Just days before America’s 7th mass shooting of the year, the NRA bragged about blocking a ban on the deadly assault rifle used in several incidents
The NRA (National Rifle Association) is America’s highly outspoken gun-rights advocacy group. It has been endorsed by everyone from Chuck Norris to James Earl Jones and, of course – its five-term president – Charlton Heston.
The association continue to defend the second amendment of the US Constitution year in, year out, forever claiming “it’s the people, not the guns.”
They even continue to outwardly “celebrate” the right to bear arms in between mass shootings like the one in Atlanta, Georgia and the latest in Boulder, Colorado.
Mere days before the eight people were killed across a series of spas in Atlanta, the NRA tweeted this:
ICYMI: A Colorado judge gave law-abiding gun owners something to celebrate.
In an @NRAILA-supported case, he ruled that the city of Boulder’s ban on commonly-owned rifles (AR-15s) and 10+ round mags was preempted by state law and STRUCK THEM DOWN. https://t.co/wmdhGG16pc
— NRA (@NRA) March 16, 2021
Their language alone is pretty problematic. As opposed to referring to a favourable result regarding legislation, they opted for “celebrate” and “STRUCK THEM DOWN”. A troubling tone for an organisation that supposedly promotes restraint, not to mention when talking about weapons that have literally struck innocent people down in broad daylight.
According to The Denver Post, a judge ruled against Boulder wanting to control it’s own gun laws and enforce a ban on purchasing assault weapons and large-capacity magazines in the city. This wasn’t even a wholesale ban restriction of firearms, just deadly assault weapons like the AR-15, which can wreak mass havoc very easily in a short space of time.
Colorado’s Republican representative, Lauren Boebert, even had the gall to send out a fundraising email encouraging people to say “HELL NO” to the proposal just two hours after the tragedy. Aside from the pro-gun politician’s apparent lack of compassion for her home state, she was also subsequently mocked for her heavily templated “thoughts and prayers messages.”
The NRA’s core values have regularly been examined, most notably in Michale Moore’s 2002 documentary, Bowling for Columbine. The film addressed gun laws following the most infamous mass shooting in Colorado’s history, the Columbine High School massacre.
Their tactless stance continued when they were quick to defend the second amendment following this latest shooting. Referencing the wording of the Constitution itself, they stated: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”
It is also worth pointing out that the seven articles in the US Constitution are called ‘amendments’ for a reason: they can and have been changed in the past. The question remains whether anything will ever be done to change this one.
