The official line of gun advocates is that the majority of gun owners are responsible and that we shouldn’t punish the many for the actions of the few. Never mind that nearly every law that’s ever been on the books punishes the many for the actions of the few. Never mind that no one with any sort of power is suggesting that guns be banned.

Polls disagree with the NRA’s official line. 85% percent of gun owners and 87% of NRA members agree that there should be sensible restrictions on guns. The other 13%-15% is comprised of NRA leadership and people who, in an attempt to show the nation that their guns should not be taken away, make the case for exactly why their guns should be taken away.

Here are a few lovely examples, courtesy of Tom Joad on Facebook:





Surprisingly, only one of these Twitter profiles, at least as of publication, seems to have been taken down.

I’m sure I could collect examples of these for weeks and the odds of finding someone who’s more than just talk is pretty slim, but pretty slim is not the same as zero.

Why should any of this be a surprise when it’s the largest gun organization in the world that is creating a culture of violence? The NRA, once an advocate for gun safety, has become a safe-haven for people who think only with their guns. Is it a coincidence that its number two spokesman, Ted Nugent, spouts some of the most violent rhetoric heard outside of prison? Is it a coincidence that a branch of the NRA was caught handing out treasonous material? Is it a coincidence that Wayne LaPierre, the head of the NRA, calls the President a tyrant? Is it a coincidence that the NRA’s members are simultaneously being taught that the answer to tyranny is guns, the bigger, the better?

I don’t believe for a moment that LaPierre actually believes the President is a tyrant. I don’t believe he wants to see him dead, nor do I believe that most of these Twitter posters have the fortitude to commit themselves to die in prison. I do, however, know that LaPierre wants to sell guns and the more he can gin up his membership, the happier he makes his employers.

While LaPierre would probably never pull the trigger on a human being, he will continue to incite people to do the dirty work for him. Whether the victims are small children or the President of the United States, it’s doubtful he’ll lose sleep.