Anti-gun student activists are planning a Saturday march and demonstration outside of the Fairfax, Va., headquarters of the National Rifle Association, but they may have some company as the group “March For Our Rights” is planning a counter-demonstration.
Showdown time is high noon, Aug. 4.
The anti-gun students have a list of demands that include a ban on so-called “assault rifles” and original capacity magazines, universal background checks, preventing publication of online 3-D gun technology and IRS revocation of “the tax-exempt status of the NRA.” It’s essentially the gun ban wish list.
On the other side, the “Students Defending the Second Amendment” are “planning a peaceful counter protest,” according to a mass email circulated Tuesday.
It has all the makings of a television moment.
“We want America to know that David Hogg does not speak for the millions of young people all over the country who support the Second Amendment,” said Xena Amirani, chairwoman of March for Our Rights, in a news release. “We want respectful dialogue and encourage our members to share the facts on why gun control is not the answer.”
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Student anti-gunners have been busy since the school shooting in Parkland, Fla. With the help of well-funded gun prohibition lobbying groups, they have gained traction with the media by staging massive protests in several cities.
But do they have facts, or just emotion, on their side? The March For Our Rights group says truth escapes the gun control narrative.
CityPages.com has an article profiling the activities of University of Minnesota student James Farnsworth, who “helped spearhead ‘Florida, March for Our Lives.” One of his tactics has been to ask politicians if they have taken money from the NRA.
But what about money that politicians take from lobbying groups such as Everytown for Gun Safety, or Giffords/Americans for Responsible Solutions, or the Brady Campaign? If it is fair to suggest that NRA financial support to some politicians influences their votes, would it not be fair to presume the same thing about anti-gun politician s who take money from gun control groups?
That’s a question perhaps best asked of the students who will show up on Saturday outside NRA headquarters.
