Tag: gun lobby
Playing Ball with the NRA
The GOP says it’s your right as an American —
If you want to own an assault rifle, you can.
But if GOPers accepted cash from the NRA,
They are responsible for what happened today,
When the hunting season opened on Republicans.
The Governor Who Set an NRA Record for Pro-Gun Legislation in His First Term is Shocked by FEMA’s Denial of His Emergency Request for Dealing With a Mass Shooting
It had to be hard for Gov. Rick Scott (GOP-TEA) to ask Pres. Obama to declare a disaster in Orlando worthy of federal funding. After all, Scott’s request for all American taxpayers to cover the bill for the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub flies in the face of everything that tea partyers hold dear. As they say, they are Taxed Enough Already.
“I urge you to declare an emergency under the Stafford Act so that ‘the full resources of the federal government’ can be made available for the individuals, families and communities impacted by this ‘horrific massacre,’” Scott wrote.
Scott has gotten his response. We can save you some time and tell you the answer was, “No.” But reading the full letter from FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate is just too much fun, so here it is.
Reid Ties GOP to NRA After Latest Mass Shootings
Those who choose to do the NRA’s bidding will be held accountable by our constituents. Something has to be done. We must take a stand. The American people are desperately looking for help, some help, any help. It will never be possible to prevent every shooting. We know that. But we have a responsibility to try. There are certain things we can do.
— Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), calling the NRA the “quasi-militant wing of the Republican Party,” Politico reports.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott Shoots a Blank with Gun Making Incentive
Don’t expect FOX News to cover this story since it doesn’t contain sexy words like, “Solyndra” and “Obama.”
But Gov. Rick Scott (R/Tea) shot himself in the foot and might have to bite the bullet over the wasted $1.6 million paid to gun manufacturer Colt to bring jobs to Central Florida. The skilled manufacturing jobs, touted to earn an average $45,000 each, were promised and paid for in 2011. As of 2015, there are no jobs.
Gun Lobbyist Uses Fear to Control Politicians
You know, I’m kind of glad that’s in the back of their minds. Hopefully they’ll behave.
— Gun lobbyist Larry Pratt, quoted by Rolling Stone, on a New York Congresswoman who had expressed fear that one of Pratt’s msupporters wanted to shoot her.
Where’s Wayne LaPierre on Trayvon’s Death?
Funny how I don’t remember anyone from the NRA ever saying, “if only Trayvon Martin had been carrying a gun … .” I guess only a good guy with a gun can stop a black teenager with a bag of Skittles.
— David Herada-Stone, blogging at The Big Slice
It’s Not Just the Zimmerman Jury That’s Messed Up; It’s Also the Stand Your Ground Law
For the people out there wondering what the Zimmerman jury was smoking, I have a partial explanation, thanks to former Florida state Rep. Dan Gelber.
As Gelber explained on his blog, before the Stand Your Ground (SYG) law was passed, convicting Zimmerman would have been a slam-dunk.
Under Stand Your Ground, the George Zimmermans of the world can get themselves into all kinds of ridiculous messes and shoot their way out under no penalty of law
In 2005 the Florida Legislature fundamentally changed the analysis used by juries to assign blame in these cases. When the legislature passed the Stand Your Ground law it changed the rules of engagement. It eliminated the duty to avoid the danger and it eliminated any duty to retreat…
Here is the actual jury instruction read to Florida juries prior to the legislature’s enactment of Stand Your Ground.
“The defendant cannot justify the use of force likely to cause death or great bodily harm unless he used every reasonable means within his power and consistent with his own safety to avoid the danger before resorting to that force.
“The fact that the defendant was wrongfully attacked cannot justify his use of force likely to cause death or great bodily harm if by retreating he could have avoided the need to use that force.”
