We’ve Found One Of The Causes Of Gun Violence, And It Isn’t Video Games… It’s Wayne LaPierre’s Mouth

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Wayne LaPierre knows his audience. (via Denver Post)
Denver police have arrested a Colorado Springs man for sending racially and sexually offensive e-mails to state Rep. Rhonda Fields, including one that said he hoped she would meet the same fate as a congresswoman who was shot in the head. Franklin Glenn Sain, 42, was arrested Friday on suspicion of harassing Fields, D-Aurora, and unlawfully attempting to influence a public official. Sain told police he was "just voicing some frustrations" about the Aurora legislator's efforts to tighten state gun laws.
Just voicing some frustrations? Let's look at how he allegedly did that.
Sain admitted sending Fields e-mails laced with profanity and racial and sexual epithets and leaving her similar voicemails. Denver police also believe he sent an unsigned, threatening letter to Fields that said: "I keep my 30 Round Magazines There Will Be Blood! I'm Coming For You!," according to an affidavit supporting his arrest. The letter also mentioned Fields' daughter and said: "Death to Both."

To V, With Love

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This post is in response to this plea: Pandora, special request. can you go over to mike’s blog and write a response post here to his assertion from yesterday that…

Why Does The NRA Block Policies That End Up Benefiting Criminals?

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Yes, another gun post.  Sorry, but the fact that everybody is still talking about this is a good thing.  And may I personally thank Wayne LaPierre, the NRA, and other gun nuts for making my case to the American people.  Keep up the good work. David Frum has a piece today that asks a lot of pertinent questions.  Go read the whole thing, and then ask yourself why the NRA is pro-criminal.  Not one of the steps Frum lists would lead to gun confiscation, but they sure do make killing someone or getting away with murder/crime easier.

Wayne LaPierre Doubles Down On His Paranoid Fantasies

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If you ever wondered what drove Adam Lanza's mother to build a personal arsenal this might be the answer.
Following President Obama’s call for a vote on proposed gun safety legislation in his State of the Union speech, Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the National Rifle Association, on Wednesday issued a call-to-action for gun owners to prepare for post-apocolyptic-style scenarios and rally against the gun control movement. In an op-ed published by the Daily Caller, LaPierre outlined a three-step plan of action to preserve gun rights against an administration that he argues poses a serious threat to the Second Amendment.
Go read LaPierre's manifesto and then explain to me how this man is in charge of anything. Here are some choice bits:

UPDATED WITH LIST OF EXECUTIVE ACTIONS: Today The White House Will Put Forth Their Proposals To Reduce Gun Violence

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I know, I know... another gun post. Today, around noon, President Obama and Vice President Biden will announce their proposals to reduce gun violence. I will attempt to blog this event in the comment section - help from our commenters would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Meanwhile, the NRA finds new lows. Josh Marshall sums it up:
It takes a lot for the NRA to shock. But this is just beyond disgusting. The NRA has launched a new ad campaign calling President Obama a ‘hypocrite’ for allowing armed Secret Service agents to protect his school aged daughters. There are so many vile things about this ad. But one thing to note is the ad is really only designed to appeal to people who have a deep – really deep – animosity toward the President. The sort of people who don’t think he and his daughters should be in the White House and wish him the sort of ill citizens should never wish upon a freely elected head of state.
Vile is the perfect word for the NRA's behavior.

Twenty Children Are Dead – Don’t You Dare Forget That

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This will be a difficult post for me. I simply cannot stop thinking about the children and the families in Newtown, Connecticut. I can't stop envisioning the parents walking past their child's empty bedroom, filled with stuffed animals and probably a pair of tiny socks that didn't make it into the hamper, and knowing that that bedroom will remain empty. I can't stop imagining how these parents are stumbling across the Christmas presents hidden in that secret hiding place. Everywhere they turn they will see the evidence of their child's existence. The Cap'n Crunch cereal. The juice boxes. The Legos. The Barbies. The candy wrapper under the bed. My heart is breaking. And all I can think is This Has Got To Stop. What The Hell Is Wrong With Us? Because this is bigger than Adam Lanza and Jared Loughner and James Holmes. This is about how we've come to accept these events; how we almost take them in stride, because, you know... Freedom. I'm so sick of that lame response. I'm sick of hearing about the freedom to arm yourself to the teeth because, you know... Government. I'm sick of hearing about how someone needs to 30 rounds per second because someone is trying to get you. I'm sick of responsible gun owners being in bed with with these paranoid, fantasy driven freaks who need to live, and act out, their delusions. And I'm sick of the body count.