Not ones to be troubled by petty little things like facts, the good folks at the NRA are now intentionally spreading misinformation to make use of their donor constituency’s self-disabled cognitive functions in order to take advantage of irrational, and sadly typical, fear. Fear of what, exactly? Why, the simple fact that the communist-fascist-Kenyan-Muslim-socialist-dictator-king Barack Obama is coming for your guns! Well, indirectly at least; they’re actually playing on fear of an international gun ban, meaning the U.N. somehow takes American guns. In fact, they sent out an email with this misinformation, as reported by Think Progress:

The NRA email went to great lengths to solidify this fear in the minds of its supporters, repeatedly referring to the ATT as the “global gun ban treaty,” or variations thereof. “We need to send a clear message to every Senator that they have only two choices: Side with us and stop the U.N. gun ban treaty … or start looking for a new job at election time,” the message tells its readers. Despite the dark tidings, the ATT actually doesn’t affect the Second Amendment, something that even Texas’ extremely conservative attorney general begrudgingly admitted. Instead, the treaty seeks to limit the sale of arms — including attack helicopters, tanks, and other larger arms, as well as small arms and ammunition for these weapons — to regimes that use them to violate human rights. To achieve this, the treaty requires states set up a system for tracking exports of arms to other countries and reporting those statistics to the United Nations annually. The U.S. government already tracks the sale of weapons overseas, meaning very little will change in practice for American citizens.

Of course, the fact that there won’t be a change for Americans if our country (sad that I have to put if) agrees to follow the treaty — after all, they have to solicit donations somehow, and fear is the most effective tactic! If conservative gun nuts — as opposed to responsible, rational gun owners (they exist, indeed) — aren’t scared of Obama and the U.N. “trampling on our Second Amendment freedoms,” why would they possibly be giving their money to the NRA?

And while even the super-conservative Texas Attorney General admits that the treaty doesn’t affect the Second Amendment, or your rights under it, in the slightest, conservatives continue to blather on, ambiguously insinuating there’s a threat. It really helps to promote the necessary culture of fear that is the backbone of a high-credulity, low-awareness constituency. Here’s some excerpts from Fox ‘News’ and their coverage of it, with contribution from the Associated Press:

“The U.N. Arms Trade Treaty that passed in the General Assembly today would require the United States to implement gun-control legislation as required by the treaty, which could supersede the laws our elected officials have already put into place,” Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., said in a statement. “It’s time the Obama administration recognizes it is already a non-starter, and Americans will not stand for internationalists limiting and infringing upon their Constitutional rights.”

At least he readily admits to isolationism; he openly admits, by phrasing his sentence with the word “internationalists” in the place of “enemy,” the other, that he is a fearful and blind man who will not in any way benefit our country moving forward. After all, isolationism is a myth and a dream at this point — people don’t stop being people because they are outside of our borders, and the exceptions and habits of the world are going to change America whether we like it or not. By pursuing a political philosophy of inclusiveness and diplomacy, we may change the world image and role of America in the years ahead. Men like this are an obstacle to the noble goal of national self-improvement. Another excerpt from Fox:

Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, of Montana also said he could not support the treaty, claiming it doesn’t do enough to “uphold the rights of Americans.” Critics of the treaty claim that, while it’s aimed at combating the vast illegal weapons trade, it could end up burdening law-abiding gun owners and businesses with a new web of red tape. Inhofe also said the treaty could hurt national security efforts by preventing the U.S. from assisting allies.

Note, if you will, what Fox, these senators, and the NRA all have in common. Not one names a specific problem, instead relying on credulity and ambiguity. All use fear. Now the question is, which are the smart ones? Some of these senators — especially the Democratic ones — aren’t really all that bad. They’re moderates and often times sheep themselves. This leads to the brainless championing of talking points without prior review. Essentially, they’re just listening to the sheep-clothed wolves and bleating out their false warning in return. However, there are some who recognize that these moves are nothing more than fundraising from fear; those are the people who must be stopped.