President Addresses the National Rifle Association

 

What, you were expecting someone else? President Reagan addressed the members of National Rifle Association at their annual convention two years after he was shot. He had real skin in the game, literally. He spoke out of two decades of careful deliberation on American politics, challenged and refined by a near-death experience.

The gun, the instrument, that almost changed history was the smallest, weakest, least sophisticated kind of pistol. It was the smallest caliber, .22, commercially available. That is, the bullets were 0.22 inches in diameter. The weapon was a revolver, both inherently reliable and inherently limited in the number of rounds that could be fired before reloading.

Unlike a semi-automatic, with a magazine and moving parts that might jam, a revolver mechanically rotates a steel cylinder holding the ammunition while cocking back a hammer, then releases the hammer to strike the back of the ammunition cartridge when it aligns with the barrel. If the cartridge fails to fire, just pull the trigger again and the process repeats, rotating the cylinder to align the next round of ammunition with the barrel. The cylinder gets wider, eventually too wide to be practical, as you add holes to hold more rounds. The weapon used to shoot President Reagan could only hold six rounds.

Here are photographs from the Los Angeles Times. You can see how crude and small the weapon is. The second photograph uses a ruler marked in inches, to show the size of the ammunition.

By the way, much was made at the time of the brand name of the ammunition: “Devastator.” This was puffery, along with the claim that the bullets “explode” on impact. Behind the hype was the reality that the bullets were manufactured to break into fragments when they struck something solid, on the theory that this would maximize the damage done by this very small mass moving with very limited velocity. So, the smallest, crudest kind of firearm in wide use was the weapon chosen by a would-be assassin.

And yet, the gun-grabbers used this weakest and most primitive of “modern” firearms as the excuse for launching a new wave of attempted restrictions on citizens’ exercise of their natural right to self-defense, acknowledged in the 2nd Amendment. President Reagan was having none of it. He spoke with a personal authority only Rep. Steve Scalise shares, among current federal legislators.

It’s a nasty truth, but those who seek to inflict harm are not fazed by gun control laws. I happen to know this from personal experience.

You know, I’ve always felt a special bond with the members of your group. You live by Lincoln’s words, “Important principles may and must be inflexible.” Your philosophy put its trust in people. So, you insist on individuals being held responsible for their actions. The NRA believes that America’s laws were made to be obeyed and that our constitutional liberties are just as important today as 200 years ago.

And by the way, the Constitution does not say that government shall decree the right to keep and bear arms. The Constitution says “. . . the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” [Applause] Thank you very much. I wish I’d saved that and said it last. [Laughter]

From 1983 to 2017, no other President attended the NRA’s national convention. President Trump has now made it two years in a row. He came last year as a thank-you gesture. This year, President Trump brought Vice President Mike Pence with him to the 147th annual meeting of the NRA. In doing so, he anchors the Republican Party, whose congressional leaders have proven reliably unreliable on core promises. The Democrats have launched their Children’s Crusade to seize Congress in the name of “gun safety.” Between the DNC and President Trump, the House and Senate Republicans are pinned down and must either win or lose on their party’s long-publicized position.

NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris Cox, Vice President Pence, and President Trump each situated the right to keep and bear arms in the larger context of liberty. They pointed out the normalcy and goodness of armed Americans. This rings true to a public watching attacks on speech and religion from the same party attacking gun rights.

Chris Cox praised President Trump for surrounding himself with “not only great leaders, but true believers in freedom.” Cox name-checked Secretary Mattis, Ambassador Haley, and Justice Gorsuch. He then introduced Vice President Pence as “a prime example of what all Americans should strive to be. Someone who stands on faith, and someone who stands on principle.” Cox said the vice president is “grateful for the grace of God, the love and support of his family, and the blessings of liberty…”

Vice President Pence (starts at 12:24 on C-SPAN video) promised “in this administration, the right to keep and bear arms will not be infringed.” He opened with “I’m a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican–in that order, and I’m a card-carrying member of the NRA.” He implicitly refuted the claim that the 2nd Amendment is technologically outdated by citing pioneers carrying “Springfields, Winchesters, and Colts.”

Springfields, Winchesters, and Colts represented the change from muzzleloaders to modern firearms. The Springfield Model 1873 was the first mass-produced breech-loading rifle, replacing the old muzzleloaders with a much faster loading design. The Winchester was a lever action repeating rifle, with a tube under the barrel feeding bullets into the chamber with each cock of the lever. Colt competed with Smith & Wesson, producing reliable revolvers, with metal ammunition cartridges combining bullet, powder, and primer. They quickly advanced from single action revolvers, where you cock the hammer with your thumb for each shot, to double-action revolvers, where squeezing the trigger both cocks the hammer and then releases it to fire. That 1870s technology was used, a century later, in the attempted assassination of President Reagan. 

Vice President Pence praised the NRA for its long history of training responsible gun owners and defending the 2nd Amendment. He said, “the work you do is essential to preserving our freedoms at every level of the American government.” The vice president thanked the NRA members for defending liberty and for “electing a Congress and a President who are making America great again!” He described the administration as “15 months of promises made and promises kept.” He pointed to defense spending, immigration enforcement, and “support for the sanctity of human life.” Mr. Pence was not allowing any wedge in the electoral coalition needed to continue winning against the left.

I recalled two men talking in a Washington State gun shop around 1992. They spoke derisively of “bible thumpers.” Look where they are now, with the gun ownership they valued restricted and under assault. Sure would help if the rest of the state had enough motivated voters to defeat Seattle. The NRA is not making that mistake, nor are the President and Vice President.

Mr. Pence praised and pledged support to law enforcement and their families. Speaking in Dallas, he remembered the five Dallas police officers murdered last year. He named the officer recently murdered, while calling for prayers for the continued recovery of a second officer.

The vice president addressed mass murders, promising “to confront this menace with all our strength.” He said, “we will not rest and we will not relent until we end this evil in our time.” Of the Florida school shooting, he said: “we heard all sides.” He pointed to President Trump demanding action that actually fixes the problem. After citing money for school safety, tightening background checks, and a future mental health initiative, Mr. Pence emphasized: “the quickest way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun!”

I promise you we will continue to bring American solutions to this crisis. We will end this evil and protect our liberties at the same time. That’s the American way.

Vice President Pence called out the media for biased reporting and non-reporting, both on the administration and on gun owners.

We all know why. Most of the national media’s working an agenda very different than most of us in this room. Not only does the media too often ignore what our President is accomplishing, but they also don’t want to tell the whole story about firearms in America.

He then told several stories of legal gun owners proving the adage about good guys with guns. After doing the media’s job for them, Mr. Pence issued a challenge.

Today I want to call on the national media. Start telling the whole story to the American people about firearms in this country. It’s time the national media gave our many heroes as much attention as they give to our few villians. Because we should a nation that recognizes those who save lives much more than the people who take them!

The vice president concluded with the reprise that “the Second Amendment is a shield for the rights of every American and it is a shield for the most vulnerable. It’s the great equalizer.” He moved to conclude with President Reagan’s words “freedom is never more than one generation from extinction.” He called on everyone to talk, publicly and privately, about all the good that has been done, encouraging active participation in elections. Mr. Pence closed with his signature call to pray for the nation.

President Trump (starts at 49:37) thanked and praised Texans. He called out Governor Abbot and bantered about getting all the money Texans needed after the hurricane. He fully endorsed Senator Ted Cruz. He acknowledged [Nebraska Governor] Pete Ricketts. The Omaha World-Herald headline yesterday read “Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts isn’t budging on his support for the NRA.” He then namechecked Dana Loesch, Charlie Kirk, and Diamond & Silk–indicating the importance of new media.

The president praised NRA members.

You give your time, your energy, your vote, and your voice to stand strong for those sacred rights given to us by God, including the right to self-defense.

We believe that liberty is a gift from our creator and that no government can ever take it away.

The president linked support for police, law and order, pride in our history, and patriotic rituals–the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem. The crowd responded “USA, USA, USA!” President Trump answered, “we love our country and we believe our citizens deserve a government that shows them the same love and loyalty in return.”

Mr. Trump then moved into citing tax cuts and the economic good news, admonishing the audience “get out and vote, don’t be complacent!” The president again cited record low African-American unemployment, thanked Kanye West for increased support in the polls. He cited great news for Latinos as well.

Mr. Trump got on a roll with the story of a federal judge sharply criticizing Mr. Mueller. That fleshed out his “witch-hunt” riff. He then called out fake news and fake polls as designed to depress voter turnout. He reminded the audience of how they voted and suggested grounds for optimism in the midterm election. He pointed to foreign policy, lightened up with jokes about John Kerry and bikes.

President Trump transitioned to guns by citing French gun laws, restricting ownership. He pointed to the terrible slaughter in a concert hall, where no one was able to stop the terrorists. He noted Chicago’s similar gun restrictions and higher cumulative body count. The president pointed out that terrorists have moved on to using cars and vans as weapons of mass murder, and pointed out the absurd but logical parallel of calling for truck, van and car bans. He pointed to London’s epidemic of knife attacks. So, banning things has not stopped killing on a mass scale.

The president hammered home the point that conservatives in Congress stand between the American people and loss of their rights.

We need judges who will enforce our laws, protect our sovereignty, and uphold our American way of life. The Constitution cannot be changed by judges, bureaucrats or the United Nations.

The president called out Democratic senators by name and hung a bill of particulars on them, obstructing the administration, blocking immigration laws targeting criminal aliens, placing illegal aliens ahead of Americans.

President Trump pivoted, like the vice president, to mass shootings. He said, “it is not enough to take action that makes us feel good, we must make a difference.” He pointed to improving early warning against red flags, school safety, armed guards, and armed, trained teachers. He pointed out the balance between hardening facilities “so you can’t run a D-8 through the doors,” and making the school accessible to first responders. He pointed out that gun free zones attract cowardly killers.

We support the Second Amendment, not only because we believe in freedom but because we trust in everyday talented individuals. These teachers love their students. […] You have to give them a chance. In America, we trust the people to be good. We trust them to take responsibility for their families and communities. That is why we have always trusted the people to keep and bear arms.

The president concluded with the story of Texas as a story of armed resistance to tyranny. He pointed to 1836 and the battle of Gonzales, where Mexican officials tried to take back a cannon given to the town. The townspeople gave the ancient Spartan answer, making their point on this flag.

This account invokes the history of government officials trying to disarm the population so that the government can dominate the people. President Trump concluded that Americans, like the early Texans, will never surrender.

Americans are born free. We will live free and we will die free. […] We will never fail and we will always protect your Second Amendment. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America!

Notice, no mention in this essay or the speeches about scary looking guns. It has never been about looks, except as window dressing. President Reagan was shot with century-old technology, but that did not stop leftists and bureaucrats from seeking to outlaw what they could and restrict what they could not ban. President Reagan was clear, and so is President Trump, the only effective answer is to hoist the Gonzales flag.

Published in Guns
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There are 14 comments.

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  1. Mike LaRoche Inactive
    Mike LaRoche
    @MikeLaRoche

    Clifford A. Brown:

    The president concluded with the story of Texas as a story of armed resistance to tyranny. He pointed to 1836 and the battle of Gonzales, where Mexican officials tried to take back a cannon given to the town. The townspeople gave the ancient Spartan answer, making their point on this flag.

    This account invokes the history of government officials trying to disarm the population, so that the government can dominate the people. President Trump concluded that Americans, like the early Texans, will never surrender.

    Americans are born free. We will live free and we will die free. […] We will never fail and we will always protect your Second Amendment. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America!

    Notice, no mention in this essay or the speeches about scary looking guns. It has never been about looks, except as window dressing. President Reagan was shot with century old technology, but that did not stop leftists and bureaucrats from seeking to outlaw what they could and restrict what they could not ban. President Reagan was clear, and so is President Trump, the only effective answer is to hoist the Gonzales flag.

    God bless Texas!

    • #1
  2. Clifford A. Brown Member
    Clifford A. Brown
    @CliffordBrown

    Mike LaRoche (View Comment):

    Clifford A. Brown:

    The president concluded with the story of Texas as a story of armed resistance to tyranny. He pointed to 1836 and the battle of Gonzales, where Mexican officials tried to take back a cannon given to the town. The townspeople gave the ancient Spartan answer, making their point on this flag.

    This account invokes the history of government officials trying to disarm the population, so that the government can dominate the people. President Trump concluded that Americans, like the early Texans, will never surrender.

    Americans are born free. We will live free and we will die free. […] We will never fail and we will always protect your Second Amendment. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America!

    Notice, no mention in this essay or the speeches about scary looking guns. It has never been about looks, except as window dressing. President Reagan was shot with century old technology, but that did not stop leftists and bureaucrats from seeking to outlaw what they could and restrict what they could not ban. President Reagan was clear, and so is President Trump, the only effective answer is to hoist the Gonzales flag.

    God bless Texas!

    Indeed.

    • #2
  3. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    My boyfriend (a defense contractor) just called me from there! He met the president! Gah

    • #3
  4. Bryan G. Stephens Thatcher
    Bryan G. Stephens
    @BryanGStephens

    Cool

    Obama was arrived by a true anti American and that is OK. Trump visits real Americans and the left goes us. Good.

    • #4
  5. drlorentz Member
    drlorentz
    @drlorentz

    Clifford A. Brown:

    Mολoν λαβε

    • #5
  6. Boss Mongo Member
    Boss Mongo
    @BossMongo

    Outstanding.  Thank you.

    • #6
  7. Kay of MT Inactive
    Kay of MT
    @KayofMT

    Love that road sign: This is God’s country, don’t drive thru it like hell.

    • #7
  8. TempTime Member
    TempTime
    @TempTime

    Great post!  Thanks.  I love it when a post is so well written, there is nothing I can think of to add and all I need to do is enjoy it.  Thanks again.

    • #8
  9. Hypatia Member
    Hypatia
    @

    No guns, no glory.

    • #9
  10. Columbo Inactive
    Columbo
    @Columbo

    If President Reagan saw the purported ‘conservatives’ of today who ‘claim’ him, and who felt defending the 2nd Amendment like this was really past its time, I think he would be shocked … and pissed.

    • #10
  11. Clifford A. Brown Member
    Clifford A. Brown
    @CliffordBrown

    Columbo (View Comment):

    If President Reagan saw the purported ‘conservatives’ of today who ‘claim’ him, and who felt defending the 2nd Amendment like this was really past its time, I think he would be shocked … and pissed.

    Reagan and Charlton Heston both knew freedom requires constant effort, see Heston’s A Torch With No Flame:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOJQFNOQqCY

    • #11
  12. drlorentz Member
    drlorentz
    @drlorentz

    Clifford A. Brown (View Comment):

    Columbo (View Comment):

    If President Reagan saw the purported ‘conservatives’ of today who ‘claim’ him, and who felt defending the 2nd Amendment like this was really past its time, I think he would be shocked … and pissed.

    Reagan and Charlton Heston both knew freedom requires constant effort, see Heston’s A Torch With No Flame:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOJQFNOQqCY

    Excellent: the torch that lights the American way.

    • #12
  13. Clifford A. Brown Member
    Clifford A. Brown
    @CliffordBrown

    While listening, I wondered if any other president, or any member of the national media, would know what a D8 is?

    So, you can “harden” schools such that a D8 can’t get through the doors, but then how will emergency responders break in if there is a threat already in the building? Real trade-offs.

    • #13
  14. BalticSnowTiger Member
    BalticSnowTiger
    @BalticSnowTiger

    drlorentz (View Comment):

    Clifford A. Brown:

    Mολoν λαβε

    Τελικά! Επιστροφή στο στέρεο έδαφος και σωστές κοινωνικές αξίες:

    Ή ταν ή επί τας

     

    • #14
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