I “borrowed” the above image from Politifact to demonstrate this rant. It is in response to something a pro-NRA guy sent to me in response to my anti-NRA and pro-gun regulation posts on Twitter and I suppose this Blog over the past few days. He cited an NRA myth about how gun control leads to mass murder. Here’s the link to what he sent me:

http://www.twitlonger.com/show/ifhj78

I of course responded the only way I could to get the attention of this gentleman. I called this for what it is, a False Equivalence and called him an idiot for bringing it up. Our conversation did not end on a happy note. This exchange also reminded me of what Samuel Wurzelbacher, more commonly known as “Joe the Plumber” who’s running for Congress cited in June. It was in fact the same talking point from the NRA of how regimes take guns away from their citizens then annihilate them ie The Soviet Union, Turkey, Nazi Germany, China, Guatemala, Uganda, Cambodia. Impressive list of heinous acts, but still sorry to say, a False Equivalence.

For those who don’t know, a False Equivalence is “a logical fallacy which describes a situation where there is a logical and apparent equivalence, but when in fact there is none.”

So, what’s the problem here. First of all and the most obvious is that no one in the government in this nation is proposing or for my knowledge have ever proposed taking “all the guns away.” There have been calls from the Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence for better written, and enforced gun control laws designed to keep the guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally insane. Not a total ban of guns at all. There have also been calls for bans on Assault Rifles. In fact, we once had one in existence, but it expired. But again, what need does a law-abiding, sane, rational man have for an assault rifle?

So the first part of the argument is false, now to the second. What happened when these regimes “took the guns away”? Well, there is a difference between those regimes and our current government. I say current government because there are many on the right I fear would like to change this. Currently, our government does not stifle free speech, party affiliation, has no discrimination against any persons based on religion, race, sexual orientation, disability, etc. At least on paper as of today, our government is not out to eliminate those they do not like with extreme prejudice like the Communists, Nazis, etc.

So, no one is asking to take the guns away, just keep them from those inclined to use them in a harmful way to innocent people and the government is not predisposed to kill off in huge numbers those they do not tolerate. Our current government I caution to add.

So to emphasize my point in my Twitter exchange earlier today to that gentleman or anyone wanting to cite that gun control leads to mass murder. You’re idiots

Above for those of you who don’t know, this is a picture of JT Ready on the left with Former Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce. In my humble opinion, this represents the problem with NRA “liberal” gun access position. JT Ready was a self avowed Neo-Nazi in Arizona. a war veteran with some severe mental health issues that were becoming more and more apparent leading up to him murdering his girlfriend, her daughter, her 15-month old granddaughter, the daughter’s fiancée, and himself. He had been Court Martialed twice by the Marines and received a bad conduct discharge from the Corps. He was also running for Sheriff in Pinal County. In the home, police found weaponry to include 6 live hand grenades. All weapons recovered were lawfully purchased.

Now for Russell Pearce. He’s the father of SB1070 that he wrote on behalf of the American Legislative Exchange Council at behest of the Private Prison Industry to round-up and lock up people suspected of being here illegally. You know, brown folks who Russell has always had a problem with. Due to his racist views and disgrace he brought to Arizona, his district, a very conservative one at that, recalled him. Today, Russell posted on his Facebook how he blames gun purchase enforcement laws (that really don’t exist anymore) and the victims in Aurora for not fighting back at a man dressed in Kevlar blasting away with an automatic assault rifle (legally purchased) after igniting tear gas canisters in an enclosed theatre.

This picture is emblematic of the goals of the NRA.