Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Another Deadly Shooting Spree – Thanks, NRA!

Well, leafing through the morning papers I see that a young man has picked up his rifle and killed himself and five other people in Bellefontaine, Ohio.

Scott Moody, 18, shot and killed both of his grandparents, his mother and two friends, before turning the gun on himself. His teenage sister was also shot and is in critical condition in a Columbus hospital.

So, as the Yellow Dog Blog is inclined to do every time there's another major shooting rampage in our country, let's swing by the National Rifle Association (NRA) web site to see what they're talking about today.

Their top stories include:

“Reshaping the Supreme Court” and “Help Stop Reckless Lawsuits Against the Firearms Industry.”

Those wacky gun nuts also have as their top “Action Alert,” a frantic call proclaiming “New York Anti-Gun Agenda On The Move!”

This item implores NRA members to strongly protest two bills moving through the New York State Assembly that would – gasp! -- make failure to store a firearm safely and criminally-negligent storage of a firearm, punishable crimes. Yet another bill that all God-fearing Americans just longing to shoot something should protest, is the one that would prohibit the retail sale of a handgun that does not contain a child proofing or an integrated safety device.

That's the problem with us liberals – we can't ever get off our gun-safety and keeping-people-from-being-murdered high horses.

Another top news item on the NRA site announces that the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits will be held – cruelly enough -- in Columbus, Ohio in 2007.

“The NRA is looking forward to coming to Columbus in 2007,” Wayne LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President stated. “I would like to thank Governor Taft and the Greater Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau for inviting our Association and members to celebrate freedom and our Second Amendment in their great city.”

Ohio's Republican Governor Bob Taft stated, “I am pleased that the NRA chose one of Ohio's great cities for its annual meeting in 2007. We welcome the thousands of NRA members and guests who will enjoy Columbus and help support our local economy."

In that case, Governor Taft, you must be feeling great today. It's not even 2007 and it looks like the NRA has already come home to roost around Columbus.