Will NRA's call to arms have lasting impact?

The pro-gun lobby suggests placing armed security guards in every American school. The idea was dismissed by many, however, and didn't seem to gain much policital support.

By Kim Peterson Dec 21, 2012 5:40PM
Image: Student in classroom (Digital Vision/Getty Images)The National Rifle Association says the answer to school shooting massacres is more guns in school. It's hardly a surprising position advocated by the largest gun-rights lobby in the country.

But what will the group's call mean? Will it have any impact beyond a day of heated debate? Is this a fundamental, significant moment in America's complicated relationship with guns or a throwaway grab for headlines?

Investors in gun stocks seemed underwhelmed. The share price for Sturm Ruger (RGR) barely budged and closed Friday down 0.4%. Smith and Wesson (SWHC) shares closed down 1.9%.

The country has seen a week of intense focus on gun control since 20-year-old Adam Lanza walked into a Connecticut elementary school on Dec. 14 and killed 20 children and six educators. America has struggled to understand the attack, to figure out what may have motivated Lanza, who also killed his mother and himself.

The NRA's top lobbyist, Wayne LaPierre, said guns were not to blame. He did blame the media, video games, movies and music videos. He described a "race to the bottom" in which companies compete to be more shocking and offensive. Violent films, he added, were "the filthiest form of pornography."

LaPierre suggested placing armed security guards in every American school. The gun-free zone in place in many schools "tells every killer that schools are the safest place" for mass shootings, he added.

He didn't specify how the program would be paid for, how guards would be trained, what procedures would be in place or how the scenario would be any different from Columbine High School, which had an armed guard when two gunmen killed numerous students in 1999, or Virginia Tech, which had its own armed police force when a student went on a deadly rampage in 2007.

His ideas didn't appear to address whether high-capacity assault weapons should be legal.

LaPierre's suggestions run counter to renewed calls for more gun control and stricter background checks since the shootings. President Obama has appointed Vice President Joe Biden to run a task force on the issue and deliver proposals by next month.

The NRA's highly anticipated announcement was quickly criticized from many sides. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said LaPierre's ideas were "a shameful evasion of the crisis facing our country."

There weren't many who vocally supported LaPierre's plan. Even on the conservative website The Corner, run by the National Review, commenters were far more critical of the proposal than they were supportive. "Any sort of policy that's based on extremely rare, isolated incidents is almost guaranteed to do more unintended harm than good, wrote one. "That goes for both the anti-gun and the pro-gun crowd trying to wave the bloody shirt."


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177Comments
Bigdaddy52501
Dec 23, 2012 10:30AM
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If a well trained teacher chooses to conceal carry, I think they should have the right. My biggest fear would be some would not be well trained. I know from my own life experience, it takes a certain mind set to be able to take another life. It is a decision that haunts you the older you get. And that is a true statement from a highly trained professional.
Jan in topeka
Dec 23, 2012 9:56AM
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I taught for 30 years. I have a concealed carry permit. I never miss the kill zone in practice.

 

I felt helpless while in the classroom without my pistol, knowing that I would at least have had a decent probability of stopping an attacker.

 

My husband also taught and felt the same way.

 

Let well trained teachers carry.

Bigdaddy52501
Dec 23, 2012 9:05AM
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The school I went to almost 40 yr ago had an armed policeman on duty in our halls. I think it is a very good idea. I don't think teachers should pack guns. They should teach. I do not think they should have to deal with security. People who commit these unspeakable acts are obviously not mentally right. Most are intelligent enough to know where they will meet the least resistance, soft targets. Stop the foreign aid and keep the money at home to be spent at home.

 Violating the constitution is not the answer. Security and Mental health care. That is a real solution. 

time2share
Dec 23, 2012 12:00AM
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While this administrations trajectory and Agenda since last year with the false flags shootings in VT and the staged Movie theater incidents and others is to continuously build a case to take the gun control issue to another level  .The Agenda has always been as the end goal of...LIMITING SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLES AND LARGE Capacity Magazine clips ...Why do you ask? Because The Globalist Fascist Communist entities in this administration know that in order to take us down we must be ARM LESS or at least down in fire power to able to mount a counter attack with a range of acceptable mass casualty number fatalities in order to take control. The NATO FORCES have automatic weapons....And must have a far superior fire power to contain any revolt of the American people......Face it THIS IS THE NEW WORLD ORDERS AGENDA...!!! And they will stop and nothing to try to achieve it even if it means Controlling us by any FEAR BASED MANIPULATION TECHNIQUES. The New world order's and the United Nations using the MEDIA and the lobby groups to manipulate sentiment. This first step at gun control goals using the media to exploit the false flag's and all other incidents like this tragedy. OPEN YOUR EYES YOU ARE BEING MANIPULATED to react like this THEY WANT YOU NOT BE ABLE TO DEFEND YOURSELVES WHEN THE FINAL PUSH FOR A FASCIST COMMUNIST CONTROL STARTS...!!!
DANNY WILLARD (everyoneisequal)
Dec 22, 2012 10:33PM
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The only thing that stops a bad person with a gun is a good person with a gun.  If all guns are made illegal that will be a little like making methamphetamines and heroin illegal. 

 

Re-TOG Re-TOG (Re-TOG)
Dec 22, 2012 4:50PM
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If Cheney had been shot.....The other guy would still be in Gitmo getting waterboarded.

 

The Government,NRA,Ameri​can Citizens; Maybe like Rodney King said; "Can't we all just get along."

 

Anyway.....Hope all have Nice Holidays....And Best Wishes for a Prosperous New Year.

REGAL MAN500
Dec 22, 2012 2:42PM
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Dick Cheney wants to be your hunting buddy.Good friends understand it when

you shoot them in the face.

holytoledo1234
Dec 22, 2012 1:12PM
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Maybe we could issue a semi automatic pistol to each of the students. I wonder what the NRA would think of this.

ollie58
Dec 22, 2012 1:01PM
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Being pro life doesn't mean you love guns (an inanimate object) or war.  However it is the supporters of the second amendment that allow the citizens of America to remain free.  The people that want to disarm the public are merely pawns of those that want to end our freedom.  The democracy cannot be sustained if our citizens cannot defend themselves.  Our enemies will not use weapons of mass destruction for fear they will damage the resources they covet.

REGAL MAN500
Dec 22, 2012 12:27PM
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Isn`t it strange that the same people who are pro life are the same people who love guns

and war?

O.B.L
Dec 22, 2012 11:16AM
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I own several weapons.  I practice often.  I am physically fit and pretty calm.

I would be scared to death of missing a perp and killing a bystander in most stress situations.

I'm more afraid of a poorly trained civilian than running into a criminal, especially since I live in Arizona where you must own guns or relinquish your gonads.

TAZ MAN
Dec 22, 2012 9:52AM
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Some fail to realize or remember that the gunman took his own life. All the laws in the world against LAW ABIDING CITIZENS will not prevent a PSYCHOPATH from doing what he did or anyone like him doing what they want.  Laws were the last thing on his mind. These people exist all over the world and I have RIGHT to be able to defend myself with whatever means are at my disposal.

 

We send our troops overseas to fight an enemy and expect our soldiers to fight by the rules against people that don't know the meaning of the word. But the GOVERNMENT ties their hands and forces them to get SLAUGHTERED for the sake of doing it by the book.

 

I will not be defenseless against people who do not care about laws or wether they live or die.

 

Tie your own hands and leave mine the HELL ALONE. SURVIVAL IS NOT PRETTY SOMETIMES!!!!!!! 

argp
Dec 22, 2012 9:45AM
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NRA is suggesting to keep armed security at tax payer's expense.Why cann"t they

volunteer from NRA  organization. They have millions of members.That would reduce

national deficit burdan.Any way they collect lot of money from members.Plus they

get lot of  money from gun and  ammunation makers.

ollie58
Dec 22, 2012 8:56AM
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I am not sure why the NRA chose to have a press conference.  The shooter was not an NRA member nor was he a law abiding gun owner.  The NRA is a supporter of the second amendment and should not waver from their currently held positions.  The knee-jerk reaction is from those who would deny the rights of law abiding citizens.  The liberals are the ones who have supported measures which allow criminals more freedom to prey on law abiding citizens.  The root cause is not access to firearms.
On an island
Dec 22, 2012 3:05AM
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The NRA had a chance to become a rational voice in 2004 when the assault rifle ban was overturned.   They did nothing to stop the use of weapons for which the only purpose is the mass killing of fellow human beings.  Supporting the second amendment does not include weapons of mass destruction.  We need supporters of the constitution to start making rational choices and not act like every decision is a personal insult.
MisterKyte
Dec 22, 2012 12:03AM
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It's really sad that these people want to use this tragedy as an excuse to take away our choice to bear arms.

Especially since they are the same people who would have DEMANDED the choice to kill every one of them six or seven years ago, in the womb.
Tom High
Dec 21, 2012 9:32PM
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More guns great way to solve the problem,and what happens when a kid steals a gun from a napping guard. Violent movies almost always involve lots of shoot them ups,so you kind put your foot in your mouth I would say.
GUSTAVO URENA
Dec 21, 2012 8:41PM
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So the Repubs want to cut education spending and teachers salaries but want to hire armed watchmen in schools ummmmmmm who is going to pay for this?
GUSTAVO URENA
Dec 21, 2012 8:39PM
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You guys are confusing the issue.

Gun control does not mean you don't have the right to carry a gun.

Semi automatics and Assault riffles should be made unavailable period.  The military in Afghanistan have these and they get shot at also.  It's just not needed in a civilized society; are we civilized?
NO WALMARTS
Dec 21, 2012 8:34PM
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Well,

 

Everyone has there right to their opinion, so, why not have one - three individuals per school that are licensed & trained to carry a firearm with a high enough capacity clip to stop an individual who would think about doing harm to any children. Sometimes, people knowing, that if they try to harm anyone and people are willing to stop them with force, they turn out to be the true cowards they really are and probably may think twice about hurting innocent people. Your politicians can give Billions to foreign goverments that seem to lose most of the money somehow, but, lack the muster to provide phyiscal protection with security at schools and will tell you they can not find the money, passing laws will not protect our children. These cowardly indididuals that do these unspeakable acts only unstand force with force! Hey current administration, put all of are veterans that are trained with firearms and out of work and give them a job protecting our schools. Now that is a common sense approach to a on going problem and not all the hype you politicians  and media spin.

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