Tuesday, January 11, 2011

On the Larry Pratt thing...

I just got this from MamaLiberty:
From David Codrea at War on Guns 01/11/11

"Mr. Pratt is contacting Fox News to correct their misunderstanding," the GOA spokesman informed him. Here's the statement:

As much as I appreciate Fox News, they misstated my position on the Wayne Smith case arising out of South Dakota. So let me break it down:

1. As I have stated all along, I do not agree with what South Dakota is doing in denying the right to keep and bear arms to alien residents. Wayne Smith SHOULD BE ABLE TO OWN A GUN!

2. Our fundamental rights do NOT come from government, the Bill of Rights or the Constitution … they come from God. Hence, law-abiding citizens should be able to carry concealed firearms as a matter of right (without permission from the government) and that is why GOA has consistently supported legislation modeled after Vermont’s successful permitless carry law.

3. Aliens living in this country still possess their God-given rights. Note, however, that within our constitutional system of government, some rights of citizenship (such as the right to vote) are fully protected only for actual U.S. citizens. This is, perhaps, where the confusion has arisen. On the one hand, I argued that aliens should not be able to vote in our country. But fundamental human rights such as the right to self-defense as embodied by keeping and bearing arms, on the other hand, SHOULD MOST DEFINITELY extend to everyone, period.

4. As for the xenophobia that some have accused me of because of the misunderstanding relating to Wayne Smith … well, that’s laughable. I’ve been happily married to a Central American immigrant for nearly 50 years -- and I fully support her right to keep and bear arms as much as I support Smith’s … and yours.

-- Larry Pratt, Executive Director of Gun Owners of America
Well, that's not what he was reported to have said befoe, but it's what he says now. Sounds more reasonable to me, just passing it on.

3 comments:

jack said...

Hmmm... it might be just a case of backpedalling ... I'm not sure what to make of it.

Anonymous said...

As Joel commented in the original post, this is a lobbyist acting like a lobbyist.

Whatever the facts in this particular case, Pratt is a creature of the beltway. No mortal can live in that hive of scum and villainy for long without being totally corrupted.

MamaLiberty said...

Well, at least he responded. So many don't bother anymore. Just seemed fair to spread the answer as well as the complaint. :)