Gun Owners of America

[billh58]

Established in 1975, Gun Owners of America believes that even the far-right National Rifle Association is too moderate and open to compromise on the issue of gun rights. GOA has emerged as a vocal opponent of gun violence prevention measures thanks to its close alliances with Republican lawmakers and its tendency—unlike the NRA—not to go into hiding after mass shootings.

GOA is currently under the leadership of Erich Pratt, but it was led for decades by his father, Larry Pratt, now the Virginia-based group’s executive director emeritus. Under Larry Pratt’s leadership, GOA became a bridge between conservative lawmakers and the radical anti-government militia movement, linking guns to issues such as Christian nationalism and opposition to immigration reform. Much like the NRA, GOA promotes bizarre conspiracy theories and racial rhetoric in order to stir up panic about crime waves and imminent government seizures of firearms.

And from an associated article at the same site:

GOA has circulated a petition to its members claiming that Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, “would reverse your ability to own a gun” and “hates the Second Amendment,” basing its claims on exceedingly thin evidence. While these attacks on Garland’s record have been widely discredited, several Republican senators have pointed to the judge’s supposed disrespect for the Second Amendment as a reason to oppose him.

GOA’s general counsel, Michael Hammond, brought these claims to an op-ed in USA Today on Sunday, which GOA followed up with a video claiming again that Garland “hates the Second Amendment” and that if he gets on the court “good people will go to prison for exercising their constitutional rights.” Obama’s nomination of Garland, the video warns, is “the most significant step in his sordid trail towards transforming our nation.”

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/gop-taking-supreme-court-orders-from-radical-gun-group/

This is the right-wing extremist armed sub-culture that is driving Trump's followers, advisors, and apologists. Just like those "moderates" who voted for this wannabe dictator, those who claim to be Democrats but parrot the exact same rhetoric as Larry and Erich Pratt are just as guilty of helping the right-wing spread hate and violence in this country.

A distinct majority of millions of rational, sane Democrats and Independents strongly support sensible gun control measures, and are disgusted by the right-wing attempts to divide this nation along cultural, race, religious, and regional lines in the sand.

[flamin lib]

1. The ability of gunners to suspend rational thought about guns is amazing and confusing to me.

Any claim, no matter how ludicrous is immediately accepted at face value. Every year for eight years the fringe says Obama is coming for your guns and they believe it despite the fact that he actually expanded gun rights.

[billh58]

2. Excerpt from an article that I came across:

This originally appeared on ProPublica.

Chip Berlet has spent the past four decades studying right-wing political movements as a writer, activist and scholar. Now retired, he worked for many years as a senior analyst at Political Research Associates, a think tank based in the Boston area.

- Snip -

What are you most concerned about at this moment?

Even before the election you had the armed occupation at the federal preserve in Oregon. A few days ago you have this guy walking into the pizza place in D.C. There are armed people who think that liberals and gay people and Jews and Mexicans and Muslims are an existential threat to the constitution of the United States. They hear this every day on AM radio, every day on the internet, every day from some of their pastors.

At some point it’s going to slip one way or another: either we will slip back towards a consensus that armed violence is not a solution, or armed violence will grow.

I’ve never said that before … This is different. These are self-motivating armed people seeking to stop evil with guns.

http://www.salon.com/2016/12/21/as-a-white-nationalist-what-do-you-do-a-conversation-with-a-scholar-of-americas-extreme-right_partner/

How far can "gun rights" be expanded before Mad Max becomes a reality? At what point do Americans call bullshit and say enough is enough? The Second Amendment was not written to give Americans the "right" to kill each other, nor to provide for vigilante justice.

[Truth321]

3. If only Hillary had won.

She could have put in supreme court justices that could have put new light on this gun issue