The NRA's contradiction
The debate about firearms is engulfed in huge contradictions that are being fed by the gun industry—based on questionable interpretations of the constitution used to reject the interests of the large majority of Americans.
A case in point is the disagreement in the Senate about a bill to require background checks for all gun sales. This measure has broad popular support and is backed by 93% of Democrats and 83% of Republicans. However, any reasonable measure, like knowing who is buying a weapon, is being viewed by some GOP senators as an attack on the constitutional right to bear arms. Therefore, a handful of lawmakers, among them Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas, have threatened to filibuster the bill.
What is ironic is that, among the recommendations introduced yesterday by the National Rifle Association (NRA) to provide security in schools after the Newtown killings, is conducting a background check on individuals who will be armed inside schools.
It is already unacceptable that the only choice for our society is turning schools into fortresses to protect them from armed lunatics. What is unusual is for the NRA to require background checks on those carrying weapons in schools, while opposing the same background checks for everyone else.
It is worth asking ourselves, if background checks in schools provide peace of mind, why not do them outside schools?
The answer would involve the interests of the gun industry, the millions of dollars from its NRA lobby, and the ideological and demagogic politicians who take advantage of the situation. The same ones that already defeated bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines—and are now targeting transparency in gun ownership.
