“I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK?”
Donald Trump, West Des Moines Iowa
January 23, 2016 [NBC News]
Note: Donald J. Trump has a New York City concealed-carry permit and owns several handguns.
This morning the NRA attempted to defend its insane proposals to put guns in all American schools and keep military-type weapons and magazines on the streets, the gun lobby’s reaction to the horrifying slaughter of 20 small children and 6 educators in Newtown Connecticut. But Newtown itself is home to another gun lobby group, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and its last registered DC office is at 20 F Street NW (above) near the U.S. Senate, where it rents space.
The NSSF represents gun and ammunition manufacturers and dealers, so it’s no surprise that it has lobbied Congress against restrictions on military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. It even claims that the AR-15 is a legitimate hunting firearm.
Written and animated by Zina Saunders (via Mother Jones.)
Related:
“How Many People Have Been Killed by Guns Since Newtown?” Chris Kirk and Dan Kois, Slate
“Gun violence, by the numbers,” Jennifer Kabat, Salon
“The Media Myth Of NRA Electoral Dominance Should End With 2012,” Timothy Johnson, Media Matters
“Five Things Every Elected Official Should Know About The NRA,” Ian Millhiser, Think Progress
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In Newtown Connecticut, if you drive 3 miles from Sandy Hook Elementary School heading towards Rock Glen State Park, you’ll reach the headquarters of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. NSSF is the association representing 7,000 firearms manufacturers, gun dealers, and shooting range businesses across the country. Here’s what NSSF has to say about the massacre of 20 neighborhood kids and 6 local educators:
“DEAR NSSF MEMBERS AND INDUSTRY ASSOCIATES . . . We at the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute have been deeply shaken and saddened by the horrible events that took place in Newtown last week. There are not many degrees of separation in small communities like Newtown, and so, not surprisingly, we had family, friends and acquaintances that were affected. We are weighed down by their heartbreaking stories and the sorrow that has blanketed our community. Our hearts go out to the families of the victims of this terrible tragedy.
Last Friday, we posted on the NSSF and SAAMI websites that out of respect for the families, the community and the ongoing police investigation, it would be inappropriate for our organizations to comment or participate in media requests. That remains our position at this time.”
That’s it. Heartfelt.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation Government Relations division had lots more to say when opposing laws against high-capacity magazines of the type used to slaughter kids three miles from the NSSF doorstep. A similar bill will be reintroduced in Congress. A Connecticut state bill banning high-capacity magazines was defeated last year due to pressure from the gun lobby.
More:
“The Second Most Powerful Gun Lobby Is in Newtown, Connecticut,” Lydia DePillis, The New Republic
“Gun lobby thrives just 3 miles from Sandy Hook school where shooter killed 26,” Larry McShane, New York Daily News
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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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A San Antonio Taco Bell customer, enraged that Beefy Crunch Burritos had gone up in price, fired an air gun at an employee and an assault rifle at police officers before barricading himself in a motel room. After a three-hour Mexican-food standoff, a police SWAT team eventually subdued the suspect, Ricardo Jones, 37, by using gas. Officers may have used jalapeño pepper gas.
NotionsCapital 