Thursday, January 7, 2016

Echoes of the NRA in House crazy Marlin Stutzman statement on Obama executive action



Mythology from the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action
As you likely already know, firearms were an indispensable part of daily life in colonial America. Firearms were especially important when our forefathers fought for independence from the British Empire in the American Revolution.

Related reading:
Spiking the Gun Myth:  Before the Civil War, a historian finds, guns were rare in the United States.  (The New York Times, 9/10/2000)

This chronic shortage led to widespread confiscation and regulation of the rare firearms. Colonies had to take a gun census to know what was available. Owners were commanded to take care of their weapons. Weapons were confiscated for militia use if the owners could not use them. Bellesiles sums up: ''No gun ever belonged unqualifiedly to an individual. It could not be seized in a debt case, could not be sold if that sale left a militia member without a firearm, had to be listed in every probate inventory and returned to the state if state-owned, and could be seized whenever needed by the state for alternative purposes. Guns might be privately owned, but they were state-controlled.''

The NRA pledge of allegiance chorus:
Gary Palmer (R-Alabama).  1/6/2016)
Paul Gosar (R-Arizona).  (1/6/2016)
Matt Salmon (R-Arizona)  (1/6/2016)
Ken Buck (R-Colorado) (1/6/2016)

Other Stutzman posts:
Meet 'the crazies' in the U.S. House of Representatives,  (10/2/2015)
Meet the members of the Republican Study Committee.  (7/10/2015)
No friend to the environment.  (12/24/2014)

No comments: