I’m having a hard time reconciling what Republicans are saying. I know, shocking.
Yesterday, during the Gun Violence Hearing, you would have thought that Republicans would have overwhelming supported the Violence Against Women Act, given that women were trotted out as one of the main defenses of AR-15s and 30 round magazines.
Of course, they didn’t support the Violence Against Women Act, which is funny since one of their central arguments against gun laws was… well… violence against women.
Gayle Trotter, conservative activist, opposed the Violence Against Women Act. Her reason? “The law would create the prospect of “false accusers” stealing taxpayer money by using shelters and legal aid.”
False accusers? Oh, those lying women. They lie about abuse. They lie about rape to get their abortions. They lie about rape because some girls rape easy. They lie about the cost of birth control so they can have all the slut sex they want. They lie when they wear a short skirt and then don’t put out – even though the guy at the bar bought them a glass of Chardonnay.
But Gayle Trotter painted a different picture yesterday. Her point boiled down to: Women need guns because they need to defend themselves against violence.
“Young women are speaking out as to why AR-15 weapons are their weapon of choice. The guns are accurate. They have good handling. They’re light. They’re easy for women to hold. And most importantly, their appearance. An assault weapon in the hands of a young woman defending her babies in her home becomes a defense weapon. And the peace of mind that a woman has as she’s facing three, four, five violent attackers, intruders in her home, with her children screaming in the background, the peace of mind that she has knowing that she has a scary-looking gun gives her more courage when she’s fighting hardened, violent criminals. If we ban these types of assault weapons, you are putting women at a great disadvantage, more so than men, because they do not have the same type of physical strength and opportunity to defend themselves.”
First, I thought that “scary looking guns” was a phrase gun enthusiasts used to mock gun control activists. Now I’m hearing that their “scary” appearance is a selling factor.
Let’s look at Lindsey Graham’s “Moms need guns” comments at the hearing.
Senator Lindsey Graham, in arguing about limits on magazines, told a story about a woman hiding in a closet who managed to put five of the bullets in her six-shooter into the body of a criminal who nonetheless drove away: “There can be a situation where a mother runs out of bullets because of what we do here.”
Holy cow! It sure sounds like they’re saying, If you’re a mom without a gun then you are endangering your child by not taking the necessary steps to protect your babies from all those dangerous male strangers coming to get you and yours. Perhaps, only women should be allowed to own guns?
I can’t help but think that these guys/gals view gun scenarios the same way they view rape scenarios. In the extreme. I’ve linked to this statement before, but it can’t be repeated enough.
South Dakota Republican Bill Napoli:
“A real-life description to me would be a rape victim, brutally raped, savaged. The girl was a virgin. She was religious. She planned on saving her virginity until she was married. She was brutalized and raped, sodomized as bad as you can possibly make it, and is impregnated. I mean, that girl could be so messed up, physically and psychologically, that carrying that child could very well threaten her life.”
Anyone else get the feeling that Republicans don’t understand real life? It’s always the stranger danger argument. But the truth, when it comes to rape and guns, is that both are used, almost all of the time, by people you know.
And can we all agree that Wayne LaPierre is nuts.
Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Association’s chief executive, arrived for his hearing on Capitol Hill in the organization’s trademark fashion: violently.
When he and his colleagues stepped off the elevator in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Wednesday morning and found TV cameras waiting in the hallway, LaPierre’s bodyguards swung into action. One of them, in blatant violation of congressional rules, bumped and body-checked journalists out of the way so they couldn’t film LaPierre or question him as he walked.
“You don’t have jurisdiction here!” a cameraman protested as an NRA goon pushed him against a wall. After the melee, congressional officials informed the NRA officials that, in the halls of Congress, they had to follow congressional procedures — which prohibit manhandling.
This must have come as a surprise to the gun lobbyists, whose swagger seems to suggest that they are, in fact, in control of Congress. In their world, nothing trumps the Second Amendment — not even the First Amendment.
He’s the poster child of who shouldn’t have a gun.