In Salt Lake City this Saturday, NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre blasted forth the same second amendment post apocalyptic rhetoric again. As a featured speaker at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo, LaPierre renewed attacks on universal background checks. Most misleadingly he preached that universal background checks would create a national gun registry which would ultimately confiscate American’s guns. Of course, this is completely illogical yet that hasn't seemed stop the CEO.
Watch Full Video Here:
The video opens with a ‘Stand and Fight ’commercial—which could be easily confused as an ad for anarchy.
2:30—2nd amendment is “not a frivolous suggestion... the very heart of what this country was founded upon” Yes, excellent point, everything is pretty much exactly like it was when we had 13 colonies. After all, Queen Elizabeth could decide to reclaim the Americas at any moment.
4:05—Clearly, LaPierre believes Dianne Feinstein is an old cat lady sitting in dark cave biding her time till a horrific crisis takes place— then she will slap legislation on the table to take all ze firearms! Mwahahaha. #accurate
6:44—Powerful elites have security… like Obama’s daughters? I think we can all agree the American President’s daughters might need a security guard or two. Thanks.
6:53—“When the glass breaks in the middle of the night”—Yup, no idea.
7:33—LaPierre admits he is crazy.
8:04—LaPierre warns against “so called” background checks—not as reasonable as you think because: criminals do NOT follow laws. By this logic, why have any laws? Hooray anarchy again.
9:20—LaPierre brought footage! “One of the biggest gun haters on the planet” celebrating NY Senior senator Chuck Schumer’s strong stance on gun safety. Calling it the most honest moment in Schumer’s career.
10:17—Imagine your name on a massive government list. Let’s see Social Security, Voter registration, Drivers Liscenses, Taxes, petitions, hmmm… why am I not afraid?
Answer at 11:13, good old Wiki-leaks and China. Both care lots (and I mean lots) about how many guns Grandpa Joe and Aunt Ruth have.
12:48—More anarchy.
13:50—President Obama has Mexican friends. These Mexican friends... he’s gonna give them lists of all America’s gun owners.
17:00—“The vast majority of American people are behind us”—Funny, because I’m pretty sure they’re not… Moreover, every credible poll since Sandy Hook has shown overwhelming support from Americans including NRA members to see stronger gun safety legislation.
17:15—LaPierre:“By 2014, we’re gonna be a lot stronger.” –Ok, now I’m afraid.
17:55—Weird pause. Pretty awkward.
18:48—LaPierre tells the crowd to stand up. Like literally stand up which magically secures LaPierre a standing-O—probably the best show of tact he’s had all night.
LaPierre’s fanatical 'fears' or 'claims' about gun safety legislation are not only misleading, they're false. No one, not even the most progressive Democrats, are speaking about overturning the Second Amendment. LaPierre's goals are purely to distract the American people from taking aim at the gun industry he protects. All we are talking about is legislation that promotes responsible gun ownership so our children and families are safe. Comprehensive universal background checks are an effective way to do that. An assaults weapons ban would dramatically do that—and if you haven’t already, please, sign here and join our call to congress.
In a city ravaged by gun violence, a special election for Congress has turned into a national referendum on gun safety as two candidates go head-to-head -- one with an A rating from the NRA, the other with an F rating.
Welcome to IL-02.
There are an unbelievable number of candidates running in the primary to replace Jesse Jackson Jr. -- and in this solid blue district, the primary is the only thing that matters. For months, these candidates have been jockeying for attention and polls have been muddled. Now, one candidate is surging: Robin Kelly.
Robin Kelly has an F rating from the NRA and she's wearing it as a badge of honor. Her main opponent, conservative former Rep. Debbie Halvorson, has an A rating from the NRA.
Robin has an opportunity to pull off a huge upset victory in next week's primary, but she needs the resources to kick her Get Out The Vote operation into high gear. That's why we're announcing our endorsement of Robin today.
The Chicago area endured over 500 murders last year, more than 400 of which were the result of gun violence.
We can win this -- and we can deliver a huge blow to the NRA in the middle of a national debate on gun violence prevention.
In Virginia Beach, All Around Pizza & Deli will give a 15% discount to customers who bring in a gun or show a gun permit.
The owner, Jay Laze claims 80% of his customers have walked in with a gun since his new discount began last week—including a customer carrying an AK-47—yup, that's a Russian assault weapon.
Laze says, “It’s been awesome.” In fact, he’s considering making the new business model permanent. Most incredible is that this crazy unsafe promotion is apparently legal. Because the state of Virginia has open carry laws—a person with a gun can go just about anywhere including a pizza joint, the bank, hospital, store, or a bar.
Most shockingly, Laze’s model isn’t the first. In Utah, a frozen yogurt shop “Farr’s Fresh” gives a $1 discount to customers who bring in concealed carry permits—it was this that inspired Laze’s move: “I though it was a great idea, and I was wondering why nobody here was doing it. It should be happening all around the country”
Thankfully, it is not happening all around the country. However, models such as this encourage the same irresponsible behavior that lawmakers and safety specialists discourage against. Despite this, Laze continues to promote this bizarre pitch, as he openly says he hires delivery men with gun permits.
It is truly mind-blowing that in this point in time, when most of the country is becoming more and more aware of how impotent are gun laws are—a restaurant promotes ‘packing heat for pizza’—with no satire. This is not an SNL skit, this is a real place in Virginia Beach and Jay Laze is a real business owner.
Join our effort to take down the Tea Party Congress, and replace them with a more open-minded, open to compromise, rational Congress. We want to see real and rational change for gun safety. After you join, head on over here and donate to help fund our initiatives to bring more progressives to Congress in 2014.
Today Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles unveiled there new $2.4 trillion deficit-reduction plan. However, this plan is back with more cuts and less revenue than the original. $600 billion—a full quarter of the deficit reduction would come from healthcare.
Former co-chairs of President Obama’s deficit reduction commission, Allen Simpson is a former Republican Senator of Wyoming and Democrat Erksine Bowles was President Clinton’s White House Chief of Staff.
The plan is titled: “A Bipartisan Path Forward to Securing America’s Future.”
As March 1st sequester looms ahead, the new plan was formed in hopes to bridge differences between the President and the Congressional Republicans—an agenda better known for uncompromising Tea Party antics.
A new plan framed for ultra-conservatives to moderates, leaves no room for the people’s progressive voices at all—moreover, the plan as a whole still manages to thrill no one. There are significant cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and yet Republicans still loudly object to new revenues?
Not only does the plan gut Medicare and Medicaid and it will “reform” Social Security by tying it chained CPI which will drastically change our healthcare--more importantly, the most significant cuts the plan makes will fall on the programs that benefit the nation’s growing senior population.
Join DFA and be a citizen supporter, Congressmen Alan Grayson and Mark Takano are fighting back and asking their colleagues to join them on a letter that states: We will vote against any and every cut to Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security benefits -- including raising the retirement age or cutting the cost of living adjustments that our constituents earned and need.
We must stand up to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid—calling for NO cuts. As the Simpson and Bowles plan is received and we get closer to the March 1st deadline—DFA will follow and continue our efforts to protect the people’s healthcare.
This Sunday over 35,000 gathered in DC for the Forward on Climate Change Rally to call on the President to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline.
As crowds chanted: Shift the Power! They hoped to spark a national dialogue about the proposed pipeline that would run from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. The line would carry tar sand and soil—leaving a large greenhouse gas footprint in it’s wake.
Many are heartened that President will respond to climate change and at last, America will take action against ongoing enviornmental crisis. In his inaugural address this January President Obama notably said, “We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond to threat of climate change knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.”
The political pathway for better environmental legislation continues to difficult. The GOP’s Tea Party still features prominent ‘global warming deniers.’ In fact, in Kansas last week the House education committee introduced a bill that mandates teachers question the scientific basis of global warming—and Kansas is not the only state! Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Oklahoma all have similar policies already in place.
Yet support comes from unlikely sources, retired Army Col. Dan Nolan represents Operation Free, he says there are clear national security benefits to getting more oil from Canada. "We're putting America's sons and daughters at risk by having to protect oil production capability in the Middle East." The real challenge he says is to shift the world off oil and other fossil fuels. After recent disasters like Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Katrina, we need to take serious steps to do something really soon. If we don't, we're all going to be in a state where we don't recognize the planet where we live.
Follow DFA on Facebook , Twitter, and Tumblr as we continue to support legislation and candidates who address climate change head on. To repeat this Sunday’s chant: Shift the Power!
