Amid controversy, Gun Appreciation Day set for Jan. 19
A conservative coalition rallies support as clouds gather.
So reads the flyer from a conservative coalition calling for the first national Gun Appreciation Day. Activists are urged to demonstrate their support for gun ownership next Saturday by “turning out en masse at gun stores, ranges, and shows from coast to coast.”
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In the online banner for GAD, a handgun stands in for the “r” in Appreciation, just like the logo for the mafioso series The Sopranos (Bing: See the logo).
Early commenters on the GAD site have said that the demonstrations would be better held at state capitals and in D.C. than in gun shops and ranges, where pro-gun advocates would be preaching to the choir. But the coalition is hoping to induce the same kind of turnout and media coverage as there was for Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.
The protest is timed to coincide with Obama’s inauguration the following day, which is understandable, politically, but still unsettling. Gun Appreciation Day is also scheduled within 48 hours of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
But the coalition, sponsored by more than 50 organizations (including the Committee to Draft Judge Andrew Napolitano, Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership, and Women Warriors PAC), is pressed to gather support while forces are rallying against their causes.
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In a second day of meetings to prevent gun violence, Vice President Joe Biden meets today with the NRA and other groups. Biden told reporters, “I want to make it clear that we are not going to get caught up in the notion that unless we can do everything, we are going to do nothing.”
In a speech yesterday exclaiming that his state should lead the nation in curbing gun violence, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo roared that we must “End the madness now!”
To provide added backdrop that conservatives don’t need right now, a judge is deciding whether James Holmes is fit to stand trial for the shootings in Aurora, Colo. The best news gun advocates have had lately is that an Atlanta mom shot an intruder five times in the face.
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Photo: Rich Legg/Getty Images
Gun Appreciation Day, my butt.
I do not mind if you have a hunting rifle and a shotgun. Or a pistol stashed under your pillow to protect your "castle". I do not like conceal/carry laws but OK. Just don't pack heat at the theater or restaurant, etc.
Let's just not let this love of guns get out of hand. We need to ban semi-automatic weapons and magazines that hold more than 5 rounds. We need much more thorough background checks for those wishing to purchase guns...including complete checks at gun shows.
But Gun Appreciation Day? You can kiss my butt on that one...
the enforcement of drug and firearm prohibition has allowed governments of the world to create pig powered police states. even the u(s)sa is becoming more and more like the ussr everyday. you might like living in this kind of pig feces where sheeple are easily controlled by the pigs (because they are disarmed and unable to defend themselves) but i don't. if you do then do the rest of us a favor and move to china, n korea, or iran.
Just part of keeping the hysteria alive, that the government wants to take away our 2nd Amendment rights. Those of us living in the real world however, understand that isn't part of the gun-control proposals, denying our right to "bear arms" isn't on the table.
You can fully support the 2nd Amendment, and still advocate for common-sense gun-control. It doesn't have to be one or the other. You can own a gun in this great country of ours without being a member of the NRA, simply by being obedient to our society's laws.
Why should Joe Sixpack be allowed to drive down mainstreet with a 50-caliber machine gun mounted on the back of his pick-up truck? Exactly, what tank is he expecting to come across that he'll need to defend himself against?
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