The Patriot Post® · NYT Fires Squib Load at NRA

The National Rifle Association’s annual convention kicks off today in Nashville, and our own Mark Alexander is there (say hello!). But the event is also a cue for Leftmedia hackery. The New York Times editorial board points and misfires at what it perceives to be hypocrisy: “Seventy-thousand people are expected to attend the National Rifle Association’s convention … and not one of them will be allowed to come armed with guns that can actually shoot. After all the N.R.A. propaganda about how ‘good guys with guns’ are needed to be on guard across American life, from elementary schools to workplaces, the weekend’s gathering of disarmed conventioneers seems the ultimate in hypocrisy.” Except the Times’ editors are exactly wrong — per Tennessee law, attendees with a valid carry permit can carry “guns that can actually shoot” in the convention hall. The crack shot editorial team moves on to criticize the NRA for removing firing pins from guns on display, which is also utter nonsense. The logical conclusion of their argument is that all guns on display ought to be loaded, which as any responsible gun owner would tell you is absurd. Besides, it’s a trade show, not a retail expo. So the Times’ editors want to pretend the NRA is loaded with hypocrites, while gun companies and owners are merely proving they aren’t reckless.

Update: The Times finally issued a correction of sorts: “An editorial on Friday about the National Rifle Association’s convention incorrectly described the rules for carrying concealed firearms at the event. Carrying is prohibited at one of the main convention venues, not all of them.”