By Dave Workman | Senior Editor
A stunning revelation by Politico shows the depth of hypocrisy being practiced by gun prohibition lobbying groups and the Obama White House to exploit the anniversary of the Sandy Hook tragedy, the head of a leading gun rights group said.
Almost immediately after Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, announced that Dec. 14 had been picked for “Guns Save Lives Day,” he was condemned by anti-gunners for trying to use the anniversary for political gains.
The gun control effort reportedly has the involvement of top White House officials. Politico noted that, “Officials from the White House Office of Public Engagement, which reports to senior Obama aide Valerie Jarrett, are now carrying the administration’s gun control efforts. OPE officials hold a regular meeting with the major gun control groups known as the Gun Violence Table.”
Gun rights groups around the country are planning a ‘Guns Save Lives’ day to take place on Bill of Rights Day, December 15, 2013. http://gunssavelivesday.com/
The news magazine said Vice President Joe Biden has been sidelined in the administration’s gun control efforts,
“The weekly sessions often include OPE Director Paulette Aniskoff or official Paul Monteiro along with representatives from Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Moms Demand Action, the Center for American Progress, Organizing for Action and Americans for Responsible Solutions,” Politico added.
According to Politico, the reason for these weekly sessions is what Gottlieb initially forecast: “The groups are coordinating a November lobbying effort and planning events to commemorate the first anniversary of the Newtown, Conn., massacre last December.”
In a press release responding to the Politico story, Gottlieb noted, “For those lobbying groups to condemn gun rights organizations is at best disingenuous, if not downright despicable. They have known for weeks, perhaps months, that they were going to exploit this solemn anniversary, and it is clear now they do not want a different message competing with their efforts to erode our civil rights.”
“Our effort calls attention to the importance of firearms for personal protection and neighborhood safety,” he continued. “We’re emphasizing the need to protect a fundamental civil right, while the gun ban lobby is capitalizing on a horrible tragedy to destroy that right, and they know it.”
He recalled the criticism following the announcement of “Guns Save Lives Day,” and noted that it came from “the same groups that are now reportedly planning a November lobbying effort, and media events coinciding with the Sandy Hook anniversary.”
“Not only are they trying to destroy the Second Amendment,” he concluded, “it is now abundantly clear they want to impair our First Amendment right to talk about it.”
Gottlieb was demonized for the “Guns Save Lives Day” project, even after shifting the date to Dec. 15, coinciding with Bill of Rights Day.
Nowhere was the criticism more blistering than in the pages of the New York Daily News, but a reader of that story put the controversy in this context: “Yes, it may have been a bit crass for the SAF to have their rally on the anniversary of such a tragedy, yet it also worked: here we are — here the whole NATION is — talking about it! They couldn’t have bought that sort of press! And they do have a point: we need to WAKE UP and abolish feel good ‘gun-free zones’ and implement a true security plan. Teachers and faculty: don’t want to own or handle guns? No problem. Just don’t get in the way of those who DO, and/or get used to the idea of armed safety officers. It really is that simple.”
The Newtown Bee on Oct. 15 reported that the date had been changed, and then quoted First Selectman Pat Llodra, who stated, “For this group to use our Sandy Hook tragedy as a springboard for political action is disrespectful to our community of Newtown and is of particularly insensitive timing… I respect their right to promote their beliefs regarding guns. I ask that they respect our community and not use us for their purposes.
“We will not host a political rally of any stripe on that day,” she said, “and we hope that all such inclined persons understand that they and their agenda are not welcome. We ask for privacy and expect that all caring folks, including the media, will accommodate us. Those persons, who choose to not accede to our request to be left alone, (will) show the world their own moral and ethical fiber.”
