While gun prohibitionists have been complaining all week about the Trump administration’s memorandum declaring gun stores and their employees “essential”—demanding the gun shops be closed—Reason contributing editor J.D. Tuccille has offered this warning:“Officials with fever dreams of expanded power thrive on the fear generated by the COVID-19 pandemic…These overreaching public officials are enabled by fear.”It is fear that anti-gunners appear to be using to advance their agenda. In an email blast earlier this week, anti-gun billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety had this to say about the Department of Homeland Security’s decision that gun shops are essential.
“This is just one more example of the gun lobby’s penchant for using national crises as an excuse to grow corporate profits and scare people into buying more guns.”Reuters reported the comments from Everytown President John Feinblatt, who contended, “Adding more guns to more homes during a time of more anxiety could lead to more deaths. And that’s the last thing we need when our hospitals are already bursting at the seams.”
Please read it all. A serious, socially and economically destabilizing crisis is when we most need to be prepared to defend ourselves – and not just from private predators. My upstate neighbors are fearful of what Andrew Cuomo might do to “requisition” supplies from them. After all, he’s already commanded the National Guard to seize ventilators from upstate hospitals, so what could any New York State resident imagine would be beyond him?
This is a time to be armed to the teeth and ready to fight. Myself, I answer the doorbell with a shotgun – a Mossberg recoil-compensated 12-gauge in camo green – held at port arms. I heartily recommend the practice to all my Gentle Readers. Granted, the UPS delivery guy was a bit startled when he dropped off my most recent wine purchases, but there’s a downside to everything, right?
Don't know why, but an old 60's expression popped into my brain after reading this. "Right on,Fran!!"
ReplyDeleteMost people I know are armed; many at all times, and I don't think it's just regional. With the huge surge in gun sales, I have a feeling the majority of people in the U.S. have a healthy distrust of the Government entities that failed them so many times.
ReplyDeleteA loaded gun is like a parachute. If you need it and don't have it, you'll probably never need it again.
ReplyDeleteThere is likely to be major blowback to political overreach on this one. I've seen even generally Left-leaning folks going tacitly pro-gun. The hard core true believers won't, of course. But the center-lefties may recover some good sense during this crisis.
ReplyDeleteLong term, I don't know how this is going to shakeup, but I suspect the political ramifications are going to surprise a lot of people. Any politician who gets on the wrong side of it... well, it's not likely to be pleasant for him.