NRA

In yet another bonehead move by state legislators, on this occasion the New York and Virginia state variety,  have introduced bills to remove the National Rifle Association from their accredited lists of certified firearms instructors. With over 125000 certified instructors nationwide, the NRA has long been the gold standard for firearms instruction programs for citizens, police and even has an award-winning Eddie Eagle” program to teach young children the importance of gun safety, specifically what to do if they encounter a firearm at home or in the hands of friends and classmates. Sure, let’s continue to allow video games, television, and movies to promote irresponsible gun violence but at the same time eliminate real-world instruction on how to safely handle a firearm. This in a country that has roughly 120 firearms per 100 citizens. Duh. And what do they propose to fill the instruction void?  The state of course. All firearms training will fall under the purview of the state. Isn’t that reassuring? I’m from the government and I’m here to help. Sure, that’s a great idea. But we all know the two-pronged impetus behind these measures. The first is simply another attack on the NRA as a lobbying power by eliminating a source of revenue to weaken them further as a voice for gun rights. Remind me again how many mass shooters and criminals are NRA members?  And the second prong is more government power over you by adding yet another fee to what will become mandatory firearm training and registration. I’m all for training, just not the government using it as a back door to gun registration and a source of revenue. They’ve already proposed a special gun tax, an ammunition tax, gun registration, background checks on ammunition purchases, and limitations on how much you can purchase. I recently purchased the lowly .22 caliber ammunition, hardly a threat to anything but a squirrel, and in addition to having to produce my driver's license, was asked my occupation. Intrusive, perhaps? Correct answer: None of your business. I should have responded “Illegal alien” and all would have been right with my government. Recall how exactly did a four-time deported illegal alien, who had previously been visited by law enforcement for shooting an assault rifle in his suburban backyard, obtain the gun and the ammo to murder his neighbors?  The government has already auditioned for this public safety job and they suck at it. And as if to demonstrate how far the left has to go to demonstrate that they are lacking any logic whatsoever, New Jersey expanded their list of “sensitive-places”, formerly known as “gun-free zones” to virtually everywhere in an attempt to prevent permit holders from carrying concealed weapons. Surely the criminal element will adhere to these rules as well, seeing as shopping malls, one of the most popular destinations for deranged mass murderers, is on the list. As if anyone with a concealed carry permit has committed any mass shootings. In fact, statistics show that registered concealed carry permit holders are less likely to commit crimes, less than that of police officers. Isn’t that an inconvenient fact? Apparently recent life-saving interventions by citizens carrying concealed weapons in thwarting active shooter events goes against the narrative and must be stopped. We can’t have that. Perhaps we need to institute a common sense examination for all elected officials. From imposing laws more restrictive for tattoos than disfiguring permanent “gender-affirming” surgery for minors without parental consent, to open border policies allowing unskilled mostly male immigrants to flood into the country and strain our social services to feel-good restrictions on the rights of law-abiding citizens that leave us helpless against the criminal element, the news is chock full of illogical government actions that leave us, the suffering taxpayer, scratching our heads.