Since they began publication, Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun agitators at The Trace have disguised themselves as a source of unbiased information on gun laws and “gun violence.” The hidden agenda has served them well, allowing them entry to Google News listings (unlike TTAG). Yes, well, as Little Richard sang, the girl can’t help it.
LaPierre set down the framework that gun-rights groups have used to stir anti-immigrant fears into their populist brew: In a scary world, Americans need to arm themselves. And as much as possible, anyone who’s not already an American should be kept out.
Uh, no. The NRA has never said that America should close its doors to immigrants or refugees. The Trace writers Mike Spies and Adam Weinstein know it, too. Which is why their article The NRA Has Been Moonlighting as an Anti-Immigration Group for Years is peppered with statements from the NRA and various board members that only look anti-immigrant to people predisposed to hate the NRA. Like this, from jefe Wayne LaPierre :
“I guess it’s okay to wand-rape someone’s daughter in public,” he went on. “But no profiling!…The first target in homeland security shouldn’t be the people of the homeland. It should be finding people who are not citizens of our homeland, who don’t belong in our homeland along with aliens on work visas, or green cards, or student passes. They are the ones that should get the extra wandings and random searches!”
The Trace would have you believe that Mr. LaPierre was saying that non-citizens don’t belong in our homeland. In fact, he was saying that non-citizens who don’t belong in our homeland should be subject to strict scrutiny. Not all non-citizens.
The rest of The Trace article is equally misleading. Or, if you prefer, truthful. Because the quotes provided are not anti-immigrant per se. In fact, they clarify, indeed promote the conservative viewpoint on immigration. For example . . .
Instead of securing the borders and protecting law-abiding American families, politicians in Washington did nothing, as if they wanted to play some sick game of hateful manipulation to polarize the country, prejudice the vote and poison the political system—just so they can protect their jobs.
The consequence of that corruption and contempt for the rule of law is this: While terrorized residents throw their deadbolts, draw their blinds and pray not to have their homes invaded or their kids kidnapped in Arizona, in Washington, D.C., the ruling elite bask in the safety of their 24-hour security and scream with outrage at Arizona’s law—all because they insist upon playing political games with our lives!”
The Trace can’t “nail” Wayne laPierre with quotes like the ones above. So they trot out quotes from NRA board members and commentators. But again, you have to squint pretty hard to see the NRA as promoting a closed-door policy on immigration. This statement, from former Georgia congressman and NRA board member Bob Barr is as close as it gets:
The Obama Administration authorized planeloads of ‘undocumented’ immigrant families from Mexico and Central America, to be placed into communities across the country, for no sound reason but simply as a humanitarian gesture. The cost of that ‘policy’ — in both dollars and security risks — is still being calculated.
And now, Obama and other Bleeding Hearts in our nation’s Capital want to do the same thing with thousands of immigrants from Syria and other countries torn by sectarian violence and suffering from lack of economic opportunity. What about the obligation to the American taxpayer, who, as always, will bear the cost for housing, feeding and maintaining these ‘refugees’?
Did Barr say “no more immigrants”? He did not. He simply pointed out that the influx of Syrian refugees (and others) come at a cost, which should be considered before opening the floodgates.
The Trace article ends with a excerpt from a YouTube commentary delivered NRA-ILA head Chris Cox. The Trace’s bolded intro would have us believe that these remarks prove that “the NRA wants a blanket ban on refugees and immigrants from entire countries.”
When it comes to national security, we take a backseat to no one. The unfortunate truth is that we’re going to be attacked again from within our borders. The question is, what are we going to do about it?
The Trace has descended deep into “alternative facts” territory. Strike that. Bloomberg’s anti-gun rights “news source” continues to dwell in the basement of falsehoods, half-truths and innuendo. In this case, the mask has slipped. Nothing more. Nothing less.