Former NRA President Equates Gun Laws With Racism

[onehandle]

Source: Talking Points Memo

Those looking for moderation and sensitivity in the gun control debate probably, by this point, know better than to look to the National Rifle Association.

But even by the standards of what we’ve heard from the NRA recently, comments made by former NRA president Marion Hammer earlier this week stand out.

Appearing on an episode of the NRA news show The Daily News on Wednesday, Hammer concluded a discussion of the prospects on gun control initiatives prompted by the Newtown, Conn. massacre by drawing a comparison between attempts to ban guns and racism.

“And they even admit this is about banning the ugliest guns, it’s about cosmetics and it has nothing to do about how a firearm works,” host Ginny Simone said toward the end of the segment.

Read more: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/01/nra_marion_hammer_guns_racism.php?ref=fpa

---

These right-wing talking points are openly parroted by some on DU.

[samsingh]

1. the NRA does not live in our universe

[Recursion]

2. That's not the comparison that I see on DU

I see people pointing out some of the unfortunate racist history gun control legislation has had in the past (Jim Crow, anti-immigrant laws, etc.)

[Hoyt]

6. Bull, I've seen Gungeoneers compare their poor pitiful gun plight to the civil rights movement.

They should be ashamed.

[Recursion]

9. Well I think "shall issue" vs. "may issue" is a civil rights question

But, yeah, for the most part the civil rights questions are pretty minor and I guess that does get overblown.

[Hoyt]

11. Well, I think they should be restricted for all including yahoos who buy the bulk

of so-called assault weapons, and account for the majority of carry permits to protect them from irrational fears.

The yahoos are the ones we need to be concerned about nowadays.

[bongbong]

3. Very apt comparison

After all, we know that changing one's skin color is as easy as buying a gun.

[Gman]

4. Seriously... what color is the sky in their world??

[Gidney N Cloyd]

5. Gun reform will go nowhere until we get gun "fans" to agree to a categorical definition of >>>

>>>the kinds of rapid fire, high capacity weapons that need to be restricted. You go into the gungeon and say "assault weapon" and they line up to tell you no such thing exists. Maybe we should start from scratch with a new term like "mass killer weapons" or "asshole weapons" then define it for them.

[Zoeisright]

7. Another stupid frigging gun humper

who doesn't understand coherent thought, let alone logical reasoning.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

8. Gun control laws have indeed been historically been racist and classist

Its not NRA talking points, its US history...

[daleo]

18. Have gun control laws in the latter half of the 20th century been racist and classist?

Was the Brady Bill classist or racist? Is there some connection between owning an automatic weapon and being politically liberal on race and/or class? Alternatively, are gun control advocates usually racists?

It doesn't seem that way based on the people that I have known.

[Recursion]

19. The emphasis on "hunting" is a huge dogwhistle

Meaning "I'm fine with exurban white people having guns".

Alternatively, are gun control advocates usually racists?

Given that the founders of the Brady Campaign are Republicans? Yes. Along with Bloomberg and Giuliani. Yes again.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

21. There are certainly ongoing classist impacts

One can also argue that there are unintentional racial impacts. Back when there was real EEO/Affirmative action in the US, that could get you filed upon.

[daleo]

22. Are there gun laws (or proposals) that say the rich can have guns, but not anyone else?

Or that whites can have guns, but not anyone else?

If so, please quote them.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

23. It is de facto, not de jure

By making it more expensive (or much more expensive) as some here have proposed, it is making it harder for the non-rich to own weapons. De Facto classism

[daleo]

26. By that standard, all of modern life is classist, as the rich can always afford more than the poor

Logically, the government would have to provide all citizens with free guns, in order to mitigate the inherent classism of gun ownership itself, since the rich can always afford more and better guns.

Alternatively, strict laws against any gun ownership would eliminate this classism completely, so anyone concerned with classism or racism should be in favor of gun control.

[Journeyman]

10. Is there a rational, intelligently-led alternative to the NRA? . . .

And if not, why hasn't someone in that "4 million strong" organization stepped forward with a better-led, better-managed organization?

I can't imagine that every gun owner feels they are competently represented by the loonies the NRA puts forth at every turn.

[billh58]

12. No, only 4 million

of them feel that the "cold, dead hands" kind of representation is just peachy keen.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

14. They have demonstrated in the past the ability to motivate quite a bit more

However, this time they were not as effective in local elections as they have been in the past

[NickB79]

15. They weren't as effective because Obama didn't touch gun control

So, they had nothing to use to motivate gun owners in the last election. No red meat to fire up the 80 million gun owners in this country.

If Sandy Hook had happened a year ago and the same debates on gun control and gun bans we're having now had occurred then, I'd bet money we'd be bitching about President Romney right now.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

13. There are other pro gun organizations out there

Some claim to be liberal, but most make the NRA look like the nice guys

[bemildred]

16. Guns are people? nt

[billh58]

17. I've heard that some

gun hoarders name their guns, and stroke them, and kiss them goodnight.

[Recursion]

20. Nobody likes the taste of CLP in their mouth, but more importantly...

... you need to get to a place where even if that were so, it wouldn't bother you like it does. That's a tribalist kind of disdain and it keeps us from getting anywhere on this issue: gun owners know that at a very basic level your problem isn't with guns, it's with them.

[stultusporcos]

24. Depends on the gun owner

There are a whole bunch of RW gun owners out there who would not think twice about shooting Liberals and Progressives if they had the opportunity which is the #1 reason why I am a gun owner.

[jpak]

25. Poor baby is a "victim" - and a douchebag

Bless his widdle heart

yup