The chief executive of the National Rifle Association said today that Congress should immediately fund trained, armed security guards "in every single school" to prevent mass shootings like the one in Newtown, Conn., "before any lengthy debate on legislation" and another "unspeakable crime."
"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a bad guy with a gun," NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said at a press conference interrupted twice by protesters with banners. He did not provide a cost estimate or take questions, instead introducing former U.S. Rep. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, who will lead an NRA-funded effort to create a model school-safety program. Hutchinson also did not take questions, but said local schools should be free to turn down the proposed federal funding for armed guards.
LaPierre criticized news organizations on several fronts, in effect casting them as the NRA's chief opponents on gun-control issues, rather than advocacy groups and members of Congress. He said "media conglomerates" that produce violent movies and video games are "silent enablers . . . if not complicit co-conspirators" with those whom the games and films inspire to violence.
UPDATE, Dec. 22: Andrew Beaujon and Julie Moos of The Poynter Institute ran a fact-check on LaPierre's speech and found some points well supported, others not so much. For example, there was an armed guard at Columbine High School. (Read more)
"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a bad guy with a gun," NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said at a press conference interrupted twice by protesters with banners. He did not provide a cost estimate or take questions, instead introducing former U.S. Rep. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, who will lead an NRA-funded effort to create a model school-safety program. Hutchinson also did not take questions, but said local schools should be free to turn down the proposed federal funding for armed guards.
LaPierre criticized news organizations on several fronts, in effect casting them as the NRA's chief opponents on gun-control issues, rather than advocacy groups and members of Congress. He said "media conglomerates" that produce violent movies and video games are "silent enablers . . . if not complicit co-conspirators" with those whom the games and films inspire to violence.
UPDATE, Dec. 22: Andrew Beaujon and Julie Moos of The Poynter Institute ran a fact-check on LaPierre's speech and found some points well supported, others not so much. For example, there was an armed guard at Columbine High School. (Read more)
1 comment:
Um, yeah, and you might also note that the guy who shot up Fort Hood was surrounded by and shooting highly trained US military personnel.
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