ETCETERA
NIGHTCAP
An NRA Dream Speech
By Harry Kirsbaum
I
guess I was wrong.
In last month's col-
umn, I assumed that the
Sandy Hook killings would be a turning
point in the gun control debate. That it
would force the disparate sides to seek
common ground.
I thought that when the NRA
announced an upcoming press
conference on Dec. 21, and said it
was prepared to"offer meaningful
contributions to make sure this never
happens again," that it actually meant
what it said.
I watched in wonder as Wayne LaPi-
erre, NRA's executive vice president,
blamed everyone and everything else
but guns for
the tragedy and
called for armed
guards in every
school in America.
"The only thing that
stops a bad guy with a gun is
a good guy with a gun," he said.
He also said he wanted the NRA
to take the lead in organizing the
effort.
I wondered why this newly security-
conscious organization didn't have
the security in place during the press
conference to prevent two separate
protesters from holding anti-NRA ban-
ners in front of the podium for so long
that their arms got tired.
And among all my"wonderment,"
this is what I hoped LaPierre would
have said:
"Good afternoon. On behalf of the
National Rifle Association, I want to
express how deeply saddened we are
by the tragic events that took place in
Sandy Hook on Dec. 14. The slaughter
of 26 innocent lives, including 20 young
children, leaves us beyond grief
'Although no laws were broken in the
purchase of the firearms used in this
senseless act, and no laws were broken
until Adam Lanza took his mother's guns
and pulled the trigger, something must
be done now to try to prevent another
tragedy.
"In the days since these 26 innocent
lives were taken, I have called upon the
leadership of the NRA to offer meaning-
ful contributions to this cause. Although
we have had major differences with
President Obama over gun control in the
past, we are willing to come to some type
of middle ground.
"We are willing to join President
Obama, and the majority of our mem-
bers, in supporting an assault weapons
ban and a ban on high-capacity maga-
zines. Contrary to what we have said in
the past, and because of this tragic event,
this ban is not a Second Amendment
issue — this is a safety issue.
"A handgun in the possession of a
well-trained security guard is still no
match for a person wielding an AR-15
semi-automatic rifle with high capac-
ity magazines — the weapon used
by Adam Lanza in Newton, or James
Holmes in Aurora or Jacob Tyler Roberts
in Clackamas, Ore. It is a matter of supe-
rior firepower.
"We no longer believe that the ban
will start a slippery slope on the Second
Amendment, and all law-abiding Ameri-
cans will still have the right to bear arms.
"We will work with the White House
and Congress to come to a reasonable
decision on solving this problem.
"We are taking responsibility for our
part in this tragedy, but there are other
factors involved. Blaming the weapon is
not enough. We are looking forward to
joining Vice President Biden in meetings
with representatives of law enforcement,
gun retailers, entertainment executives,
video game manufacturers and mental
health officials in the coming weeks to
come to some type of comprehensive
solution to this problem. We are all cul-
pable, and we can all contribute.
"I am proud that the NRA is the first
organization to reach out and offer some
type of viable solution, and we look for
other organizations to follow our lead.
"We look forward to working with the
White House, Congress and any other or-
ganization entity as allies in in the future.
"Thank you for your time, and God
bless America."
We can dream, can't we?
WWW.THEEPICUREANGROUP.COM
46 February 2013 I
RtD
www.redthreadmagazine.com