Bloomberg: I'm coming after the NRA

[WestCoastRunner]

Well, it's about time a a grasswork's network has been formalized. It's called the 'Everytown for Gun Safety'. Here are some highlights:

• Before 2014 midterms, they have pledged to aim to get at least 1 million voters to pledge to vote for candidates based on where they stand on gun safety.
• educate the public that the NRA's political strength is wildly blown out of proportion and that it's leadership has grown increasing extreme and out of touch with its own members.
• take the fight for gun violence prevention policies to every community in America.

Read more here.

[Boges]

This issue doesn't fall on Right and Left lines. Obviously just about everybody on the right won't tough Gun Control issues, but Democrats are afraid of the reach of the NRA too.

[Shady]

You're calling a billionaire funding "grass roots"?

[Argus]

You're calling a billionaire funding "grass roots"?

Most of the Tea Party is funded by billionaires. You don't seem to have an issue with that.

[Shady]

Most of the Tea Party is funded by billionaires. You don't seem to have an issue with that.

Actually, most of the Tea Party isn't funded by billionaires. But you're right, even if they were I wouldn't have a problem. I also don't have a problem with Bloomberg funding any issues he wants. Just don't call it grass roots in this case.

[GostHacked]

Most of the Tea Party is funded by billionaires. You don't seem to have an issue with that.

The Tea Party was grass roots in origin, but quickly hijacked by people with money and a different agenda.

[bush_cheney2004]

What is a "grasswork's" network ? One million voters won't change a damn thing on gun control, except to increase gun sales in the U.S.

[Boges]

I bet he hopes his crusade against the NRA goes better than his crusade against sugary drinks.

[On Guard for Thee]

Well as you know people who drink large sugary drinks tend to get hyper, and therefore probably shouldn't have guns. Seriously, I'm glad to see some opposition to the NRA. Maybe at least a few checks and balances on gun totin' might make sense. Hopefully before the next slaughter in a school house.

[bush_cheney2004]

.... Hopefully before the next slaughter in a school house.

Nope...not before the next one...or the one after that. There are already over 20,000 federal, state, and local gun laws making it illegal to do such things.

[On Guard for Thee]

Nope...not before the next one...or the one after that. There are already over 20,000 federal, state, and local gun laws making it illegal to do such things.

And apparently none of them mean much to a deranged murderer who can walk down the street and buy a gun, or even borrow his mothers.

[bush_cheney2004]

And apparently none of them mean much to a deranged murderer who can walk down the street and buy a gun, or even borrow his mothers.

Nope...doesn't mean a thing. Many murderers are not deranged at all. Guns (and knives) for everybody !!

[On Guard for Thee]

And that's why we so love that border.

[bush_cheney2004]

And that's why we so love that border.

Yes....crossing it 60,000,000 times a year.

[On Guard for Thee]

Yes....crossing it 60,000,000 times a year.

Oh we don't mind crossing it, we just prefer our own laws up here. Yours produce around 65 times more gun murders than ours.

[bush_cheney2004]

Oh we don't mind crossing it, we just prefer our own laws up here. Yours produce around 65 times more gun murders than ours.

Your laws don't apply....the NRA will make sure of that.

[On Guard for Thee]

Your laws don't apply....the NRA will make sure of that.

The NRA will never have anything to do with our laws.

[WestCoastRunner]

Bloomberg is planning to pledge at least $50 million to establish a GRASS-ROOTS operation dedicated to ensuring anti-gun voters reach the polls. Isn't this something the NRA has done in the past to ensure gun owners vote against candidates who are for gun control? The NRA has never done battle with a better funded adversary. Let's see how he does.

And btw, this plan is to pass stronger background check rules, it is not to take any guns away from any law abiding citizen.

[bush_cheney2004]

The NRA will never have anything to do with our laws.

Too late...it already has:

...The NRA’s fight to relax Canadian gun laws finally succeeded in 2012. Following a campaign by Canadian hunter groups and pro-gun activists allied with the NRA, the government repealed the law establishing the long gun registry. The ownership records of 5.6 million rifles and shotguns were destroyed.

...Canadian gun lobby groups have not been shy about crediting the NRA for its assistance. The Canadian Shooting Sports Association (CSSA) says the NRA was “instrumental in the foundation” of its lobby arm, the Canadian Institute for Legislative Action (CILA), which in turn claimed that the NRA provides “tremendous amounts of logistic support, especially in the areas of import/export of firearms and ammunition.” CSSA/CILA Executive Director Tony Bernardo said that he “coordinates with the NRA, relying on their expertise.”¹² NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre is featured on the cssa website saying the NRA “encourages all Canadian firearms owners to become cila-supporting members.”

http://www.americasquarterly.org/content/nras-hemispheric-reach

[WestCoastRunner]

The NRA has not lost anytime in attacking the plan:

"Chris Cox, who heads the NRA's lobbying division the Institute for Legislation Action, appeared on the April 16 edition of Fox News' The Kelly File to attack the new initiative. Host Megyn Kelly set up the segment by telling viewers Everytown is part of "a twin threat to Second Amendment supporters developing this week."

The NRA will treat 'everytown' as a threat to all americans.

[On Guard for Thee]

Too late...it already has:

...The NRA’s fight to relax Canadian gun laws finally succeeded in 2012. Following a campaign by Canadian hunter groups and pro-gun activists allied with the NRA, the government repealed the law establishing the long gun registry. The ownership records of 5.6 million rifles and shotguns were destroyed.

...Canadian gun lobby groups have not been shy about crediting the NRA for its assistance. The Canadian Shooting Sports Association (CSSA) says the NRA was “instrumental in the foundation” of its lobby arm, the Canadian Institute for Legislative Action (CILA), which in turn claimed that the NRA provides “tremendous amounts of logistic support, especially in the areas of import/export of firearms and ammunition.” CSSA/CILA Executive Director Tony Bernardo said that he “coordinates with the NRA, relying on their expertise.”¹² NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre is featured on the cssa website saying the NRA “encourages all Canadian firearms owners to become cila-supporting members.”

http://www.americasquarterly.org/content/nras-hemispheric-reach

The NRA didn't really succeed a

Too late...it already has:

...The NRA’s fight to relax Canadian gun laws finally succeeded in 2012. Following a campaign by Canadian hunter groups and pro-gun activists allied with the NRA, the government repealed the law establishing the long gun registry. The ownership records of 5.6 million rifles and shotguns were destroyed.

...Canadian gun lobby groups have not been shy about crediting the NRA for its assistance. The Canadian Shooting Sports Association (CSSA) says the NRA was “instrumental in the foundation” of its lobby arm, the Canadian Institute for Legislative Action (CILA), which in turn claimed that the NRA provides “tremendous amounts of logistic support, especially in the areas of import/export of firearms and ammunition.” CSSA/CILA Executive Director Tony Bernardo said that he “coordinates with the NRA, relying on their expertise.”¹² NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre is featured on the cssa website saying the NRA “encourages all Canadian firearms owners to become cila-supporting members.”

http://www.americasquarterly.org/content/nras-hemispheric-reach

The NRA didn't really succeed in anything beyond demonstrating typical right wing paranoia all wrapped up in phony religious slogans. They tried to run the same BS here they flog there that any control of guns is a plan by the government to seize all guns. Quebec thumbed their nose at it. And in any case, everyone here still has to have a license to own a gun, and restriced one's must be registered. The long gun thing is merely a tempest in a teapot.

[gunrutz]

The long gun thing is merely a tempest in a teapot.

Says you, and of course your an expert right? Anyway, of course it wasn't an unnecessary and insulting thing to force long gun owners to register firearms that are on average involved in 5% of homicides, and only half of those legally owned. A registry with no ability to prevent crime, and no real results in solving them on it's own. A registry that had been in use for handguns for 60 years while handgun homicides were on the rise, now up to 60+% of firearms homicides, all supposed to be registered, effective yes?. Nor has there ever been a non restricted long gun reclasiffed into a prohibited firearm where the registry could have served as a road map of who's door to knock on. Nope not at all. O btw, Quebec has so far lost in it's effort to keep the registry data, they have been forced to appeal to the supreme court of Canada, so we will see how that goes.

I do so enjoy it when anti gun people who know nothing about the subject feel they have a duty to explain to others how it all works, because despite mountains of evidence to the contrary, we needed a registry, and we need it still. Becuase hey, just look at how horrible things have gotten since it was removed, o no, that's wrong too. Ok, but look at how it prevented school shootings like the one that prompted it's creation, ah no that's wrong, strike that. But of course if anti gun people say something about guns, it must be true, just because. Of course if you wanted guns gone in the first place it is easy to see how being wrong on the subject wouldn't matter to you, unsurprising ignorance.

Edited April 18, 2014 by gunrutz

[eyeball]

I have to admit I've grown pretty ambivalent towards the long-gun gun registry but I still think there are things we can do to make guns less dangerous to society. Developing 'smart' guns that can't fire at people, or embedding GPS chips so that if a gun was transported near or into a gun-free public area police would know about it. I think we should also treat guns and ammunition as a product safety and liability issue and pressure manufacturers to come up with safer products, like cars or planes or other products that people use everyday that have the potential to be made safer.

It seems pretty clear to me however that anti gun control subscribers will not abide ANY attempt whatsoever to do anything but maintain the status quo or better yet roll back whatever token controls already exist.

[Bryan]

Developing 'smart' guns that can't fire at people, or embedding GPS chips so that if a gun was transported near or into a gun-free public area police would know about it. I think we should also treat guns and ammunition as a product safety and liability issue and pressure manufacturers to come up with safer products, like cars or planes or other products that people use everyday that have the potential to be made safer.

These are pretty good suggestions. Considering the strides we've taken with safety in other areas (despite protestations regarding the cost), making serious efforts to make the actual guns themselves safer seems like a smart avenue to explore.

[On Guard for Thee]

Says you, and of course your an expert right? Anyway, of course it wasn't an unnecessary and insulting thing to force long gun owners to register firearms that are on average involved in 5% of homicides, and only half of those legally owned. A registry with no ability to prevent crime, and no real results in solving them on it's own. A registry that had been in use for handguns for 60 years while handgun homicides were on the rise, now up to 60+% of firearms homicides, all supposed to be registered, effective yes?. Nor has there ever been a non restricted long gun reclasiffed into a prohibited firearm where the registry could have served as a road map of who's door to knock on. Nope not at all. O btw, Quebec has so far lost in it's effort to keep the registry data, they have been forced to appeal to the supreme court of Canada, so we will see how that goes.

I do so enjoy it when anti gun people who know nothing about the subject feel they have a duty to explain to others how it all works, because despite mountains of evidence to the contrary, we needed a registry, and we need it still. Becuase hey, just look at how horrible things have gotten since it was removed, o no, that's wrong too. Ok, but look at how it prevented school shootings like the one that prompted it's creation, ah no that's wrong, strike that. But of course if anti gun people say something about guns, it must be true, just because. Of course if you wanted guns gone in the first place it is easy to see how being wrong on the subject wouldn't matter to you, unsurprising ignorance.

So let me get this straight, you're saying you know what didn't prevent something that didn't happen. You've lost me there.