Check out that headline. If that’s not an excellent example of “alternative facts” — the BS artist formerly known as “spin” — I don’t know what is. MSNBC is decrying the Republican-controlled federal legislature’s decision to strike down the Obama administration’s regulation barring any Social Security recipient who’s surrendered their finances to a third party due to “mental impairment” from purchasing a new firearm. So a more accurate headline would be . . .
Senate Republican Vote to Restore Social Security Recipients’ Gun Rights. After all, just because an elderly citizen can’t manage their finances doesn’t mean they can’t defend their life — and the lives of their loved ones — by force of arms. Besides, what would the Obama “if you can’t balance you). r checkbook you can’t buy a gun” dictat do, really?
Preventing some 75k seniors with “severe mental illness” (MSNBC’s term) from buying a new gun via the FBI’s background check system would do nothing about their access to their existing guns. Nor should it. The right to keep and bear arms should only be restricted or removed om a case-by-case basis after due process, not by bureaucratic fiat.
For some strange reason, MSNBC doesn’t see it that way. Nor does The Chicago Tribune (Senate votes to block rule meant to prevent people with mental disorders from purchasing guns) or Vice (Mentally ill, and armed) or The San Francisco Chronicle (Congress blocks rule barring mentally impaired from guns). Not to mention The Washington Post (Republicans in Congress just made it easier for mentally ill people to get guns).
The Chronicle’s article comes complete with a picture of the Sandy Hook massacre — as if addled seniors collecting Social Security are about to mow down school children after they go and purchase a new “assault rifle.” Dan Gross of the Brady Campaign to prevent Gun Violence used the same heated rhetoric to attack the bill.
This heartless resolution puts the most vulnerable Americans at risk. Make no mistake, this vote was really about deepening the gun industry’s customer pool, at the expense of those in danger of hurting themselves or others.
Any time the civilian disarmament complex and their mainstream media camp followers decry a piece of firearms-related legislation is a good day for The People of the Gun. No matter how old you are.