Gun rights GOP's demise?

A few days before the primary, a letter from the National Association for Gun Rights went out urging Mississippi voters to vote for Chris McDaniel, claiming he is in "100% support for your gun rights." Despite his 100% rating and endorsement from the National Rifle Association, the NAGR's letter claims Senator Thad Cochran is hiding his anti-gun views because he did not return their candidate survey.

While this might seem like a fairly innocuous mailer, a similar survey unanswered in Virginia by Rep. Eric Cantor is being partially blamed for his defeat last week. From Politico's analysis:

"A few weeks out from the election, the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a gun rights group, pressed Cantor’s campaign to perform what they saw as a routine request: reaffirm his support for the Second Amendment by completing a simple questionnaire. It was the kind of request any typical Republican running in a conservative district would answer.
But Cantor ignored the group, which claims 26,000 supporters, as he had for years. The congressman never responded to the survey or its plea to relocate an annual GOP event in the district from a pavilion that banned concealed guns... The slight, his critics argued, was emblematic of Cantor’s broader attitude that he was untouchable."

The bigger picture in Virginia, and the same picture being painted here in Mississippi, was of course that the Washington folks are out of touch with the people back home. This particular issue also represents the Tea Party and GOP's incessant fight to out-conservative one another. Though rumors are circulating that many outside groups are not participating in this runoff, we'll see how the mailers and commercials evolve over the last few days.

As for the NAGR, they touted their own victory in Virginia over Cantor last week. The article also highlights the press conference they gave last year to a room full of their staffers posing as reporters. A simple search of the group produces some equally bizarre message board threads.

The entire NAGR letter endorsing McDaniel is below.

NAGR Endorsement of Chris McDaniel

Guns in Schools Bill Passes

Yesterday, HB 958, a bill sponsored by Rep. Bubba Carpenter (R-Burnsville) that would allow schools to arm principals, teachers, janitors, and cafeteria workers in public schools, passed the state House.

There are a number of troubling factors in this bill, despite my personal disposition towards gun rights.  For instance, a Michigan security guard left his gun in the school bathroom last month. Luckily, no one was hurt.

But what bothers me most about this bill is that not only was it rushed through, or that it has already proven to be a somewhat ineffective way to prevent mass school shootings. According to AP:

The House rejected an amendment to require psychological evaluations of those carrying the weapons.

The Mississippi State House voted down the idea of making sure someone was mentally sound before handing them a gun and sending them into a school.

That frightens me.

 

Gov. Bryant: criminals can get their guns in the Soviet Union

Thanks to veteran Capitol reporter Emily Wagster Pettus, we have this gem from Gov. Bryant (R) preserved for all time:

MS GovPhilBryant says if criminals want ammo clips, they could get them from Brazil or "the Soviet Union." #msleg #guns

She tweeted that right as I published my previous post about Gov. Bryant going full on crazy and urging legislation to prevent the implementation of presidential executive orders that are "unconstitutional".

Classic.

Gov. Phil Bryant goes full on crazy, urges Legislature to ignore supremacy of federal government

If I had a nickel (okay, maybe quarter) for every time a Mississippi Republican quietly referenced the intellectual limitations of the current occupant of the Governor's Mansion, I could retire right now.  Well, here Gov. Phil Bryant (R) goes again, riding the Tea Party crazy horse one more time around the track.

This time, Gov. Bryant has "urged" Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) and Speaker Philip Gunn (R) to "immediately pass legislation that would make any unconstitutional order by the President illegal to enforce in Mississippi by state or local law enforcement".  (Click on the letter below to read the whole thing.) 

Nothing like a throwback to the days of nullification and interposition to brighten a dreary winter's day.  May I wish everyone an early happy Martin Luther King Day?

Okay, Gov. Bryant, who exactly makes the determination that an executive order of the President of the United States of America is "unconstitutional?  You, Learned Scholar?  Our state's Attorney General?  Or perhaps some guy on a street corner?  May I suggest a specialized Magic 8 Ball?  Oh, wait, I know...THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.  (You've heard of it. You keep asking them to overturn healthcare reform.)

All of this stems, mind you, from word that President Barack Obama is about to issue an executive order that would require more thorough background checks for folks buying firearms.  Oh, the horror!  What if that convicted wife beater or child abuser couldn't buy a gun?  What about the poor man with schizoaffective disorder?!?

Bryant letter to Reeves and Gunn

An example of why we need an honest, calm discussion of guns in Mississippi

Yesterday morning, while on the Paul Gallo Show on SuperTalk Mississippi, the subject of gun control came up.  I said it's time we had a conversation about whether or not we should restrict ownership of some types of guns here in Mississippi.  Mind you, I own a shotgun, and I'm not giving it up.  Nor am I advocating that anyone else should.

But we need to at least discuss whether or not assault rifles have any place in our society.  The AR-15, the weapon used in the Connecticut school murders, is an example of a gun that might not ought to be available to the general public.  And I'll tell you why.