POLITICAL OPPORTUNISTS It never ceases to amaze mainstream Americans when gun-ban extremists attempt to use tragic events, especially those involving children, to advance their anti-gun agenda, and this week has seen plenty of this despicable tactic. In the aftermath of the horrific events at Santana High School in Santee, California, attacks on our Right to Keep and Bear Arms have been launched by the gun ban lobby—Handgun Control, Inc. (HCI)—its newest ally in the anti-gun movement, Americans for Gun Safety, and some of its oldest allies in Congress—U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.), who have consistently supported efforts to destroy the Second Amendment. Fortunately, the gun-ban movement no longer has Bill Clinton using the White House as his bully-pulpit to attack gun owners and attempt to score political points. Unlike his predecessor, who continually used tragic events to promote his political agenda, President George W. Bush called on America to pray for the children, teachers, and parents affected by what he called a "disgraceful act of cowardice." He also called on adults to help teach children right from wrong. HCI, on the other hand, seized the opportunity to capitalize on tragedy, as its media machine seemed to fire up its engines as soon as reports of the awful event began to circulate. Sarah Brady, HCI Chair, actually attacked President Bush in a press release, challenging him to support gun control. She called for the passage of a number of anti-gun measures, all of which are either already law in California, would have had no effect on the actions of the teenager responsible for the criminal act, or had absolutely no relation to the Santana shooting whatsoever. The HCI press release called on Bush to support a federal law that would allow the prosecution of an adult if a child gains access to his "unsecured" gun. However, California already has such a law, and most states already provide penalties for reckless endangerment, under which an adult found grossly negligent in the storage of a firearm under certain circumstances can be prosecuted. Furthermore, preliminary reports indicate the firearm used at Santana High by the disturbed teen was secured in a locked cabinet. HCI also called for mandating the sale of locking devices for every gun, even though virtually every new handgun currently sold already comes with a locking device. HCI also renewed its attack on gun shows, even though there is absolutely no link between this tragedy and any gun show, and HCI also defended its support of reckless lawsuits aimed at bankrupting lawful gun makers. The gun-ban group even had the audacity to imply that California's gun laws are lax, even though the state received one of HCI's highest "grades" in a "report card" the gun ban lobby issues, which rates the states on their "laws protecting children from gun violence." But maybe most disturbing is the fact that HCI has turned the tragic event at Santana High into a fund-raising scheme. Since Monday, any visitor to HCI's website is immediately confronted not with HCI's press release, but with a pop-up ad that requests money. But HCI is not alone in trying to politicize the Santana High tragedy. Always looking for media attention whenever the discussion turns to guns, Senator Chuck Schumer called a press conference on Tuesday, where he called for gun-ban organizations to work with the pro-gun community to establish what he called a "code of responsibility" for gun owners. In a coordinated response, the anti-gun organization Americans for Gun Safety praised Schumer's plan, as did HCI. Of course, this "code" already exists in the form of gun safety programs NRA has been teaching for nearly 130 years. Bill Powers, NRA's Director of Public Affairs, responded to Schumer's proposal by stating, "Welcome to the party. We've been [teaching responsibility] since 1871....What we ought to be doing is teaching and not holding news conferences." Considering NRA already has extremely effective safety and education programs in place (accidental firearm-related fatalities are currently at an all-time low, and have been steadily declining for years), perhaps Senator Schumer and his fellow gun-ban extremists should simply work to promote NRA and its safety programs. In addition, our support for the full enforcement of existing laws, through programs like "Project Exile," has dramatically reduced gun crime where these programs have been implemented. Not to be outdone in clamoring for media attention, Senator Dianne Feinstein has also been using the Santee tragedy to promote her own anti-gun agenda. Feinstein went on CNN Tuesday night and ranted, "The gun didn't have a trigger lock. If that gun had an effective trigger lock, clearly the youngster couldn't have used it." Of course, the firearm was in a locked cabinet, but that fact was carefully ignored by the California Senator. We can anticipate that Feinstein, Schumer, and others will seek to promote their anti-gun agenda in the Senate through whatever means available, including using Senate procedural maneuvers to attach anti-gun amendments to legislation that has nothing to do with firearms. Expect the first attacks to start as soon as next Tuesday, when the Senate prepares to take up debate on bankruptcy reform legislation. Call your U.S. Senators and urge them to oppose any anti-gun amendments from being attached to bankruptcy reform legislation or the education bill that will also be on the Senate floor soon. You can call your Senators at (202) 224-3121. For those on the Internet, you can find contact information for your Senators by using the "Write Your Reps" tool at www.NRAILA.org. NRA FAX ALERT |