Tim Martin/Here’s a Thought

Barack Obama has been better for gun sales in the United States than 10,000 terrorists. Just ask Wayne LaPierre, spokesperson for the firearms industry … Oops, excuse me. I mean executive vice president of the National Rifle Association.

LaPierre makes $900K a year pimping for the multi-billion dollars in gun sales to the American public. His assigned task is simple: Keep people angry and skeptical. Keep them thinking that we are only a hair’s breadth away from having our guns confiscated. In other words, do anything necessary to defeat any actions which might negatively impact the profits of America’s Merchants of Death.

There’s trouble in River City. That’s the heart of his message. LaPierre has accused President Obama of wanting a universal gun registry, and of believing his children deserve security while others do not.

In an interview with Chris Wallace, he was asked to explain the NRA’s video accusing President Barack Obama of wanting armed security for his children but opposing it for others. Wallace pointed out that the president’s children face a larger threat than most.

”Tell that to the people at Newtown,” LaPierre quipped, referring to the town where an armed shooter killed 20 children at an elementary school.

LaPierre also appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee and stated that background checks and measures such as regulating certain semi-automatic weapons would have dire consequences on our country. “If you limit the American public’s access to semi-automatic technology, you limit their ability to survive,” he said.

As a gun owner, Wayne LaPierre certainly does not speak for me. I want a registry, a limited number of bullets in a clip, and a universal background check. Oddly enough, so do 85 percent of all NRA members. I grew up in a gun-owning family and there’s not one of us who confuse background checks with the government snatching up our guns. Personally, I could care less if pimped-up trashy AR-15s or other civilian versions of assault rifles are banned. I’m not motivated by paranoia. I don’t have an innate fear of criminals, immigrants, or terrorists. I do not need a semi-automatic weapon to shop at the local mall. They still let me in.

It would be great if LaPierre would stop blowing smoke up America’s tailpipe. Why anyone even bothers to listen to his babbling is beyond me. The man is a poster child for the paranoid fringe element. He’s more dangerous than a drunken, one-armed, first-time firearms instructor with a severe case of the DTs.

Despite what LaPierre says, the sky is not falling, the wolf is not attacking the sheep, and Obama does not want to take away our guns. That would require a constitutional amendment. No worries there, folks. We can’t even get Congress to pass a simple budget.

LaPierre puts the exclamation point behind the lack of a coherent argument by insisting that limiting weapons that kill 30 people in two minutes and/or a universal background check is a direct attack on the 2nd Amendment. But he’s no crackpot. The man is a well-paid lobbyist and a shill for the biggest bully on the block. Politicians who dare to support increased control over the sale or possession of any type of gun are immediately targeted for defeat at their next election. Tens of millions are spent annually to ensure their defeat.

That’s exactly why LaPierre and the gun industry have their hands out for your cash.

Only three types of people are against background checks: those who manufacture and sell guns, people who can’t pass a background check, and Wayne LaPierre. They say you can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep. I guess it’s true.

Thankfully, LaPierre doesn’t speak for NRA members. He speaks for weapon manufacturers and gun salesmen who are in the business of making money. It’s impossible to a person like him to understand firearms safety when his salary depends on him not understanding it. LaPierre is unstable and extremist, and does gun control dialogue no favors. The man is not motivated by freedom or safety; he is motivated by profit.

Don’t fear President Obama. He doesn’t want to take away your guns. Fear Wayne LaPierre. He wants to take away your humanity and keep you running scared. The NRA needs to get rid of this guy, pronto. He gives the organization and all responsible gun owners a bad name.

Tim Martin resides in McKinleyville and writes this column for the Times-Standard.