WASHINGTON — The leader of the U.S. gun lobby on Sunday defended his call for placing armed guards in all American schools despite withering criticism of the group’s response to the massacre of 20 first-graders in Newtown, Conn.
“If it’s crazy to call for putting police and armed security in our schools to protect our children, then call me crazy,” National Rifle Association Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
The NRA waited a week before issuing a statement on the Dec. 14 killings of the children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School by a gunman who opened fire with a semi-automatic assault rifle.
LaPierre’s speech on Friday in Washington drew protesters and stoked the fierce debate over U.S. gun laws in a nation with a culture of gun ownership and a history of school shootings and other gun violence.
The proposal to place armed guards in every school, an idea the NRA has long supported, drew the most criticism.
The congressman from Newtown’s district, Chris Murphy, tweeted: “Walking out of another funeral and was handed the NRA transcript, the most revolting, tone-deaf statement I’ve ever seen.”
The New York tabloids skewered LaPierre’s speech. The Daily News labeled him “Craziest Man on Earth” in a front-page headline on Saturday. The New York Post piled on with “Gun Nut! NRA loon in bizarre rant over Newtown.”
The NRA’s proposal was also attacked by politicians including New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the nation’s largest teachers union and Mark Kelly, the husband of former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was hurt last year in a shooting by a gunman in Tucson, Ariz.
But LaPierre was undaunted.
“I think that is the one thing that we can do immediately that will immediately make our children safe,” he said.
LaPierre scoffed at the idea that reinstating the federal assault weapons ban that lapsed in 2004 would prevent more massacres, citing shootings that took place when the ban was in effect, including the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in Colorado.
“It’s not going to make any kid safer,” he said.
Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham made the same point earlier on Sunday in a tweet: “The assault weapons ban didn’t work then and it won’t work now.”
On NBC, Graham said he owns an AR-15, the type of assault rifle used by 20-year-old Adam Lanza in Newtown.
“I’ve got it at my house. The question is if you deny me the right to buy another one, have you made America safer?” he asked. “I don’t suggest you take my right to buy an AR-15 away from me because I don’t think it will work, and I do believe better security in schools is a good place to start.”
Other gun rights advocates in Congress showed a willingness to consider new gun restrictions immediately after the Newtown shooting. U.S. lawmakers have not approved a major new federal gun law since 1994.
“It’s gonna be a battle,” Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
He and Sen. Charles Schumer of New York criticized the NRA for blaming gun violence on everything but guns.
An attempt to prevent shootings in schools without talking about guns “is like trying to prevent lung cancer without talking about cigarettes,” Democrat Schumer said on NBC.
Also receiving scrutiny is a ban on high-capacity magazines that allow shooters to fire multiple rounds in a short amount of time with less frequent reloading. They have been used in several mass slayings.
Graham, of South Carolina, said on NBC he opposes that move as well.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, said on ABC’s “This week” that “putting some limits” on high-capacity magazines “could be part of the solution, but not the only solution.” A former prosecutor, she also called for more stringent background checks of gun buyers.
The Obama administration was expected to propose steps next month to tighten gun laws.
NRA: Nuts Running Asylums
logic–
http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/118207/
Many schools – some observers estimate as high as one-third – have professionally trained local police department “resource officers” on the premises. More of them in place makes sense to many professional observers studying school security issues. LaPierre’s suggestion that the NRA sponsor a program using armed volunteers is not particularly useful, except to perhaps open a discussion. Volunteers make good crossing guards and other sorts of teacher’s helpers, but in this matter there should be no substitutes for serious professionals who are ready to become members of the school community, and this is what good resource officers are equipped to do. Also, I think the NRA has no business doing what public services ought do. They’ve done enough already by doing nothing to lessen the weight of the gun culture in our society.
We have armed professionals at our sporting venues, shopping malls,
national parks, court houses, airports, airplanes, & on & on. Even those
that are against this are provided protection by ARMED guards. Kind of
ironic, eh. But once again it is coming from the party of do as I say,
not as I do. Having on site protection seems to me the only proposal
so far, that has any chance of being successful in accomplishing the
goal of keeping our children safe.
Limiting magazine size is nothing but Feinstein “feel good” window dressing.
I can change clips in my 9mm in 3 seconds tops.
great… just turn a horrific tragedy into an NRA membership drive….
Some NRA members are getting disenchanted with their “leaders”.
Sure more armed guards everywhere. We need to put a lot of those policemen/women conservatives forced us to fire back into positions where they can best serve themselves and society. Only this time, lets let the gun lobby pay the salaries of those needed to protect us from the gun lobby’s weapons. Make that the cost of being allowed to have weapons that can cut man sized holes in walls.
Should we call him crazy? Maybe so. Especially for Congressional funding.