One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

There is a common thread that runs through various national tragedies such as the massacre of innocent six year olds at Newtown (Yes, it was a tragedy and not the expression of a demented citizen simply exercising his second amendment right to carry assault weapons into an elementary school that the N.R.A.’s lobbying wing, the Institute for Legislative Action, would have us think). This common thread is that most sane, intelligent, sensitive, and rational people think that certain limits should be in place to protect innocent people (defined as men, women and children attempting to go about the day-to-day of living life free from the fear that some a—hole is going walk into a church, school, hospital to shoot them because the shooter is mad at his mother, father, former girl friend, ex-employer, or even worse, no one at all) from being shot to death.

In a perfect example of the inmates running the institution, the Institute did have a lucid moment recently of demonstrating and supporting the rational thinking that must be brought to bear on dealing with these increasingly frequent incidents. Recent insane open-carry demonstrations in Texas, led by the organization Open Carry Texas, provoked a statement on the Institute's website calling the taking of assault weapons to lunch at public venues “downright weird” and “downright scary.” That is to say, we (nearly all of us) took one giant step forward.  Think ‘moon landing’ in the realm of public safety.

But, after the “downright scary and weird” crowd screamed and frothed at the mouth, the Institute removed the offending statement. Chris W. Cox, the N.R.A.’s chief lobbyist, explained that the organization “unequivocally” supports open carry and insisting that it’s “been the leader of open carry efforts across the country.” The state of Michigan is a good example of these “efforts” which includes attempts to allow open carry in churches and bars, havens where it is obviously necessary to demonstrate the size of one’s penis, oops, I mean gun.

Two steps back.   Just saying . . .