Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets Saturday for the “March For Our Lives” rally, though it could just as easily been dubbed a “Day of Rage” protest.
Sparked by the shooting that took place at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 dead, the participants brought with them their passion, dedication, and most of all, their fury.
Their anger targeted lawmakers, the Republican Party, and even President Donald Trump — but the lion’s share of it was directed at the National Rifle Association.
Although no one can doubt the sincerity of their passion and resolve, their rage is misdirected. The NRA isn’t at fault for Parkland or any other shooting. Blaming the NRA for a firearm death is akin to blaming the AAA for auto accidents.
Although the NRA is primarily engaged in firearm safety and education, it also has a lobbying arm — the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA). But it’s not nearly as powerful as gun control advocates would have you believe.
The NRA-ILA doesn’t appear on OpenSecrets.org’s list of top 20 lobbying firms. Nor does hunting and shooting sports appear on the organization’s list of top 20 sectors. How about gun control? Nope, not a top 20 issue. Finally, guns and arms is absent from the organization’s list of top 20 industries.
Notwithstanding the rhetoric heard at Saturday’s events, the NRA isn’t responsible for a single death in the United States.
The notion that the NRA is an evil, all-powerful organization having a tenacious grip on lawmakers is a myth perpetrated by the left.
For example, presumably before the bodies were even removed from the school, comedian Chelsea Handler tweeted: "We have to elect candidates that are not funded by the NRA in November. We have an opportunity to elect candidates who won’t allow kids to go to school and get shot. It is disgusting how many times this has happened and Republicans do nothing. You all have blood on your hands."
Similarly, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tweeted the day after the Las Vegas bloodbath: "Our grief isn't enough. We can and must put politics aside, stand up to the NRA, and work together to try to stop this from happening again."
When asked what needs to be done, gun control advocates often say ban assault weapons — a term loosely used to describe a standard semi-automatic rifle with a few cosmetic add-ons. Those accouterments generally include a pistol grip, accessory rail, and an adjustable stock.
Been there, done that. A 10-year assault weapon ban was enacted in 1994, and had no effect whatsoever on crime rates.
It turned out to be a "zero-sum political fight about a symbolic weapon," New Orleans Mayor Mitchell Landrieu said.
Nevertheless, when March for our Lives participants were asked by a Campus Reform reporter what should be done, an assault weapon ban scored high on their list.
Although they could confidentially state that private ownership of such weapons should be illegal, when asked to define an assault weapon, the reporter got either crickets or an incoherent answer in return.
“Um, I mean no,” said one. “But ‘assault weapon,’ does that sound safe to you?”
“It’s an arm...like a gun for instance that you can buy at a shop pretty easily, that can like cause more deaths than one I guess,” another answered.
Even gun-reform lawmakers who claim to be experts often end up sounding like blathering idiots.
Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Col., for example, was confused about how magazines work. She believed that they came pre-loaded with ammunition, and once they were used, couldn’t be re-loaded.
“I will tell you these are ammunition, they’re bullets, so the people who have those know they’re going to shoot them,” she said, according to The Denver Post. “So if you ban them in the future, the number of these high capacity magazines is going to decrease dramatically over time because the bullets will have been shot and there won’t be any more available.”
A California Democratic state senator made repeated errors when describing a “ghost gun” — a firearm that can’t be identified through usual means such as a serial number.
“This right here has the ability with a .30-caliber clip to disperse with 30 bullets within half a second,” Sen. Kevin de Leon said while displaying a firearm for reporters. “Thirty magazine clip in half a second.”
De Leon used the illogical “.30-caliber clip” to describe what he meant as a 30-round magazine.
In addition, the lawmaker displayed a homemade firearm, which is highly unlikely to have a 60-round-per-second fire rate as he alleged.
If Saturday’s demonstrators are serious about saving American lives, rather than participating in the March For Our Lives, they should consider taking part in the March for Life, an annual pro-life event.
The NRA receives nothing in federal funding and is responsible for zero deaths.
Planned Parenthood, on the other hand, received more than $500 million in funding from the 2018 Omnibus bill, and destroys more than 300,000 human lives per year.
Just a thought.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to BizPac Review and Liberty Unyielding. He’s also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter, who can often be found honing his skills at the range. To read more of his reports — Click Here Now.
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