Ann Coulter: Wayne LaPierre Wrong Spokesman for NRA

Ann Coulter is under fire for speaking negatively about the NRA during a guest spot on the Sean Hannity radio program. Here’s the problem, she didn’t speak negatively of the NRA, but of the NRA’s Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre.

I’ve literally listened to her comments 20 times, and not only does she refrain from criticizing the NRA, she actually presents and supports the same argument that John Lott and the NRA have presented in other settings in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting — namely, that more guns will lead to less crime and that concealed carry permit holders are part of the answer to crime at any place and time.

By the way, Coulter, the NRA, and Lott have empirical data to back up the concealed carry argument while those opposing it argue from an emotional, illogical basis (think Rosie O’Donnell, David Gregory, Michael Moore). 

Back to Coulter’s comments. The firestorm arose when Coulter asked if LaPierre is, “the only gun rights supporter who has not read John Lott’s” More Guns, Less Crime?

Coulter’s point: She thought LaPierre seemed ill-prepared when he appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press on Dec. 23. In her opinion, he didn’t take control of the conversation when Gregory attacked him for wanting armed personnel in schools.

For instance, when David Gregory began his rude, fact-less attack on LaPierre — shamelessly questioning whether the NRA’s goal is to see fewer children die — Coulter says LaPierre’s response was “hemming and hawing” instead of forthrightly telling Gregory to quit perverting the statements of the NRA. She says LaPierre should have reminded Gregory, and the country, at that point: “There is one way to stop innocent people from being gunned down by lunatics” and that’s by having more law abiding citizens armed to take down the lunatics when they come to schools or shopping malls or movie theaters with bad intentions.

Coulter wants the NRA, and gun owners as a whole, to focus on their PR campaign and win the argument every time because the facts and the Constitution are on the NRA’s side. 

In this, she seems to be saying exactly what Breitbart News’ Larry O’Connor said when guest hosting for Geraldo Rivera on Dec. 24 — namely, that LaPierre and others are going to have to either formulate their argument better or steer clear of the hostile formats of programs like Meet the Press.

More guns equal less crime; this is demonstrable. And because it is, Coulter’s contention is that the NRA and gun owners as a whole need to argue from a position of strength instead of weakness. 

The argument presented by David Gregory is wrong, and the NRA needs to drag it out into the open and stomp holes in it.