Saturday was marked the so-called March for Our Lives rally where gun control advocates descended on Washington, DC to call for restrictions on Americans’ gun rights. Liberal journalists rejoiced as the event allowed them to put aside the illusion they were objective reporters and become active participants. MSNBC start the day off with Ali Velshi and Alex Witt attacking the NRA by claiming they didn’t want safer schools, shamming politicians who received donations, and dismissing those who prayed for victims.
“They are not here today. They are not a sponsor of safer schools and safer streets today and I think that’s important. And I’ve been speaking to gun lobbyists over the last few days and saying, ‘why not,’” Velshi declared as he smeared the NRA. He claimed to have spoken with people he asserted were “not talking about taking guns away.” That claim was misleading at best and a flat out lie at worst because the media couldn’t get enough of the profane Parkland kids calling for gun bans.
Velshi also suggested that he talked to a Republican after the Parkland, Florida school shooting who told him the NRA was just a “protection racket for politicians.” “Because if you are an NRA supporter and you're a politician in a particular jurisdiction and you have an A-plus rating and you do anything to change that,” he explained. “All of a sudden they’ll find someone else, if they want to, with an A-plus rating.”
It’s ludicrous to criticize any advocacy group for backing candidates and politicians who supported and agreed with their cause. Liberal groups do it too. Would gun grabbing groups like Everytown or the Brady Campaign support politicians who weren’t for gun control? No. Would Planned Parenthood support a politician that didn’t support abortion? No. But that didn’t stop Witt from trying to shame politicians who received donations and support from the NRA.
“Its power, of course, comes from money and its funding of political candidates and grading them on their voting effort from an A down to F,” Witt chided during her lecture on the history of the NRA. She read off donation statistics from the NRA to politicians on the national and state level, as if it were a mark of evil:
… the gun group has spent more than $7.7 million on Arizona Senator John McCain throughout his career, more than any legislator. That includes campaign funding and ads attacking opponents. The next closest politicians are North Carolina Senator Richard Burr, just shy of about 7 million bucks for him; Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, about $4.5 million; and North Carolina’s other Senator, Tom Tillis with 4.4 million. We’ve got Colorado’s Corey Gardner with 3.8 million.
“Are you taking notes here? So you know who is getting the money from the NRA,” she yelled. “All this spending buys the NRA an oversized seat at the table on all the issues…” She complained the NRA was opposed to expanding background checks and greater restrictions on conceal carry, despite the fact the NRA supported fixing the broken background check system and that conceal carry license holders must jump through a litany of hurdles.
Witt said she dated herself by recalling the Columbine shooting, but failed to mention that that shooting happened while an assault weapons ban was in effect. But she did use that memory to chastise those who pray for victims. “Far too many times, lawmakers saying they are offering their thoughts and prayers. Which, though not an illegitimate concept. We appreciate that. It has he never led to anything,” she spat
This, to start a day that was sure to be filled with pontificating gun control advocates masquerading as journalists.
Transcript below, click expand to read:
MSNBC
March for Our Lives Special Coverage
March 24, 2018
8:44:36 AM Eastern(…)
ALEX WITT: Yeah. You know, to date myself, I've been at this network since just before Columbine. And I can remember, as you brought up with the Representative Himes just in this last segment, how you hear time and time and time again, far too many times, lawmakers saying they are offering their thoughts and prayers. Which, though not an illegitimate concept. We appreciate that. It has he never led to anything. And look to what it is doing, it is taking these kids, it’s taking the people with whom we are speaking to on this set today, to make what we see on this camera happen right now.
I’ve been watching this. I’ve made my way from the studio over here to be with you Ali. People just streaming in. It warms my heart on this chilly day. It is extraordinary to see all of this.
ALI VELSHI: Take a look at that. The signs, the people. You're hearing music starting behind us. There is a lot of activity here.
WITT: Absolutely. All of these students, of course, Ali, they’re pushing for gun legislation. It's worth taking a look right now at the National Rifle Association. It is essentially a gun lobby and its influence on lawmakers. It describes itself as a nonprofit organization that advocates for gun rights. It was founded in New York State in 1871 by two union officers, it happened after the civil war. Its original purpose was a shooting club, to improve the marksmanship of Americans.
In past generation, it worked with government to limit traffic of guns, its advocacy for gun rights began lobbying in 1975 after ATF agents killed an NRA member, he was hiding with a large number of firearms there. Well, today it claims to have 5 million dues-paying members despite the fact it does not disclose its membership rolls. That number only about 67 percent of Americans who are believed to actually own guns.
Its power, of course, comes from money and its funding of political candidates and grading them on their voting effort from an A down to F. There’s a watchdog group who tallies how much support members of Congress gets from the NRA. Their data shows the gun group has spent more than $7.7 million on Arizona Senator John McCain throughout his career, more than any legislator. That includes campaign funding and ads attacking opponents. The next closest politicians are North Carolina Senator Richard Burr, just shy of about 7 million bucks for him; Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, about $4.5 million; and North Carolina’s other Senator, Tom Tillis with 4.4 million. We’ve got Colorado’s Corey Gardner with 3.8 million.
Are you taking notes here? So you know who is getting the money from the NRA. Florida Senator Marco Rubio benefiting from just over $3 million in NRA spending. That is something he has taken a lot of criticism for.
It is not just Congress, though. Florida Governor Rick Scott, he’s got an A-plus rating from the NRA before recently signing that new gun legislation in the wake of the Parkland shooting. Vice President Mike Pence, another one. He’s got an A rating, loosening a number of laws while governor of Indiana, including legislation allowing firearms to be kept in vehicles on school property. Then let’s jump to the 2016 election where the NRA spent more than $21 million supporting our president. All this spending buys the NRA an oversized seat at the table on all the issues, the ones largely opposing the expanded federal background checks, taking a hard line against the assault rifles ban. They are opposed to raising the age to buy rifles or create stricter concealed carry laws. All this info for you.
VELSHI: They are not here today. They are not a sponsor of safer schools and safer streets today and I think that’s important. And I’ve been speaking to gun lobbyists over the last few days and saying, “why not?”
I'm talking to a lot of these kids and their parents not against the Second Amendment. They're not talking about taking guns away. But one thing a Republican told me in the days after the Parkland shooting is that one way to think of the NRA, and I'm a gun owner by the way, is a racket, protection racket for politicians. Because if you are an NRA supporter and you're a politician in a particular jurisdiction and you have an A-plus rating and you do anything to change that. If you do what maybe Florida Governor Rick Scott did and raise the age at which you could buy a semi-automatic weapon, all of a sudden they’ll find someone else, if they want to, with an A-plus rating. Somebody like me, who otherwise wasn’t in the fray, but now I’ll get their backing and their support. So, it’s a protection racket.
(…)
