OK folks. Take a look at this, it’s the second Brady comment down:
Most non-hunters view scopes as automatic-hit devices that make shooting at any range a piece of cake. Why do you need a scope Mr. Zumbo? Your gentrified fore-bearers undoubtedly hunted without one. Perhaps you are too lazy or unskilled to stalk closer to your game. That statement has as much validity (I hope) as your comments about “terrorist” rifles and those who use them. Try to be a little more open minded and tolerant of your fellow hunters and shooters.
And Brady’s repsonse?
I certainly agree with your sentiments. There is no pressing need for optics that allow shooters to make sniper shots from over one hundred meters.
Posted by Brady Campaign on Sunday, February 18, 2007 at 2:11 PM
No, this is not about scary looking rifles. This is about much, much more. Jim, you have totally screwed us! I hope you realize now who the people are you’ve just empowered.
UPDATE: A lot of folks seem to think this might be an impostor, and not associated with the Bradys. I’m willing to accept that possibility. If the Bradys want to disavow themselves of this position, and the poster, I’ll happily print another update saying as much. Until then, you can assess for yourself the veracity of the poster and statement.
UPDATE 2: In the comments, you will note a Brady spokesperson state that this person is not speaking on behalf of their organization.
Over a hundred meters? Old target shooters used to shoot 1,000 yards with iron sights. At the second battle of Adobe Walls, Billy Dixon made a 1500 yard shot with a black powder gun.
Heck, anyone should be able to make a 200 yard shot with iron sights. And, most importantly, they still do.
After reading the “Brady campaign” blog, and checking out their myspace page, I’m less than convinced that it’s the genuine article.
I spent a bit digging around on the Brady Campaign website, and I can’t find anything that mentions that they have a myspace page; much less a blog on myspace.
I’m concerned by this because it then makes me wonder about the motives the person that originally generated the myspace page.
I can’t exactly put my finger on what or why, but something about it smells like fish.
I’m not convinced of its veracity after looking into further myself. If it’s not someone speaking for the Brady Campaign, the Brady Campaign needs to disavow this publicly. Paul Helmke has a blog, and has been silent. I’ll update with a retraction if I see the Brady folks repudiate the MySpace poster.
The reason their main page wouldn’t reference MySpace is because it’s for two very different audiences, Ahab. I’m not saying it couldn’t be a fake, because it could. However, when you consider the complex nature of outreach for issue based groups, I could see why they would not formally connect the two. The guy giving $20K a year from Bethesda isn’t likely to understand MySpace and will probably view it as a waste of his money if he saw that on the webpage. The blog gives Helmke more leeway because he’s also posting at Huffington Post, something with “cred” so to speak. But, that said, for a new generation of anti-gunners, they need a presence on MySpace or some kind of youth outreach. If it is Brady, it’s probably some young staffer who doesn’t realize that a) personal opinions do not go out as policy, not even in an informal setting and b) that the plan for 10 years from now should not be revealed now.
I definitely agree that if this is an actual Brady staffer, they’re probably going to get a handslap from Momma Brady for this. I’m in complete agreement with Sebastian though that if the official Brady website doesn’t say something about the myspace blog it’s as good as gospel.
Tacit approval is still approval, no matter which way you slice it. The more I think about, the more I’d rather that this be an individual acting under the name of the Brady Campaign without their approval. I’m more comfortable with one person’s vendetta than I am with the concept of an anti-freedom organization attempting to indoctrinate youngsters.
Handgun Control Inc. has a new name, which I can’t remember, but I don’t think it is Brady Campaign, so could it be we haven’t looke in the right place yet? Sorry about the memory thing, Hell I could be wrong on all counts, but it might, emphasis on might, be worth a look.
I’m with Ahab here. I’m not convinced that that MySpace page really is affiliated with the Brady Campaign. I can’t help but wonder if it’s run by someone trying to make the Brady Campaign look worse than it already does.
You know, when I first read The Gun Guys, I thought they were also some pro-gunner out to make the antis look insane :)
Last time I checked, making antis look insane (at least in our eyes) is about as difficult as making Britney Spears look like a bad mom.
OOOH! POP CULTURE BURN!
I’m more comfortable with one person’s vendetta than I am with the concept of an anti-freedom organization attempting to indoctrinate youngsters.
Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt. Great example: Moms for Gun Safety and Montclair Board of Education.
While I don’t claim that the Montclair situation means the MySpace page is an official Brady outreach attempt, you really are in serious denial if you think these folks aren’t trying to actively find ways to recruit younger supporters.
I’m not saying that I don’t think that certain anti gun groups try to indoctrinate youngsters – what I said was that I’d rather have it be the agenda of one person.
One person saying crazy shit I’m comfortable with; a large organization with lots of money indoctrinating my kids makes me decidedly squirmy.
Ha! to the Brady Bunch!! I don’t need a scope to hit a target at 300 yds with my AR-15; I can do that with iron sights. I’ll bet I could hit a target at 600 yds if the ranges by me had that kind of distance. Hahaa!!
“UPDATE: A lot of folks seem to think this might be an impostor, and not associated with the Bradys. I’m willing to accept that possibility. If the Bradys want to disavow themselves of this position, and the poster, I’ll happily print another update saying as much. Until then, you can assess for yourself the veracity of the poster and statement.”
I can confirm that these statements were made by an impostor. I’m a spokesman for the Brady Campaign, and I know that none of us were involved in those postings. That’s not our statement, and it’s not our position.
Sebastian, you should have access to the email address I logged with WordPress, so you can verify that I am who I claim to be.
As someone who used to shoot before anything apart from a .22 was banned in my country, I can feel a great deal of sympathy for those whose rights are under attack.
But seriously, a guy spends 30 years making drunken assholes with high capacity firearms running around the woods look legitimate, then suggests that carrying an AK47 around might be resonant with events on TV and you all turn on him.
Seriously, anyone watching this little farce who isn’t attached to Mr Heston’s baby cannon gets a pretty ugly picture of the NRA and shooters of the US. There’s a reason why, when someone wants to depict an incompetent and reckless hunter, it’s always some American in a Davy Crockett hat.
Dude, maybe the reason that .22s were banned in your country si because you guys didn’t take your gun rights seriously enough.