There is something to be said for not wasting the energy of gun rights activists who only have enough enthusiasm for our issue for a handful of political activities. However, I do also think that there’s something to be said for annoying the heck out of anti-gun lawmakers at every turn. This is especially true of those who live in areas surrounded by anti-gun lawmakers.
Take Rep. Jim Moran. As Jim Geraghty notes on Twitter, his refusal to answer a question from a pro-rights woman in the audience of his anti-gun townhall almost makes it look like the idea of armed women defending themselves from abusive men hits a nerve with Moran or something. Here’s the video:
According to someone I know who attended, the audience was about 2/3 pro-gun. Based on the uproar in the audience supporting the woman, I’d say that sounds about right.
Rep. Moran isn’t a serious political target because he’s very safe (even though he put out a statement on the issue saying that it should just be considered an “embarrassing situation” for the victim – talk about trying to shame female violence victims!), but headaches like this townhall response make it less likely they will have public events on the issue in the future.
That should be “Corrupt anti-Semite Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA)”
In Moran’s defense (and I’m the last person who is generally going to defend him) First, he did point out just as the Q&A session started that “This is going to be fun.” He clearly knew his position wasn’t going to be popular. Second, I don’t know how much of her question he actually heard. I was on the side right behind her (perhaps next to the other person you know who attended) and could barely hear what her question was. Finally, I couldn’t tell if he answered it or not. He was saying something, but the crowd was cheering and chanting just answer the question. He was talking, but you couldn’t hear him.
That said, yes. It was clearly 2/3’s pro gun. Perhaps even more as some (like myself) werent wearing the orange Guns Save Lives stickers VCDL was handing out. But Moran, as you said, is in a very safe district. And, it was clear that many there weren’t from his district. Some even admitted this up front (which was very honest of them, but then made it very easy for Moran to counter that he knew the politics of his district and while he appreciated the views being expressed it was clear they didn’t represent the views in his district).
There was also a lot of crazy. Like the guy in the back shouting out that the crazy liberal group of 70+ year old hippy women gun banners sitting next to me were communists, ranting about conspiracies and the constitution, and the need to have weapons to take down tyrants like the people on the stage.
its a problem our side has, and one we need to figure out how to control. We will win this issue, but its so easy for the other side to find one or two people and paint us all as unstable. And every time I go to some gun event, there are always plenty of people who present themselves less than adequately.
Plus, this being the DC area, it was also chock full of ambitious political types trying to draw attention to themselves.
Thank you for the citizen’s report. We would not have the problem of a few on our side appearing less than stellar if the MSM were not essentially “Progressive” media outlets.
In fact, as this video shows, the new media is starting to gain a little influence, dishing out what we have been receiving for decades.
As noted above in a different blogpost (the NJ woman), this is why it’s essential to have video cameras in meetings with legislators. In fact, several people with video.
Get the goods on them, and make it public. Video and the internet are among our most powerful tools.
Hear, hear.
No one can refute cold, hard video proof. And with the possibility of any video going viral, these elected officials should mind their Ps and Qs better.
“Rep Moran isn’t a serious political target because he’s very safe” How sad is that?
I wouldn’t have given an answer because they weren’t questions. They loaded statements. For a politician, you have more to lose than gain in engaging people with set positions.