Gun Lobbying Republicans

This weekend, 70,000 gun-lovers gathered in St. Louis at the annual convention of the National Rifle Association (NRA), the very powerful American gun lobby. Among the enthusiasts were Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich. That these three candidates for the White House do not find it inappropriate to appear with the NRA five weeks after the death of young Trayvon Martin has sparked a wave of national indignation and protest, and speaks volumes about the morality of Republicans. After the tea party and the NRA, nothing is too low for the GOP.

During his campaign for a Senate seat in Massachusetts, Romney said “I don’t line up with the NRA.” This time, he promised to align with the gun lobby to “protect their home and family.” Newt Gingrich, who is always hamming it up, claimed that the Second Amendment to the Constitution – which is based on the defenders right to own a gun – should be the subject of a United Nations campaign: “The Second Amendment is a right for all mankind,” Gingrich said. Gingrich even talks about “human rights.” Carrying a firearm would, according to him, be a human right. Nobody knows whether to laugh or cry.

The gun lobby has, for decades, been consistently opposed to gun control laws and seeks to weaken existing laws, regardless of national tragedies. These bills ended up being voted on by Congress. In return, elected Republicans are entitled to very generous donations for their re-election campaigns. Private businesses like Walmart, a leading arms dealer in the United States, support this agenda.

The families of the 32 people killed and 25 wounded on the University of Virginia Tech campus on April 16, 2007, do not have the power of the gun lobby. At a time when we are remembering the fifth anniversary of the massacre by a student who had mental problems, families are struggling to get an appointment with members of Congress to strengthen the law that disallows individuals suffering from mental illness from possessing firearms. NRA-supported bills are pending in several states to allow the carrying of weapons in bars, churches and on college campuses.

While Obama has not been a fierce opponent of the NRA – he has not even renewed the ban on assault weapons – the lobby of death insists on making him an opponent. The NRA has even launched a campaign that says he “would close 90 percent of gun shops in the United States.”*

*While accurately translated, this comment could not be independently verified.