'Meaningful contributions'

Well, looks like the National Rifle Association has finally crawled out of its hole to attempt to approximate the human emotions of sympathy and concern. And lest ye think that these swine took down their Facebook page and stopped tweeting its stupidity 140 characters at a time out of what humankind knows as shame, the NRA reminds us that it knows no shame.

"Out of respect for the families, and as a matter of common decency, we have given time for mourning, prayer and a full investigation of the facts before commenting."

Yes, that's why the group shuttered its Facebook page, out of respect and decency, not because the alleged people of the NRA have finally realized that their life's work has done nothing but facilitate evil and certainly not to avoid the flood of criticism on the page that the group so richly deserves (and that I will be contributing to as soon as I finish this post).

Yes, decency. From that beacon of decency, the National Rifle Association.

And, oh goody, the Gun Nut Club is planning a "major news conference" for Friday, when it will presumably announce what "meaningful contributions" it plans to offer to ensure the safety of humankind. The same safety that has been collateral damage in the NRA's battle to make sure every stupid fuck who wants a gun can get one as easily as possible. (Not to mention the NRA's other mission, which is to make as much money as possible off of idiots who think an extremely dangerous weapon bolsters a shaky manhood, adds inches or makes them safer, although it does none of these things.)

So if, in search of a solution to this problem, you are looking to the alleged people who have worked tirelessly and greedily to help create this problem, prepare to be underwhelmed.

UPDATE: The underwhelming.

The nation's largest gun-rights lobby is calling for armed security guards to be posted in every American school. [...]

[NRA CEO Wayne] LaPierre said his organization was willing to train and organize retired police officers, soldiers, fire fighters, medics and citizen volunteers into a corps of security guards. He called the proposed program the National School Shield Emergency Response Program.

 The NRA's "meaningful contribution" to gun violence in schools? Putting more guns in schools.

LaPierre (hmm... that sounds French. Is French bashing still fashionable?) offered no proposals regarding limits on any type of gun, access to guns or the size of magazines. Apparently, in the opinion of the NRA, none of those things -- guns, easy access to guns, or large magazines -- contributed to this tragedy in any way. So what did LaPierre say?

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

It sounds like a bad guy with a gun is pretty dangerous. More dangerous than a bad guy with a knife, or a club, or a pointed stick. Definitely more dangerous than a bad guy without a gun. Well, if that's the case, then shouldn't we be making it harder for bad guys to get guns? Not in Wayne's world.

"Does anybody really believe that the next Adam Lanza isn't planning his attack on a school he's already identified at this very moment?"

And does anybody really believe that he isn't planning to use a gun? Or several guns, with large magazines?

And does anybody really believe that the NRA is going to help make it even a little bit harder for him to get the guns he's planning to use?

Gun safety

From the FAQ page of the Crossroads of the West Gun Shows Web site:

Q: Can I carry a loaded gun in the gun show? I have a Concealed Carry Permit. 
A: We respectfully request that you do not bring any loaded firearm into the gun show. Safety is our Number One Priority, and a safe environment in the show can only be maintained if there are no loaded guns in the show.

If there were a follow-up question page (FUQ?) page on the site, I would post the question, "Does the 'a safe environment can only be maintained if there are no loaded guns' rule of thumb also apply in homes, schools, churches, fast food restaurants and basically everywhere there are people?"

School shooting

This time in Connecticut. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.

What are we going to do about it? Nothing is not an option.