Malloy: NRA’s LaPierre acts like a circus clown
(CNN) - Responding to criticism from the National Rifle Association over Connecticut's new gun laws, Gov. Dan Malloy argued the pro-gun group's executive vice president, Wayne LaPierre, is simply blowing smoke.
"Wayne reminds me of the clowns at the circus - they get the most attention. That's what he's paid to do," Malloy said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."
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The Democratic governor on Thursday signed into law some of the nation's strictest gun regulations, following the state's devastating school shooting in December in Newtown, which left 20 children and six adults dead.
The new Connecticut laws include the addition of more than 100 weapons to the state’s list of banned assault weapons - including the semiautomatic Bushmaster rifle, one of the firearms used in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. The law also bans the sale of magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition, as well as armor-piercing bullets. Buyers will need a certificate to buy ammunition.
It also requires background checks for all gun purchases.
LaPierre said this week that the only people who will follow the new regulations are law-abiding gun owners, not criminals.
"I think the problem with what Connecticut did is the criminals, the drug dealers, the people that are going to do horror and terror, they aren't going to cooperate," LaPierre said on Fox News. "I mean, all you're doing is making the lawbooks bigger for the law-abiding people."
Asked who will be most affected by the new laws, Malloy said they'll be "probably a little tougher on everybody."
"This guy is so out of whack, it's unbelievable," Malloy told CNN's chief political correspondent, Candy Crowley, referring to LaPierre.
Connecticut became the third state to pass tough measures since the December rampage in Newtown. New York and Colorado passed gun control legislation limiting magazine capacity, among other provisions.
Malloy pointed to the fact that the overwhelming majority of Americans favor the idea of more background checks, a proposal found in legislation currently sitting before the U.S. Senate. The NRA, however, opposes that bill.
"I can't get on a plane, as the governor of the state of Connecticut, without somebody running a background check on me. Why should you be able to buy a gun? Or buy armor-piercing munitions? It doesn't make any sense. He doesn't make any sense," he said.
Another controversial measure in the Connecticut law is the requirement to register pre-existing magazines that hold more rounds than the new limit. Malloy said the registry was needed so that there are no new high-capacity magazines in Connecticut, and so law enforcement can tell the difference between the ones that already existed in the state and the new ones.
“If you bring a magazine that you purchased in another state into our state, it's illegal. Period,” he said.
The NRA last week released detailed recommendations for its proposal to train and arm adults to keep watch in schools as a way to protect kids from shooters. It also had proposals for mental health programs.
Asked if there was anything in the NRA plan that he agreed with, Malloy said "precious little," adding that schools need tougher protection barriers from intruders - but not necessarily armed guards.
"What this is about is the ability of the gun industry to sell as many guns to as many people as possible - even if they're deranged, mentally ill, a criminal background, they don't care. They want to sell guns," Malloy argued.
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The Govenor has my vote.
@GJHIII, exactly when did God give you the right to own a gun? And if the National Guard is "each and every law abiding citizen", does that mean they can get called up to active duty when their country needs them? It sure would be nice if they did, to help take of the problem of our current troops having to serve multiple tours overseas. But somehow I don't think that is the case. December five!
I am tired of reading about children dying from the violence caused by uncontrolled guns, and the response of the NRA is to stop anyone who tries to protect children from these dangerous weapons. It makes me sad to think how selfish some people can be, and how easily manipulated by NRA propaganda.
Similar could easily be said about Governor Malloy.
Just another feel good sound byte.
Gov. -Try worrying about your downgrade and Multi BILLION dollar debt.
Wow. It's amazing how the anti-gunners think. As they say, you can't fix stupid.
So, if the new law is going to keep weapons out of the hands of people that shouldn't have them, why do they need to restrict the size of the magazines? Hmm, sounds like this is fitting an agenda more than solving a problem...
The anti-2nd crowd is anything but sincere. Their true intent is to abolish the 2nd Amendment in it's entirety. Also, you will notice that the Libs best friends in the media and entertainment industry got off scott-free in regards to violence in films, TV, and particularly video games. It is also worth noting that John Holmes, the movie-killer guy, was part of the Occupy movement. Maybe only Liberals should be banned from owning weapons??
Lot of talk about how Adam Lanza could have been stopped from killing if only you we had tighter gun restrictions. Maybe Adam Lanza would not have done his dastardly deed had he not been bullied relentlessly in school. Maybe you and your ill mannered kids need some better raising. Maybe we need better parent/kid control laws.
Do you actually think the criminal buying a gun on the street will get a background check? What if people don’t register “large capacity magazines” how will the state know? Quite a few people could each have 20 or 30 in a closet. How would the state know?
"I think the problem with what Connecticut did is the criminals, the drug dealers, the people that are going to do horror and terror, they aren't going to cooperate," LaPierre said on Fox News. "I mean, all you're doing is making the lawbooks bigger for the law-abiding people."
The argument that Mr LaPierre makes is circular. We have laws on the books that prevent murder, robbery, etc. Based on the NRA's reasoning, we should not have those laws because the criminals ignore them as well.. At least stricter gun control well make it harder.
Better to be a realist clown than a delusional alarmist
The governor is the clown.
Just go to any cemetery and look at the white crosses. They fought and died for the Bill of Rights and the freedom it protected. They were not fighting for a government they were fighting for freedom.
I quit college to go fight for those rights and the right to keep an bear arms to be able to see our country wasn't like the ones we were prepared to give our life for was supreme.
What part of bear arms isn't clear? Any attempt for the government to take away that freedom will be the day I fight on American soil.
Step on the 2nd Amendment and you slap the face of everyone of those white crosses in the cemetery.
Why would one ban armor piercing bullets that leave a small clean wound, and allow a hollow points? Hollow points are what kill's animals more quickly and reliably, that is why they were invented. All I see going on right now is a fight between t;he testosterone and anti-testosterone forces, with lousy legislation at best.. For one thing, I wish is that the NRA would do more to promote responsible gun ownership, like locking up your AR15s from unstable juveniles. From a legislation standpoint, make gun owners civilly/criminally for not securing their weapons. I don't care if my responsible neighbors have AR15s, but I'd like to think they are kept in a safe.
So true!
The weak mind that cannot refute an argument intelligently will usually resort to name calling and personal ridicule.
An insult to circus clowns, who don't have children's blood on their hands like LaPierre.
This governor is going to learn the hard lesson of opposing the honest gun owners in his state when the pendulum swings back the other way. I would venture to say that he is the biggest clown with his typical feel good knee jerk legislation. God save this country from the democratic politicians!
Those on the Right must be nothing but a bunch of cowards. They lay in hiding waiting on the sky to fall or some imaginary dictator to come around and try and take their guns and put them in FEMA concentration camps. Our military has been involved in many wars. Every time we faced opponents with not only guns but with fully automatic weapons, surface to air missiles, grenades, mortars, rocket launchers, chemical weapons, people with armies, special forces and other branches of military. Not once has that deterred us. but in the mind of a Conservative, Bubba and his AR is all thats preventing our military from putting us all in Concentration camps... It takes a special kind of stupid to buy into the rhetoric and propaganda coming from the NRA and those on the Right...
The NRA brought most of this down on their own head. If they had rallied WITH those who demanded change and thus strengthened their position instead of letting LaPierre be the clown that he is, then better and more meaningful regulation just might have been created. They instead acted just like members of Congress, dug their heels in, and chose to fight. The overwhelming public reaction was thus negative and they lost. I swear these so called leaders that we elect (what were we thinking.....) are the most clueless people on this earth AND they are not afraid to prove it; time and time again. Whatever happened to "working together" to solve the issues?
Hey I have an idea, why don't they ban guns and assault weapons with high capacity clips in Chicago? That will stop all the crime and murders. Gee someone should have thought of that a long time ago, it would have saved a lot of lives in Chicago.
The NRA needed someone to be the clown since they don't have Charlton Heston to be their voice.
Proud to be from Connecticut!!
Malloy is the clown. The juvenile, feel-good legislation will eventually be struck down, but sadly not before many decent gun owners have been criminalized.
The only sure way to slow the so called out of control gun deaths is to start with the Gang Bangers and Drug Industry...
After that concentrate on the laws of patient privacy when it comes to Mental Instability.
Slander/demonization is the last resort of one who has lost a debate.