IDIOCRACY

Packing Heat Near the President

By Stephen Stromberg

From the National Rifle Association’s Web site: “At the NRA, we're dedicated to the lawful, effective, responsible and above all safe use of firearms.” If the NRA were to take that commitment seriously, why wouldn’t the organization loudly discourage gun owners from, say, bringing loaded weapons to a presidential town hall, as several did recently? Or from threatening the president while wearing a packed leg holster?

Each incident happened this month, and they’re scary -- even putting aside the fact that we're talking about disgruntled activists brandishing guns near the president. I'm an Eagle Scout trained in firearm use, and I can’t count the number of possible accidents that could result from lugging a heavy semi-automatic into a large crowd. That’s why one of the first lessons I learned about gun safety is that you never bring out your weapon unless you have to -- and, given that there’s no need to hunt game or defend oneself at a heavily policed political rally, none of these gun owners can argue that they had to. Perhaps the NRA’s directors need a refresher course.

True, the NRA probably can’t persuade the nutjobs to leave their guns at home, in their cars or, in some cases, even in holsters. But the organization can and should scream that this isn’t appropriate firearm use, regardless of whether it is legal. And if promoting responsible gun ownership were a priority, the NRA could use one of its most influential tools -- the scores it gives to politicians -- to get more of our leaders to repudiate such carelessness, or at least assure political figures their standing with the NRA won’t be hurt if they do so. That’s not an infringement or even a criticism of the NRA’s interpretation of the Second Amendment. It’s merely an exhortation to treat rightful gun ownership with responsibility.

Instead, though, the NRA uses its scores to do such things as drum up opposition to Sonia Sotomayor. Meanwhile, its implied position on the town-hall toters has cowed even the White House, which just defended the activists’ right to pack heat near the president.