a series of hip-shot statements the president has made in recent days, the most troubling being during a Wednesday meeting with lawmakers when he endorsed confiscating guns from people suspected of being dangerous:
“Take the guns first, go through due process second,” Trump ventured.
He was responding to comments from Vice President Pence that families and local law enforcement should have more tools to report potentially dangerous individuals with weapons.
“Allow due process so no one’s rights are trampled, but the ability to go to court, obtain an order and then collect not only the firearms but any weapons,” Pence said.
“Or, Mike, take the firearms first, and then go to court,” Trump responded.
The “different president now” has also threatened to ban so-called “bump stocks” by executive order, called for universal “background checks,” called for raising the age for owning semi-automatic rifles to 21, endorsed expanded “mental health” prohibitions and even said he’d consider Dianne Feinstein’s pet bill, which would ban semi-autos for all.
Some, desperate to defend the president, are venturing unfounded hopes that he’s somehow lulling Democrats into a genius 3D chess trap. It sure doesn’t appear that way. If he secretly wanted to kill things, he wouldn’t be insisting on separating nationwide concealed carry reciprocity because it’s a “poison pill.”
What Cox is doing is reining Trump back in, getting him to “walk back” preemptive surrender-signaling and stick to NRA talking points. The thing is, those points bear very little relationship to “shall not be infringed,” and in fact represent “gun control” no matter how Fairfax wants to parse it and pretend otherwise.
In fairness to the president, they’re the ones who gave the green light on rate-enhancing devices. They’re the ones pushing “Fix NICS.” They’re the ones telling us we need not trouble ourselves with due process concerns over John Cornyn’s mental health blanket dragnet.
And they know none of that would make a bit of difference at halting “gun free zone” massacres.
What would?
We all know the answer to that. All, evidently, except for the one guy who ought to know better than everyone.
Here’s Wayne LaPierre’s statement after Columbine:
“First, we believe in absolutely gun-free, zero-tolerance, totally safe schools. That means no guns in America’s schools, period … with the rare exception of law enforcement officers or trained security personnel.”
Even after Sandy Hook, “School Shield” emphasis was not on “the right of the people to keep and bear arms.”
Why not?
There’s been a contention and underlying effort since then on the part of our political insider “gun rights leaders” that we have to give the Republicans “something” to offer their constituents as a sop, and that they can’t just offer them nothing.
How about offering the truth: That no concession will be enough, that if you give the gun-grabbers something today they’ll be back tomorrow demanding more, and telling everyone what a non-compromising extremist you are? That the enemies of freedom want nothing less than eradication of the right of the people to keep and bear arms, and that whatever ground you don’t make them fight tooth and claw for will be used to launch their next incursion?
How about if someone makes a claim on your birthright you tell him “No,” and if he persists let him know there’s a cost? What the hell good is the Second Amendment if you’re just going to surrender it when ordered to, whether it’s all at once or a little at a time?
Where are the “leaders” asking that?
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating / defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament.
In addition to being a field editor/columnist at GUNS Magazine and associate editor for Oath Keepers, he blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.
Chris Cox and Wayne LaPierre if you really want to help gun owners step down from your respective positions for someone who will actually stand for our rights.
Amazing why so many people assume that their pathetic mumbling will have any affect at all on the course our nation follows. But it does make them feel as though they actually mean something in overall tapestry of American life. Keep it up, though, it makes a good substitute for the daily comic strip in the daily newspaper.
J wrote: “People like you and arguments like this are literally the reason politics are broken in our once great nation. Enjoy your cold metal penis replacement. One of these days you’ll tell me why freedom to kill cops and kids is a natural right.” How did you morph the right to bear arms into a right to kill? Weird. Owning a gun doesn’t give one the right to shoot someone. Just like owning a hammer doesn’t give one a right to whack someone over the head with it. Instead of worrying about civilian weapons why not focus on disarming… Read more »
Dear NRA,
I don’t believe you.
this is exactly what the no gunners want division and malcontent among ourselves.listen to yourself people so you will know the ammo they use.
People like you and arguments like this are literally the reason politics are broken in our once great nation. Enjoy your cold metal penis replacement. One of these days you’ll tell me why freedom to kill cops and kids is a natural right.
Mr. T. Jefferson was quoted as saying: ” The beauty of the Second Amendment, is that it’s not really needed; until they try to take it away!” Huh!
The NRA, that is all the paid employees of the NRA (NOT the members) are dependent on having something to “fight” to receive a paycheck!
Therefore, sadly, if the 2A still stood as the Founders intended, there would be no need for the NRA, GOA et al, to be lobbying FOR “gun rights”, which would really mean we wouldn’t need them, nor pay them our hard earned $$$.
They have a vested interest in keeping the fight going, if we won ALL our GOD GIVEN RIGHTS back, they would all be without a paycheck…
In canada, that exactly what the police do, any rumour of a firearm threat , cops will come to your house and confiscate all your guns, lay charges, and you have to prove your innocence, horrible system, if your wife want you locked up, she just needs to call the 911, say you were threaten and that you own firearms, cops will at your door collecting you and your firearms, or your neighbour could falsely accuse you of pointing a firearm at him, your in trouble, too many false arrests and gun confiscations under Canadian law currently, easy for cops… Read more »
I’ve always been furious with the NRA on the ’86 machinegun ban. They could have exerted influence to get the provision stripped out of the final bill but wanted to be “reasonable.” I wrote then telling them that if they agreed to a ban, the Democrats would push for more and pro-gun folks would be fighting bans on everything else from then on. I was right. I don’t mind some of the changes, but we can’t accept any ban, denial of due process, and preventing LEGAL adults from exercising a Constitutional right. Once we accept restricting rights based on age,… Read more »