Anti-Gunners So Extreme They Marginalize Themselves
October 20, 2005
by Joseph P. Tartaro
Executive Editor
For years the anti-gunners have been trying to marginalize gun rights activists and some 80 million American gunowners by portraying them as extremists.
They’ve run ads linking the National Rifle Association (NRA) with the Ku Klux Klan, with drug dealers, terrorists and gang bangers. Their propaganda machine has cranked out a stream of news releases and sample editorials in which they coin their slanted phrases to put the most frightening spin on pro-self-defense initiatives.
For example, a few years ago when the Colorado legislature passed a measure clarifying the state’s law on the use of deadly force, the anti-gunners called it “The Make My Day Law.” Needless to say, they were ignoring the self-defense issue and conjuring up images of law-abiding gunowners shooting people indiscriminately.
More recently, when Florida passed the “Castle Doctrine” or “Stand Your Ground” law, providing a reasonable protection from prosecution for many people forced to meet a threat with deadly force, they called it “The Shoot First Law.” That was after they have predicted “blood in the streets” and a “Dodge City” urban environment every time some lawmakers proposed a right-to-carry law.
Michigan Bill
The recent Florida law that eliminates the requirement to retreat in the face of any imminent threat in your home, place of business, or on the street went into effect on Oct. 1. And, as this column is being written, a similar measure has been proposed in Michigan. Needless to say, the Brady Campaign and its allies, as well as much of the media in Michigan, is already calling it a “Shoot First” law and washing off all the old “blood-in-the-streets” scarems that didn’t defeat the right-to-carry law in Michigan or most other states.
But on Sept. 27, the Brady Campaign outdid itself by launching what Joe Waldron, executive director of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) a “tourist terrorism” campaign based on the Florida law.
It is obvious that the Brady Campaign and its friends want to roll back the Florida law and defeat similar measures in Michigan or anywhere else the same concept is proposed. However, their strategy in this case may backfire.
Instead of trying to marginalize pro-gunners, they have marginalized themselves, adopting a strategy so extreme it can only appeal to their own small but devoted base of supporters.
On Sept. 27, they issued a press release saying it was going to “educate travelers” because the “Shoot First” law was taking effect in Florida.
Their release read:
“The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said today it is beginning a public education effort to educate Florida tourists and potential Florida tourists that effective Oct. 1 they face a greater risk of bodily harm within the state of Florida.
“That is the date that the state’s new ‘Shoot First’ law also known as the ‘Stand Your Ground’ law, goes into effect.”
Brady Advice
“Individuals who are unfamiliar with Florida’s roads, traffic regulations and customs, or who speak foreign languages, or look different than Florida residents, may face a higher risk of danger—because they may be more likely to be perceived as threatening by Floridians, and because they are unaware of Florida’s new law that says individuals who feel their safety is threatened or their possessions are at risk are legally authorized to use deadly force.
“ ‘We think people visiting Florida should be aware of this law, and act accordingly,’ said Sarah Brady, chair of the Brady Campaign. ‘Visitors should be very careful about getting into an aggressive argument with anyone during their stay,’ ” Brady continued, suggesting that it is okay to get into “aggressive arguments” when traveling in other states.
“The Brady Campaign is placing advertisements to educate these tourists and potential tourists in key US gateway cities feeding tourists to Florida, starting with Chicago, Detroit and Boston, and in selected overseas markets beginning with the United Kingdom beginning Sunday, Oct. 2,” the Brady release continued. “Educational materials about the law were shipped to more than 120 leading US and international journalists as well as trade publication editors in the travel industry and editors at consumer travel magazines.
“The ad reads: ‘Thinking about a Florida vacation? Please ensure your family is safe. A new law in the Sunshine State authorizes nervous or frightened residents to use deadly force. In Florida, avoid disputes. Use special caution in arguing with motorists on Florida roads. Police and prosecutors are concerned about the potential for unnecessary violence.’ ”
The Brady bunch also announced that a website offering additional information about the law was to go on-line on Sept. 28. For those readers with an interest, the site is: www.shootfirstlaw.org.
They then announced that “trained staff will begin to distribute educational materials on this subject to arriving passengers at Miami International Airport beginning Saturday, Oct. 1. This effort may be extended to additional airports in the coming weeks, including Orlando.
The Brady release said:
“The material reads, in part:
“The ‘Shoot First’ law is a new law in Florida that police, prosecuting attorneys and gun violence prevention advocates worry may lead to the reckless use of guns on the streets of Florida cities. Before the law was passed, Floridians could carry concealed guns in public places, but they could only use those guns as a last resort when safe avoidance of injury was otherwise not possible. The new law eliminates the duty to avoid the threat and, instead, allows the gun user to ‘shoot first’ to eliminate the threat.
“It is not difficult to imagine likely situations in which individuals may use lethal force where they did not before. An argument on the highway, or a disagreement in a restaurant or nightclub, or a dispute over belongings in a public place such as a beach could lead to unnecessary use of force.
“The Florida ‘Shoot First’ law was passed over the strong objections of law enforcement officials and prosecutors,” the Brady release claimed.
The flyer suggests specific steps visitors should take: Avoid unnecessary arguments with local people; stay in their cars and keep hands in plain sight if involved in a traffic accident or near-miss, and maintain a positive attitude and avoid shouting or threatening gestures if someone appears to be hostile toward them.
Travelers Disinterested
Gun Week has spoken with people in Miami about the anti-gunners accosting travelers in the airport. Needless to say, the Brady acolytes don’t have as much room to wander airports as did the Hare Krishna’s and other panhandlers in the 1970s. TSA security rules have put a damper on that. And, no, the anti-gunners don’t have their heads shaved and aren’t wearing saffron robes and sandals.
Maybe it would be better for them if they were. Our reports are that the overhwlemingh majority of travelers at the Miami airport are ignoring the Brady people and their message.
The campaign is obviously aimed at the Florida tourist industry worth hundreds of millions of dollars each year, a lot of those dollars being spent by foreigners, particular Europeans who are already conditioned to fear guns.
“The Brady Campaign has descended to a new low,” said Waldron, in a CCRKBA news commentary.
“Spreading hysteria is their political stock in trade, but now they are deliberately trying to terrify tourists, including those from other countries. To do that, they’re openly suggesting that legally armed, law-abiding Florida residents are emotionally unbalanced to the point that they would gun down tourists.”
“The Brady bunch is essentially telling British subjects not to come here because legally-armed American citizens cannot be trusted and might murder them,” Waldron said.
The anti-gun extremists are out in the open now. Their campaign against guns has always really been a campaign against the moral right to self-defense. Their present tack reveals that truth and is likely to backfire on them. Return to Archive Index
