Link

http://www.oregonlive.com/oped/index.ssf?/oped/00/03/ed032000.frame

By MICHAEL S. BROWN

Pundits and politicians alike were taken aback last week by an outburst
of harsh language from Wayne LaPierre, executive director of the
National Rifle Association. LaPierre accused President Clinton of
needing a certain level of killing to further his political goals.

I and others who monitor the gun-control debate know that the verbal
attack reflects only the surface of a deep reservoir of bitterness that
Clinton has created in American gun owners.

Eight years of constant pressure by the Clinton-Gore administration, its
allies in Congress and anti-gun organizations have driven tempers to the
breaking point. Gun owners have been demonized to such an extent that
they have become the newest persecuted minority.

Like other groups and individuals who happened to be in the path of the
Clinton spin machine, gun owners have been denigrated and libeled by
experts. What was once an important and patriotic group of citizens now
feels completely marginalized and in danger of extinction.

They are accused of being unfeeling louts who don’t care about the
deaths of children. Popular entertainment portrays them as careless
slobs. They are used as scapegoats for deep societal problems over which
they have no control.

Schools reject gun safety classes simply because they were created by
the NRA. Marksmanship programs that were once a source of national
strength and pride are now considered an evil influence on young people.

Gun owners watch in amazement as politicians introduce bills that would
limit civil rights without having an impact on crime. The Department of
Justice touts the latest figures showing how many felons were turned
down for gun sales, but authorities decline to prosecute for making the
illegal attempt. Anti-gun organizations disseminate false statistics
without being questioned by the media.

Everyone seems to know that the gun control we have now does not work,
yet there is great pressure for more of it. Examples elsewhere indicate
that the so called “slippery slope” argument is very real: Gun control
eventually leads to prohibition.

This suggests to some that there is a sinister conspiracy to disarm the
public and leave all power in government hands. Perhaps this is so, but
it is more likely that the anti-gun pressure is simply generated by a
need to create a useful political issue.

Since gun violence is at a 30-year low and accidents have steadily
declined for a century, there is no other reason why gun control should
be such a high priority at this time. It is simply a useful tool to
distract voters from the real social problems that are not being
adequately addressed.

Sam Cohen, a gun rights activist in Massachusetts, summed up the
feelings of gun owners who are caught in the political crossfire: “There
are 80 million responsible, law-abiding gun owners in America and we are
sick and tired of being treated like criminals.”

Although pro-gun views are not represented in the national media, many
active gun rights groups exist below the media’s radar, on the Internet.
Some of their discussions are fascinating and some are downright
scholarly for a group of people portrayed as ignorant rednecks. Each
time the media hypes a new shooting incident, active gun owners watch to
see how the usual suspects perform.

“Blood dancing” is the term that has been coined to describe how the
anti-gun politicians dance in the blood of innocent victims to promote
their agenda.

Outrage in the gun rights community is at an all-time high. How this
will express itself is difficult to predict, but it is likely to have
some impact on the election in November as more gun owners join the NRA
and contribute to candidates who support their views.

The stage is set for the first great political battle of the new
century. If recent trends continue, truth and honesty will be the first
casualties.

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Dr. Michael S. Brown of Vancouver, Wash., is an optometrist who
moderates a large e-mail list for discussion of gun issues in Washington
state. He may be reached at [email protected]