Intro: Canada has just witnessed the worst mass shooting in their nation’s history. But what is the best solution to tragedies like this? Gun control advocates say firearms should be banned or greatly limited. 2nd Amendment Rights advocate having every law-abiding citizen carry a gun.
Joining in the discussion is Alan Gottlieb, founder of 2nd Amendment Foundation.
Details:
Authorities now say at least 22 people were killed, as more victims have been discovered by investigators. Many were apparently killed in their own homes while obeying “stay home” mandates due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
“We offer our sympathies to our Canadian neighbors, and especially to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for their loss,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “But we do not believe adding more restrictions on gun ownership for law-abiding Canadian citizens will to anything to prevent such tragedies in the future.
“For decades,” he continued, “we have been on the front lines in the battle to protect our Second Amendment. We’ve listened to repeated claims that the next new gun law is going to prevent violent crimes and make people safer. The only people made safer by restrictive gun laws are criminals and crazy persons who attack honest citizens, even in their own homes, and to whom ‘gun-free zone’ signs translate to a risk-free environment.”
Gottlieb noted that the presumed Nova Scotia killer apparently fooled at least some of his victims by dressing as an RCMP constable, and driving around in what apparently was a decommissioned patrol vehicle he had restored.
“Canada has very strict gun policies, but those regulations did not prevent the murder spree,” Gottlieb observed. “We find it appalling that many in the U.S. gun prohibition movement have argued in support of Canadian-type gun laws for this country. It is time for gun control extremists on both sides of the border to admit their strategies have consistently failed, and in some cases have even cost lives.
“Instead of allowing anti-gunners to exploit this tragedy,” he said, “let’s learn from it. The very first lesson may be hard for some to accept, but it is this: Extremist gun control laws do not prevent unspeakable crimes and they perpetuate a false sense of security that often has tragic results. Adopting new restrictions will not change that dynamic and may even make things worse. We cannot allow what happened in Canada to influence our policies here. We must zealously protect our right to keep and bear arms.”
With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (www.ccrkba.org) is one of the nation’s premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.
EXPERT GUESTS AVAILABLE TO INTERVIEW ON THIS TOPIC:
ABOUT MARK WALTERS (in Eastern Time):
Mark Walters is a national board member of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and a broadcast media spokesman for the Second Amendment Foundation.
Recipient of the 2015 Gun Rights Defender of the Year Award, Mark Walters is a weekly national columnist for Ammoland, and author of three books, Lessons from Armed America with Kathy Jackson: foreword by Massad Ayoob, Lessons from Unarmed America with Rob Pincus: foreword by Ted Nugent, and Grilling While Armed.
Mark is the host of two nationally syndicated talk radio programs, Armed American Radio, and Armed American Radio’s Daily Defense heard on hundreds of radio stations across the country, six days per week. In addition,
Mark has appeared on national and international radio and television on gun-related stories and is a popular podium speaker on firearms topics. Mark is a husband and father of two children and resides in Georgia with his family.
ABOUT DAVE WORKMAN (In Pacific Time):
Dave Workman is an award-winning career journalist and senior editor of TheGunMag.com (formerly Gun Week).
He also writes for Liberty Park Press, Conservative Firing Line and several firearms periodicals. He is also the communications director for the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
He has authored Op-Ed pieces in several major newspapers including the Chicago Tribune, Seattle Times and Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
He has also co-authored seven books with Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation.
Workman’s beat is firearms, from politics to the outdoors. He is widely considered an authority on firearms, concealed carry and gun politics.
ABOUT ALAN GOTTLIEB (In Pacific Time):
Alan is a strong advocate of defense. He’s a nuclear engineering graduate of the University of Tennessee, publisher of Gun Week, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and Founder of the Second Amendment Foundation. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the American Conservative Union.
ABOUT STEPHEN WILLEFORD (In Central Time):
A native of Sutherland Springs, Texas, Stephen Willeford was raised in a family of five on a dairy farm near the First Baptist Church. He is the fourth generation to live on a few hundred acres of land in Wilson County.
Stephen has always relied on his faith to guide his life, and his deep roots in Sutherland Springs are a product of his family’s commitment to their community. An avid sportsman, Stephen began shooting at a young age and honed his shooting skills by participating in shooting competitions as he grew older. He made sure his three children were trained in gun safety, passing along his expertise.
After the deadly mass shooting in November 2017, Stephen has become known across the country as the “good guy with a gun.” Stephen credits his unwavering faith and penchant for preparedness as to why he was able to step in during this critical incident, believing that each day of his life prepared him for what happened on that Sunday morning.
Stephen has begun speaking publicly about his life and experiences, even delivering a lauded speech at the National Rifle Association Convention in May 2018. Because of his selfless service to his community, Stephen was also an honored guest of members of the Texas delegation at the 2018 State of the Union address in Washington, D.C.
An experienced professional plumber, Stephen earned his license from the Plumbers and Pipefitters Apprenticeship School in San Antonio and has nearly 35 years of experience in his field. In 2018, Governor Greg Abbott appointed Stephen to serve on the Texas Private Security Board. He is a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA), was an NRA-certified instructor and a former assistant scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts of America. Stephen has been married to Pam Farmer Willeford for 30 years and has three children and three grandchildren.
ABOUT TOM GRESHAM (In Central Time):
Tom Gresham is a spokesman for 2nd Amendment Foundation. He hosts the nationally syndicated weekend radio talk show ‘Tom Gresham’s Gun Talk,’ carried on 266 stations. He also has created, hosted and directed several television series about guns including Shooting Sports America on ESPN, and Guns and Gear on NBC Sports. An author of several books, Tom has also written thousands of magazine articles about firearms.
ABOUT THE 2ND AMENDMENT FOUNDATION:
The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.
