RF recently previewed the latest Bloomberg-funded Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in American “gun safety” campaign. The official video has dropped, along with an MDA press release. A document that begs the question why are we tracking unintentional shootings? How is uniting gun owners and anti-gun whack jobs going to prevent suicides? Clearly, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in American thinks it will. Their latest press release makes the link. . .
At the start of Mother’s Day week, Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America today released the #NotAnAccident Index and interactive map, a first-of-its-kind tracking of unintentional shootings by children, and launched Be SMART, a new public education campaign asking gun owners and non-gun owners alike to come together to reduce the number of unintentional shootings, suicides, and homicides that occur when firearms are not stored responsibly and children or teens get ahold of a gun.
Is MDA really so far out there that they honestly believe that those wanting to commit suicide would refrain from doing so if parents lock up their guns? After watching the horrible “Keep Your Finger Off the Trigger Video” by Women Against Gun Violence, I had a hard time letting this one go. Back to MDA:
The #NotAnAccident Index and interactive map released today show that since January 1, 2015, there have been at least 80 unintentional shootings involving children, resulting in 57 injuries and 24 deaths—that’s an average of one unintentional child shooting in America every 36 hours. The index is based on media coverage and police reports of instances where a child 17 years or younger unintentionally fired a gun and harmed either him or herself or another person.
The index is based on media coverage. Not FBI results of investigations. Not outcomes of the court cases involved. The stats include any child under 17, which includes a significant proportion of teenage gang members. So basically, MDA is saying “Forget the facts. My fear trumps your rights.” The saddest part of this particular press release: Melissa Joan Hart’s involvement.
“Just like we protect power outlets with covers from the little fingers of our children, or turn the pot of boiling water so that handle isn’t easy to grab—we must think of storing our guns safely the same way,” said Melissa Joan Hart, actor, director, and mom of three who is featured in the Be SMART video presentation. “The goal here isn’t to scare anyone or take away anyone’s rights, but rather to demonstrate that we have the power to help prevent these tragedies before they happen, and it starts with the Be SMART campaign.”
Melissa parrots MDA’s oft-repeated claim that they’re not against civilian gun ownership, wrapping up this blatant distortion in a warm, fuzzy mom-to-mom appeal on simple gun safety. It’s a modern spin on what Hitler called “The Big Lie“:
In the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods. It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously. Even though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly to their minds, they will still doubt and waver and will continue to think that there may be some other explanation. For the grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down, a fact which is known to all expert liars in this world and to all who conspire together in the art of lying.
No one wants children – or teens – to be wounded or killed by gunfire. But “allowing” the anti-gun side to control the gun safety message is a big mistake. The logical extension of their campaign: if all guns were locked up no one would ever be hurt. Yes, it’s a slippery slope. To parphrasse Benjamin Franklin, they who would give up essential liberties to obtain a little illusory safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.