Not true. NRA's position did not change an inch because of the VT shooting. Those who see something new in NRA's CONSISTENT POSITION are confused themselves.The NRA, long considered a feared and powerful gun-rights lobby, allied itself with the most ardent anti-gun-rights forces in the House to quickly push through a bill that would massively increase the NICS Index -- the database of people who cannot pass an FBI background check for purchase of a firearm.
And while NRA hasn't compromised a bit, anti-gun politicians like Schumer and McCarthy have moved all the way to NRA's position in the wake of the VT shooting. Why? Because NRA defeated both Gore in 2000 and Kerry in 2004 - most Democrats have no taste for gun control right now, having decided they enjoy winning (in 2006, they did not attack gun-rights and won both houses of Congress). Contrast this with their bloodlust for gun control immediately after Columbine - it's night and day. The Democrats need NRA's solution because they have to do something.
NRA has always held that those adjudicated by a court to be a danger to themselves or others (i.e. mentally defective) should not be allowed to buy guns. That does not include people who have been subjected to temporary holds, voluntary treatment due to eccentric "Brittney Spears"-type behavior or service-related afflictions. In the wake of the VT shooting, GOA and JPFO are now shamelessly trying to fundraise by misrepresenting NRA's long-held position (and federal law) as a threat to any gun-owner undergoing any kind of mental health treatment, even servicemen diagnosed with Traumatic Stress Syndrome! This is typical GOA/JPFO "the sky is falling" poppycock and truly unfortunate to see Korwin buy it.
And at the end of the piece, Korwin himself admits there have been a LOT of lies about this issue:
There you go - "things could change". WELL OF COURSE - things can ALWAYS change! What kind of logic is THAT??? This is simple "Sky Is Falling" hype! Don't buy it.In a copyrighted story on 6/21/07, WorldNetDaily said:
"Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., announcing a provision to allow doctors to ban people from owning guns... The plan allows names to be entered into the NICS system based solely on a physician's diagnosis or prescription of a medication: adults who have taken Ritalin and soldiers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder would be classified as mentally ill and given the same opportunity to own firearms as convicted felons: None." Simple diagnosis or medical prescription does not appear to be in the bill as grounds for a ban. Ritalin and PTSD are not listed at the present time, though critics of the measure are concerned that such things could change.
Mike Haas