Right now the front page at Breitbart.com is filled with a screaming headline about the supposed hypocrisy of Mark Kelly, the astronaut husband of former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who of course was the victim of a deadly assault two years ago. Growing out of that experience, Kelly and his wife have created Americans for Responsible Solutions, a nationwide effort to enact sensible gun laws. I recently wrote that Giffords has received a "courage" award from the JFK Library and Museum for her tireless work on behalf of gun safety.
Kelly and Giffords have always said they are gun owners and Second Amendment supporters; but like most gun owners and even NRA members, they also favor tougher gun safety legislation, such as background checks and an assault weapons ban. Apparently Breitbart believes you cannot support gun rights and speak at gun safety rallies. Here, for example, is the first paragraph of their story today:
On March 5, gun control proponent Mark Kelly bought an "assault rifle" and a semi-automatic handgun at Diamondback Police Supply, Tucson, AZ. On March 6, he attended a Tucson rally with his wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, to "call for tougher gun-control laws."
How can Kelly possibly support sensible gun laws
and buy an assault weapon the day before speaking at a rally? Breitbart only tells part of the story.
Since his wife was nearly taken from him by a gun, Mark Kelly has given his life over to this issue. If you're going to lobby for restrictions on assault weapons and magazine sizes, if you're going to advocate for background checks, it makes sense to understand the gun universe—from manufacturer to the store sale. That's what Mark Kelly has been doing: research.
He bought the AR-15 to see how easy it is to obtain one (it's easy), and he intends to visit gun shows as well to better understand that environment. I can't blame him: if I were called upon to testify before Congress or to speak at gun safety meetings on a daily basis, I'd want to know exactly what a store transaction looks like, so I'm speaking from personal experience, not just a report. I'd want to know how easy it is to buy weapons and ammo at gun shows and over the internet.
Today on Wolf Blitzer's show, Mark Kelly talked about his AR-15 purchase, which has been showing up in rightwing websites (and here)—as a means to discredit him and his wife's work:
MARK KELLY, HUSBAND OF GABRIELLE GIFFORDS: Well, Wolf, it's important for me to have firsthand knowledge about how easy it is or difficult it is, you know, to buy a weapon like that. You know, it is through a background check obviously at a federally licensed gun dealer, but it is important for me to know, you know, what it is and to have firsthand knowledge.
So in the future, you know, I'm looking forward at some point to buying a gun, you know, at a gun show, also possibly selling a gun so I know really the ins and outs of this issue.
BLITZER: So what was it like going to a store and buying an AR-15?
KELLY: You know, it is actually pretty easy. You know, for a weapon that's so deadly and really designed for the military, especially with the high-capacity magazines, it is a pretty easy thing to do, even with a background check.
Kelly also said in the interview that he will be turning over the AR-15 to the Tucson police, although he intends to keep a pistol he also purchased that day.
I've seen some really nasty shit lately about Gabby from the gun lobby (like she deserved that bullet in her head), so we shouldn't expect the readers at Breitbart to accept Kelly's explanation or anything he and Gabby do—and they don't disappoint. However, I look forward to more of Mark Kelly's reports from the field. Ultimately his efforts will lend even more credibility to the work he and Gabby have devoted themselves to.