114 lines
5.5 KiB
Plaintext
114 lines
5.5 KiB
Plaintext
The following are replies to the question:
|
||
|
||
"What is the NRA's position on the War on Drugs."
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
The NRA has stated it does not believe it is legitimate to blame
|
||
legal gun ownership for the violence associated with illegal drugs.
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Harlon Carter wrote an article in "The American Rifleman" and "The
|
||
American Hunter" allegedly extolling the virtues of the war on drugs.
|
||
|
||
(Harlon Carter was sent some four pages of printout of our early
|
||
(CompuServe NRA forum) discussions here after his article appeared
|
||
in the American Rifleman/ Hunter, Sept. 1989. He was grateful. "I
|
||
feel that a blow struck which fails to draw a little intellectual
|
||
blood is largely a wasted effort." The following is a letter to Bill
|
||
Clede from Harlon Carter dated Sept. 14, 1989, and is uploaded with
|
||
his permission.)
|
||
|
||
My respect for the opinions of hundreds -- maybe a thousand by now
|
||
-- who have responded, including the small number who have
|
||
intemperately opposed (and this includes the Washington Post),
|
||
suggests I should state my purpose in writing the article...
|
||
|
||
My initial and eye-opening concern can be found in the obvious
|
||
connection being attempted by our opponents in the areas of drug
|
||
control on one hand and of firearms possession and hunting on the
|
||
other.
|
||
|
||
If they should succeed in establishing in the minds of the people
|
||
such an erroneous connection, we will suffer for it as much, or even
|
||
more perhaps, than we suffer by their success in connecting in the
|
||
public mind that the existence of firearms has a predominant place
|
||
in the prevalence of crime.
|
||
|
||
That gun control is expensive and non-productive has no effect on
|
||
government where there is a continuous effort to impose laws that
|
||
won't work upon like laws which haven't worked.
|
||
|
||
History tells us clearly that the people of all countries ultimately
|
||
will trade off their liberties for security, thus drastic action is
|
||
now required to protect the security of the people while protecting
|
||
the liberties of those who plainly live above reproach.
|
||
|
||
Furthermore, I sincerely believe we much avoid the expenditure of
|
||
billions -- finally, trillions -- of dollars, unbelievable and
|
||
incomprehensible sums, in the useless endeavor to stop the world
|
||
wide drug business.
|
||
|
||
Moreover, the use of the U.S. military forces abroad by their mere
|
||
presence is, or will be, a major factor in the escalation of their
|
||
use in the law enforcement and military affairs of other countries.
|
||
We should not use the U.S. military, even wherein their governments,
|
||
in the knowledge of their understanding of our desires, have indeed
|
||
requested such assistance, but did so in the absence of provisions
|
||
for crops substituting for the drug producing plants which have for
|
||
many years been the staple produce and livelihood of their peasantry
|
||
and without which many thousands -- even millions -- would suffer
|
||
economic distress and some would actually starve.
|
||
|
||
By all means, we must avoid putting into the hands of our opponents
|
||
in this gun control controversy a weapon which might finally defeat
|
||
us. Accordingly we must recognize that the Columbian drug cartels
|
||
are being armed with American made weapons. That is simply not
|
||
preventable. American troops in Columbia are in danger. Some
|
||
American soldier inevitably will be killed and the American media
|
||
will charge killed with an American made weapon. (Cf., Dan Rather,
|
||
CBS, 5:30pm Arizona time, September 9, 1989)
|
||
|
||
In addition, we must stop the clamor and the plans for billions of
|
||
dollars in new prisons. They simply provide a nice, short, routing
|
||
of TV and air- conditioning and schools teaching improved methods of
|
||
crime.
|
||
|
||
I'm not opposed to the death penalty but this is probably an area
|
||
where it is inappropriate. As I said in the article, it is not
|
||
necessary. Neither are "troops on every street corner."
|
||
|
||
Some have raised the question as to whether my article represents
|
||
NRA policy. As you know, it does not. All our magazines carry under
|
||
the masthead in all- capital letters: OFFICIAL NRA POSITIONS ARE
|
||
EXPRESSED ONLY IN STATEMENTS BYLINES BY NRA OFFICERS OR IN ARTICLES
|
||
IN THE "OFFICIAL JOURNAL" SECTION.
|
||
|
||
For the very few pitiable critters who, lacking an adequate command
|
||
of the English language, employed invective or even called me Hitler
|
||
and Mussolini, I have a brief response. It was Franklin D.,
|
||
Roosevelt, a liberal Democrat, who was the nemesis of Hitler and
|
||
Mussolini and it was he who interned thousands of Japanese and
|
||
Germans (yes, Germans, too) in concentration camps during World War
|
||
II after suspending the right to habeas corpus. No one complained
|
||
about it at that time. I merely recommended similar action for drug
|
||
dealers and users today. Maybe I stepped on somebody's toes.
|
||
|
||
In this respect, thank them for me. I might say also that I am
|
||
especially grateful for the condemnation of the Washington Post.
|
||
(Editorial, September 10, 1989) It helps to tell the world what kind
|
||
of man I am.
|
||
|
||
I have little respect for the men who shrink from the condemnation
|
||
of our enemies or who hesitate to invite it. We should, instead,
|
||
strive to merit it. If we avoid the stern stuff, if we avoid the
|
||
red meat, we'll be condemned eventually as people fed on pablum --
|
||
the food of wimps.
|
||
|
||
One more thought and a challenge: I have spent half my life -- 35
|
||
years -- in law enforcement. Why don't they come forth with a
|
||
positive plan of their own?
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|