National Rifle Association

New TNGOP Slogan: “Do as I say, Not as I Do”

On November 2, 2009, in Liberate Your Radio from The Right, by Mary Mancini

The AP’s Erik Schelzig highlights the hypocrisy that is the Tennessee Republican Party and – surprise, surprise! – his story involves the TNGOP’s number one legislative priority (jobs and good education for all Tennesseans, be damned!):

Supporters of blocking public access to the names and addresses of Tennesseans with handgun carry permits appear to have a hard time keeping their hands off the records.

An Associated Press records search has found copies of the state’s database of more than 257,000 handgun permit holders were recently requested by the National Rifle Association, the state Republican Party and a direct mail contractor that has done extensive work for the GOP’s legislative caucus.

Asked about those requests, House Republican Caucus Chairman Glen Casada says he opposes using the database for political purposes like campaign fundraising or get out the vote efforts.

(Fist bump: The Scene’s loveable curmudgeon.)

From Sidney Poitier’s Cold, Dead Hands

On April 7, 2008, in Uncategorized, by Mary Mancini

This weekend the world said goodbye to longtime actor, one-time civil rights activist, and lifelong gun nut, Charleton Heston. Now that we’ve gotten the obvious jokes about gun-control advocates racing to his grave out of our system, and then taking a cue from FOL* Tim Wise, we realize a larger question remains: Would the NRA have championed, say, Sydney Poitier, as one of their own if he said that the only way the government could take his gun would be to pry it from his “cold, dead hands?” Would they have made him their president and chief spokesperson? And so the conversation on race continues. Here’s a picture of Mr. Heston when he still believed the pen mightier than the sword. Enjoy!