by The online version of Newsweek magazine had the most misleading headline ever related to the recent panic buying of firearms. Since I don’t think merely quoting it does it justice, here is a screen shot of it.
Do they mean gun rights advocacy groups like the National Rifle Association, the Second Amendment Foundation, Gun Owners of America, the Firearms Policy Coaliton, or one of the many state-level groups?
Umm. No.
Once you start reading the article you come across comments from these “gun advocacy” luminaries.
“Fear has been the motivation for much of the increases in firearms purchases,” David Chipman, Senior Policy Advisor for gun control advocate group Giffords, told Newsweek.
“A small percentage of the marketing to gun owners has been to encourage preparation for end times scenarios and zombie apocalypses.”
Chipman said the country’s current gun laws allow people to hoard weapons in the same way they are able to mass buy toilet paper.
Chipman, of the Cult of Personality Known As Giffords, goes on to say he is a gun owner himself. Of course he is.
Not to be out done is this advocate is the co-president of Brady United.
Kris Brown, President of the Brady gun control campaign group, also said she is “very fearful” that the number of friendly fire incidents involving children could also dramatically increase as millions of children who are not currently at school will be present in their homes with these new weapons.
Brown said the feeling of short term security and safety that is provided by purchasing a weapon is masking the actual risk that will be dramatically increased.
“I understand in any time of crisis there is fear, the desire to do something to try and create a sense of security, and safety is paramount. The same instinct as fight or flight is what’s kicking in here,” she told Newsweek.
“The reality is the purchase of a gun is actually going right into harm’s way.”
It’s always “for the children” with them.
Last but not least is that “stay at home mom of five” and former corporate PR flack Shannon Watts herself.
“Right now, there’s no question that everyone is worried about their family’s safety. We know there are risks associated with having a gun in the home, especially when kids are involved, which is why responsible gun owners store their guns locked, unloaded and separate from ammunition.”
Watts added the presence of guns in a house also increases the risks of suicide and domestic violence.
“The NRA has spent decades selling a myth that more guns make us safer, but if that were true, the U.S. would be the safest nation on earth,” she said. “Instead, we have a gun homicide rate that’s 25 times higher than the average of other developed nations.”
Watts suggested if people truly want to protect their families during these unsettled times, they should “wash their hands and lock up their guns.”
While I can’t disagree with Mrs. Watts on the importance of hand washing, the rest of her statement is all too typical of her.
The best thing I can say about that headline is that they didn’t characterize these gun prohibitionists as “gun safety groups”. Indeed, the author of this article specifically refers to both Giffords and Brady as “gun control advocate” or “gun control campaign” groups.