December 6, 2023 The Newspaper Serving LGBT Los Angeles

Gays vs. the NRA?

baldwin
SENATOR TAMMY BALDWIN joined a filibuster, reading the names and telling stories about the victims of the Orlando massacre. Photo from Tammy Baldwin’s Twitter account

BY KAREN OCAMB  |  There was a flurry of excitement in Democratic circles Thursday, June 16, after Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to bend in the GOP’s rigid fealty to the National Rifle Association, the nation’s most powerful lobbying group.

Republican senators would be open to legislation banning the sale of guns to suspected terrorists, as long as due process protections for individuals on the federal government’s terrorist no-fly list were included. The NRA opposes any ban on the right to buy arms, including AR 15-style assault rifles like the one used by terrorist Omar Mateen, who wantonly slaughtered 49 innocent, mostly young Latino gay club goers in Orlando, Florida, injuring 53 others. 

Mateen had briefly been on the no-fly list until an FBI investigation concluded he was not a threat.

 McConnell’s nod came after Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy led a nearly 15-hour filibuster on the Senate floor pushing for gun control legislation. Murphy represents Newton, Connecticut, the site of the 2012 massacre of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Many of the grieving parents were in the gallery when the Senate failed to pass legislation calling for expanded background checks. Last December, after the terrorist mass shooting in San Bernardino, the Senate voted down legislation introduced by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Her proposal closes the “terrorism gap” which would prevent someone deemed too dangerous to buy a plane ticket from legally purchasing a firearm.

 A Government Accountability Office report found that suspected terrorists bought firearms and explosives from licensed dealers 1,300 times between 2004 and 2014. Additionally, radical Islamic terror leaders, ThinkProgress reported last year, “have urged American sympathizers to exploit the nation’s lax gun laws in order to perpetrate domestic terror.”

 “America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms. You can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle, without a background check, and most likely without having to show an identification card. So what are you waiting for?” said American-born al-Qaeda spokesmen Adam Yahiye Gadahn in 2011.

 #Enough, Murphy and others, including out Sen. Tammy Baldwin said after the Orlando shooting.

 “I can’t tell you how hard it is to look into the eyes of the families of those little boys and girls who were killed in Sandy Hook and tell them that almost four years later, we’ve done nothing, nothing at all to reduce the likelihood that that will happen again to another family,” Murphy said.

 Republican presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump said he would meet with the NRA “about not allowing people on the terrorist watch list, or the no fly list, to buy guns.” An NRA spokesperson said they would be “happy” to meet with Trump, but it is unlikely the self-proclaimed huge deal-maker can get the NRA to budge. Nor is passage of even modest gun control legislation calling for closing the #NoFlyNoBuy terrorism gap and mandating universal background checks likely to pass either chamber of Congress as the NRA doles out contributions to GOP candidates during an election year.

 But with 57% of American supporting commonsense gun control, Orlando may prove to be a watershed moment. And out actor/activist George Takei thinks that, given the LGBT community’s history of being targeted for hate crimes but organizing against the odds to win equality, it’s imperative that the community organize against the NRA.

 “Like it or not, this history and this obligation have been thrust upon us, and we must now rise to its challenge,” Takei wrote in the Daily Beast. “For if there is one group in this country with more will, more experience, and more tenacity than the NRA, it is the LGBT community. You don’t want to mess with us.”

 Shannon Watts, mother of a gay teen and founder of Moms Demand Action, says: “I am outraged that, despite 150 mass shootings since 2009, our federal lawmakers have done exactly nothing in response. If you too are outraged, join the movement to end gun violence: text ORLANDO to 64433.”

Related Posts

West Hollywood Joins Forces for 34th Annual Toy and Food Drive – Spreading Joy to Families in Need

December 6, 2023

December 6, 2023

City Collaborates with Sheriff’s Station to Bring Holiday Cheer through Monetary Donations, Toys, and Gift Cards By Dolores Quintana In...

Human Rights Speakers Series Presents a Touching Documentary on Fatherhood, Brotherhood, and Unconditional Love

December 6, 2023

December 6, 2023

Netflix Partners with the City of West Hollywood for Exclusive Screening of ‘The Dads’ In partnership with Netflix, the City...

LA Metro Boosts Train Buzz: Faster Rides and Later Service Begin December 10

December 6, 2023

December 6, 2023

Responding to Rider Surge, Metro Improves Frequencies On A, C, E, and K Lines By Dolores Quintana Responding to an...

Lyft Spreads Holiday Cheer: $20K in Free Ride Credits for Disabled and Elderly Residents in LA

December 6, 2023

December 6, 2023

Partnering with Local Organizations, Lyft Gives Back to Ease Holiday Travel Struggles  By Dolores Quintana As the holiday season unfolds,...

Los Angeles Payroll Report Shows That Significant Numbers of City Employees Aren’t Local

December 5, 2023

December 5, 2023

City Controller Mejia’s Report Calls Attention to City Workers Place of Residence By Dolores Quintana In the realm of payroll,...

Protest Erupts in Los Angeles Over City’s Approval of Rent Hike Approval

December 5, 2023

December 5, 2023

Residents and Advocacy Groups Unite Against City Council’s Decision By Dolores Quintana In Los Angeles, residents took to the streets...

Billie Eilish Sarcastically Responds to Unexpected Outing at Variety Awards

December 5, 2023

December 5, 2023

Hitmakers Awards Ceremony Interview Aftermath Prompts IG Response By Dolores Quintana In a recent interview with the entertainment industry trade...

AIDS Healthcare Foundation Accuses California Apartment Association of Antisemitism

December 3, 2023

December 3, 2023

Tensions Rise as AHF Calls Out Alleged Antisemitic Language, Unconventional Tactics By Dolores Quintana Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a...

Los Angeles City Council Approves Police Permits for Airbnb Hosts and Short-Term Rentals

December 3, 2023

December 3, 2023

New Law Targets Party Houses and Crime, Introduces Permitting Requirement The Los Angeles City Council has given the green light...

Suspect in Custody: Los Angeles Man Linked to Serial Homeless Murders and San Dimas Slaying

December 3, 2023

December 3, 2023

Authorities Seek Information on Additional Crimes Suspect May Have Committed By Dolores Quintana On December 1, a press conference was...

(Video) Culver City’s Annual Tree Lighting Sled-tacular

December 1, 2023

December 1, 2023

Culver City’s Annual Tree Lighting Sled-tacular successfully brought the holiday spirit to the city’s residents. A large crowd happily sledded,...

Ladytron’s Surprise Gift: ‘All Over By Xmas’ Drops, Unveiling a Festive Classic Decades in the Making

November 30, 2023

November 30, 2023

Liverpool’s Electronic Pioneers Deliver a “Majestic Glam Stomp” for the Holidays By Dolores Quintana At the stroke of midnight, Ladytron,...

Los Angeles County to Open CARE Court One Year Earlier Than Planned

November 30, 2023

November 30, 2023

Program Seeks to Solve Mental Health Crisis Among the Unhoused By Dolores Quintana In a collaborative effort led by Los...

Alarming Surge in Hate Crimes: Los Angeles County’s Troubling Report Reveals Disturbing Statistics

November 30, 2023

November 30, 2023

Report Reveals Alarming Trends and Urgent Need for Action By Dolores Quintana The Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations...

Sutton Stracke To Host The Abbey’s 14th Annual Tree Lighting Celebration

November 30, 2023

November 30, 2023

Commemorate World AIDS Day and Raise Funds To Help Those in Need By Dolores Quintana Decking the Halls with heartfelt...