Over at georgiapacking.org commentator debbiedowner went undercover and “joined” [via Twitter] Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Three Days in the Shoes of a Gun Activist chronicles her journey into the heart of darkness. First, this is how she did it: “Going in headfirst would get me blocked, so I had to come up with a strategy. I decided I would assume the role of a “#gunsense” supporter, and see what I could find out about the group’s values that way. I started out talking to some random people; one guy (@MDGunsBen) welcomed me and attempted to prepare me for the rough time ahead. Eventually, I started working my way closer to the middle of the group. Surprisingly, this only took two days to accomplish . . .
Once she got in, debbiedowner managed to schmooze with MDA founder Shannon Watts. There’s no smoking gun per se. The gun rights mole focused her efforts on confronting MDA’s jefe on her org’s position on suicide prevention.
“Another MDA supporter had repeated my assertion that there wasn’t a lot of work with suicide awareness in the campaign, and Mrs. Watts stated that ‘Few of daily shootings’ are the result of mental health issues. 61% of gun deaths are suicides, yet she asserts that ‘few’ of the deaths from guns are a result of mental health issues. I asked for clarification, and she informed me that suicide is not the issue – gun violence is. So, in essence, the founder of Moms Demand Action has clearly stated that they’re not concerned about suicides or helping prevent suicides – they’re just concerned about guns. Even though suicides make up 61% of the gun deaths in the country.
Probably the most shocking thing is that shortly after this, I was blocked by both individuals I was conversing with. I was told I don’t really support their cause, and that I was likely a “250lb bubba” that wishes I was a female. All of this, in spite of the fact I never said anything negative about gun control, never suggested they do less to work towards gun control, and consistently stated that I believe gun control will work in all areas but suicides. Suggesting they do something as simple as starting to also campaign towards suicide awareness, given that it’s the leading cause of death by guns, means that I don’t support their group and I am counter to their purpose. And I feel I should reiterate, this isn’t just some random gun control advocate.This is the founder of Moms Demand Action.
Again, “MDA Focuses on Gun Violence Not Suicides!” isn’t exactly stop-the-presses material. But any time gun rights advocates can highlight the lack of common sense amongst groups promoting themselves as purveyors of same is a good time to do just that. In other words, exposing the truth about gun control groups can only help Americans seeking to defend or extend their natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. [h/t MDGunsBen]