On March 6, MSNBC’s Al Sharpton described the launch of Gabby Giffords’ new background check push, then noted that the “NRA struck back” by pointing out that Giffords is basically asking that all gun purchasers go through the same background check her attacker went through to acquire his gun.
The NRA had tweeted a Breitbart News story titled “Gabby Giffords: Everyone Should Have to Pass Background Check My Attacker Passed.”
Sharpton read the title aloud, then tried to equate it with a personal attack on Giffords by asking, “How can the NRA tweet anything like this about Giffords after all she went through?”
Radio host Stephanie Miller responded to Sharpton’s question:
You know, Rev, just when you think, “Is there no low they won’t go to?” Here’s your answer. I had a caller on my show say that today: “Is there no low that is too low?” And by the way, I had the great good fortune of meeting Gabby Giffords and her husband last year in Tuscon, and their goodness just shines through. They would like to sincerely prevent this from happening to any other families–the same as Newtown families.
She then admitted, “Background checks wouldn’t have stopped Adam Lanza”–because he stole his guns from his mom–but then Miller opined that background checks are still a worthy pursuit.
This is the liberal cycle the NRA wanted to interrupt with its tweet. The NRA–and Breitbart News–wanted people to stop and think about a very poignant point: background checks do not stop criminals from committing crimes, just as background checks did not stop Gabby Giffords’ attacker. In reality, the checks only impact law-abiding citizens. The hypocrisy of Giffords and her husband is evident in the fact that they keep acting as if this is not so.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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