Gabby
Giffords and her still-weightless astronaut husband are like a
gun-grabbing Foghat, eternally playing the state fair circuit of
American politics. Now they are literally going on tour again, hoping
that their audience will forgo the old favorites and welcome a track off
their new album.
She’s really just a one-hit wonder hoping to match the airplay of her power ballad “I Suffered a Tragedy So I Have Special Moral Standing (To Advocate Stripping You of Your Fundamental Rights).” The sad truth is that she is the Psy of liberal advocacy, far past her 15 minutes yet valiantly trying to recapture the glory of her gun control Gangnam Style.
Her new tune is apparently entitled “Patriot” because her latest op-ed uses some form of that term four times in about 750 words. I guess it’s now “patriotic” to want to impinge on the constitutional rights of fellow Americans. She doesn’t explain why.
She also warbles about how gun rights come with “responsibilities,” using some version of that term eight times. Except the point of a “right” is that it isn’t contingent upon fulfilling “responsibilities.” It is a foundational element of our social contract and is not subject to infringement by leftists simply because they cloak their oppression with focus group-erriffic labels like “responsibilities.”
If you misuse a gun, the judicial system deals with you afterwards. But you have to misuse a gun before the government gets to limit your rights. Clichés about “responsibility” that sound like they were cribbed from Spiderman movie dialogue are not a meaningful statement of basic Constitutional principles.
Giffords is just the latest leftist trying to speak “Conservative” to us mindless yokels to sucker us into signing on to their petty fascism du jour. You remember the Soros-funded, simpering evangelist woman shilling for the immigration scam whose ad buy on conservative talk radio exceeded even LifeLock’s? They truly think if someone says “Jesus” and leaps off a cliff, we’re going to follow, lemming-like, along behind.
So now the magic words are “patriotic” and “responsibility.” But “patriotism” was déclassé to Giffords’s fellow liberals before President Obama got sworn in, and liberals embracing “responsibility?” Give me a break. Liberalism isn’t a coherent ideology; it’s a collection of lame excuses for the sloth, laziness and lifestyle chaos of Democrat voters.
It’s always amusing to hear a liberal like Giffords babbling about “responsibility.” Perhaps Alec Baldwin can lecture us on tolerance, patience, and fatherhood. Too bad the Democrats’ beloved icon, noted KKK kleagle Robert Byrd, can’t share his insights on racial harmony.
There’s more. Now Giffords and her husband are super-duper believers in the Second Amendment who even have guns themselves! Convenient, since the conservative media caught Astro-Giffords himself buying one of those evil, awful assault rifles he and his wife are trying so hard to keep out of the hands of lesser Americans like you and me.
Liberals really do think we’re stupid.
In fact, we’re apparently so dumb they don’t even need to acknowledge obvious facts. Gifford writes that, “in New Hampshire, 93% of Democrats, 79% of Republicans, 82% of gun owners and 60% of NRA households support background checks.” But of course, we already have background checks – the issue is the wisdom of mindlessly expanding them. That’s like saying 95% of Americans support generic drunk driving laws as a specific argument to drop the DUI limit to .01% (well, except for illegals).
Nor does she bother to address our actual concerns. The Toomey-Manchin bill, like every other jammed-down “bipartisan compromise,” was poorly drafted and filled with loopholes that utterly failed to secure the promises of the sponsors. It purported to prevent a national gun registry but the actual language did not – for some wacky reason, people who take the Second Amendment seriously don’t trust bureaucrats. It also acted to, at best, inconvenience and, at worst, criminalize the innocent behavior of law-abiding citizens.
No, apparently we oppose all background checks because we hate children or something. Maybe we just aren’t “patriotic” or “responsible” enough.
Now, as her “We Love Guns Except When People Like You Have Them” tour begins, look for Giffords’s new tune to not even chart. We’re just not falling for it. And when she realizes she’s getting no traction, look for more whining about how people are being mean to her by actually assessing the form and content of her arguments instead of simply surrendering to her policy preferences because some creep shot her.
Your ideas about how to prevent a tragedy do not become better because you suffered a tragedy. Nor does the fact that you suffered a tragedy insulate you from harsh criticism of the bad ideas you choose to submit into the public debate.
Gabby Giffords has a right to pretend to change her tune on gun control. And we have a right not to listen.
Some might consider me an unlikely advocate for gun rights because I sustained terrible injuries in a violent shooting. But I'm a patriot, and I believe the right to bear arms is a definitive part of our American heritage.
For centuries, that right has come with the responsibility to use our guns safely and ensure that our families, our communities and our children are protected. Generations of gun owners have taught their sons and daughters that it takes as much patience and skill to be a good shot as it does to be a good steward of a powerful weapon.
I know that, and my husband, former astronaut and combat veteran Capt. Mark Kelly, knows that. We own guns, we use them and we treat them with great care. But when children are gunned down in their classrooms, when families are slaughtered at a movie theater, when a little girl dreaming of running for office is shot dead standing next to me in a grocery store parking lot, we have to admit what we're doing is not enough. We've all got to do more to reduce gun violence.
We're gun owners
We can't stop every person who is determined to do harm, but common-sense measures can prevent tragedies. Expanding background checks will help create a uniform standard for all gun purchases and prevent criminals and the dangerously mentally ill from obtaining powerful weapons.
As gun owners, my husband and I understand that the Second Amendment is most at risk when a criminal or deranged person commits a gun crime. These acts only embolden those who oppose gun ownership. Promoting responsible gun laws protects the Second Amendment and reduces lives lost from guns.
You've heard me say often that 92% of Americans support this simple, fair solution: background checks for all potential gun buyers. But it has been a while since our Senate failed to pass the measure when it first voted on the legislation. Some might think we've moved on, or wonder whether we've become cynical.
Neither. From Nevada to New Hampshire and everywhere in between, expanded background checks continue to be popular with significant majorities, even in states with high percentages of gun owners and across all party affiliations.
For example, in New Hampshire, 93% of Democrats, 79% of Republicans, 82% of gun owners and 60% of NRA households support background checks. The data show that gun owners can support gun safety, and Americans without guns can support gun owners.
Safety vs. rights
In these divisive political times, gun safety and gun rights are too often pitted against each other. But Americans can meet in the middle. Now all we need is for our elected leaders to meet us there.
I know there will always be some in Congress who remain in the grip of special interests. Even in 1776, there was a small minority who refused to sign the Declaration of Independence. But the will of the majority prevailed on that day, and the opportunity for a more perfect union was born.
That's why I am traveling to seven states — Nevada, Alaska, North Dakota, Ohio, New Hampshire, Maine and North Carolina — in seven days this week on the Rights and Responsibilities Tour to celebrate the patriotic connection between our rights and our responsibilities. The tour is all about making sure that those elected leaders who voted against background checks hear loud and clear from their own constituents what I know is true: There don't have to be winners and losers when it comes to preventing gun violence and protecting the Second Amendment. We can strengthen our laws and protect our rights.
Our Founding Fathers grappled with serious questions and bequeathed to us a powerful responsibility: to guard the rights conferred on Americans and to live responsibly alongside one another. It will be a patriotic victory when the Senate demonstrates the American values of practicality and responsibility by voting again on background checks — and passing them this time.
We'll celebrate those who vote yes, and we'll notice those who ignored their constituents.
She’s really just a one-hit wonder hoping to match the airplay of her power ballad “I Suffered a Tragedy So I Have Special Moral Standing (To Advocate Stripping You of Your Fundamental Rights).” The sad truth is that she is the Psy of liberal advocacy, far past her 15 minutes yet valiantly trying to recapture the glory of her gun control Gangnam Style.
Her new tune is apparently entitled “Patriot” because her latest op-ed uses some form of that term four times in about 750 words. I guess it’s now “patriotic” to want to impinge on the constitutional rights of fellow Americans. She doesn’t explain why.
She also warbles about how gun rights come with “responsibilities,” using some version of that term eight times. Except the point of a “right” is that it isn’t contingent upon fulfilling “responsibilities.” It is a foundational element of our social contract and is not subject to infringement by leftists simply because they cloak their oppression with focus group-erriffic labels like “responsibilities.”
If you misuse a gun, the judicial system deals with you afterwards. But you have to misuse a gun before the government gets to limit your rights. Clichés about “responsibility” that sound like they were cribbed from Spiderman movie dialogue are not a meaningful statement of basic Constitutional principles.
Giffords is just the latest leftist trying to speak “Conservative” to us mindless yokels to sucker us into signing on to their petty fascism du jour. You remember the Soros-funded, simpering evangelist woman shilling for the immigration scam whose ad buy on conservative talk radio exceeded even LifeLock’s? They truly think if someone says “Jesus” and leaps off a cliff, we’re going to follow, lemming-like, along behind.
So now the magic words are “patriotic” and “responsibility.” But “patriotism” was déclassé to Giffords’s fellow liberals before President Obama got sworn in, and liberals embracing “responsibility?” Give me a break. Liberalism isn’t a coherent ideology; it’s a collection of lame excuses for the sloth, laziness and lifestyle chaos of Democrat voters.
It’s always amusing to hear a liberal like Giffords babbling about “responsibility.” Perhaps Alec Baldwin can lecture us on tolerance, patience, and fatherhood. Too bad the Democrats’ beloved icon, noted KKK kleagle Robert Byrd, can’t share his insights on racial harmony.
There’s more. Now Giffords and her husband are super-duper believers in the Second Amendment who even have guns themselves! Convenient, since the conservative media caught Astro-Giffords himself buying one of those evil, awful assault rifles he and his wife are trying so hard to keep out of the hands of lesser Americans like you and me.
Liberals really do think we’re stupid.
In fact, we’re apparently so dumb they don’t even need to acknowledge obvious facts. Gifford writes that, “in New Hampshire, 93% of Democrats, 79% of Republicans, 82% of gun owners and 60% of NRA households support background checks.” But of course, we already have background checks – the issue is the wisdom of mindlessly expanding them. That’s like saying 95% of Americans support generic drunk driving laws as a specific argument to drop the DUI limit to .01% (well, except for illegals).
Nor does she bother to address our actual concerns. The Toomey-Manchin bill, like every other jammed-down “bipartisan compromise,” was poorly drafted and filled with loopholes that utterly failed to secure the promises of the sponsors. It purported to prevent a national gun registry but the actual language did not – for some wacky reason, people who take the Second Amendment seriously don’t trust bureaucrats. It also acted to, at best, inconvenience and, at worst, criminalize the innocent behavior of law-abiding citizens.
No, apparently we oppose all background checks because we hate children or something. Maybe we just aren’t “patriotic” or “responsible” enough.
Now, as her “We Love Guns Except When People Like You Have Them” tour begins, look for Giffords’s new tune to not even chart. We’re just not falling for it. And when she realizes she’s getting no traction, look for more whining about how people are being mean to her by actually assessing the form and content of her arguments instead of simply surrendering to her policy preferences because some creep shot her.
Your ideas about how to prevent a tragedy do not become better because you suffered a tragedy. Nor does the fact that you suffered a tragedy insulate you from harsh criticism of the bad ideas you choose to submit into the public debate.
Gabby Giffords has a right to pretend to change her tune on gun control. And we have a right not to listen.
Gabrielle Giffords: Gun rights come with responsibilities
I'm a patriot who believes in 2nd Amendment. My 7-state tour will promote common-sense action.
July 4 gets the parades and the celebrations, as it should. But I'm going to start my celebration of American independence early. Days before we celebrate our Declaration of Independence and the values that make our nation great, I am taking this week to pay tribute to the Second Amendment — both the rights it bestows and the responsibilities it requires.Some might consider me an unlikely advocate for gun rights because I sustained terrible injuries in a violent shooting. But I'm a patriot, and I believe the right to bear arms is a definitive part of our American heritage.
For centuries, that right has come with the responsibility to use our guns safely and ensure that our families, our communities and our children are protected. Generations of gun owners have taught their sons and daughters that it takes as much patience and skill to be a good shot as it does to be a good steward of a powerful weapon.
I know that, and my husband, former astronaut and combat veteran Capt. Mark Kelly, knows that. We own guns, we use them and we treat them with great care. But when children are gunned down in their classrooms, when families are slaughtered at a movie theater, when a little girl dreaming of running for office is shot dead standing next to me in a grocery store parking lot, we have to admit what we're doing is not enough. We've all got to do more to reduce gun violence.
We're gun owners
We can't stop every person who is determined to do harm, but common-sense measures can prevent tragedies. Expanding background checks will help create a uniform standard for all gun purchases and prevent criminals and the dangerously mentally ill from obtaining powerful weapons.
As gun owners, my husband and I understand that the Second Amendment is most at risk when a criminal or deranged person commits a gun crime. These acts only embolden those who oppose gun ownership. Promoting responsible gun laws protects the Second Amendment and reduces lives lost from guns.
You've heard me say often that 92% of Americans support this simple, fair solution: background checks for all potential gun buyers. But it has been a while since our Senate failed to pass the measure when it first voted on the legislation. Some might think we've moved on, or wonder whether we've become cynical.
Neither. From Nevada to New Hampshire and everywhere in between, expanded background checks continue to be popular with significant majorities, even in states with high percentages of gun owners and across all party affiliations.
For example, in New Hampshire, 93% of Democrats, 79% of Republicans, 82% of gun owners and 60% of NRA households support background checks. The data show that gun owners can support gun safety, and Americans without guns can support gun owners.
Safety vs. rights
In these divisive political times, gun safety and gun rights are too often pitted against each other. But Americans can meet in the middle. Now all we need is for our elected leaders to meet us there.
I know there will always be some in Congress who remain in the grip of special interests. Even in 1776, there was a small minority who refused to sign the Declaration of Independence. But the will of the majority prevailed on that day, and the opportunity for a more perfect union was born.
That's why I am traveling to seven states — Nevada, Alaska, North Dakota, Ohio, New Hampshire, Maine and North Carolina — in seven days this week on the Rights and Responsibilities Tour to celebrate the patriotic connection between our rights and our responsibilities. The tour is all about making sure that those elected leaders who voted against background checks hear loud and clear from their own constituents what I know is true: There don't have to be winners and losers when it comes to preventing gun violence and protecting the Second Amendment. We can strengthen our laws and protect our rights.
Our Founding Fathers grappled with serious questions and bequeathed to us a powerful responsibility: to guard the rights conferred on Americans and to live responsibly alongside one another. It will be a patriotic victory when the Senate demonstrates the American values of practicality and responsibility by voting again on background checks — and passing them this time.
We'll celebrate those who vote yes, and we'll notice those who ignored their constituents.
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