Wayne LaPierre Meet the Press Interview: 3 Things We Learned

Wayne LaPierre, the Executive Director of the NRA, appeared on NBC's Meet the Press and proved once again why he is the worst person in America to defend the gun lobby.

LaPierre doubled down on his inability to articulate a rational approach to responsible gun ownership in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. LaPierre is nothing if not persistently ignorant and inarticulate.

Here are 3 things we learned about LaPierre from his interview.

1) Mental illness can be self-diagnosed.

There are online tests that you can take to help to determine your psychological state. You can test for bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, and borderline personality disorder. These are all high level superficial tests, the results of which you need confirmed by a licensed professional.  It used to be said “you are not crazy if you know it.” Modern medical science has proven that is not necessarily true.

LaPierre said, “If it’s crazy to call for putting police in and securing our schools to protect our children, then call me crazy.” You are crazy. Does anyone find it ironic that the faction of America that decries the quality of public schools, the performance of public school teachers, the size of government, particularly the number of government workers, has no problem using state taxpayer dollars to either hire private security officers or additional police officers and/or arming teachers. Wayne is crazy. Why stop with security officers or armed teachers, let’s put up electrified barb wired fences with check points equipped with metal detectors and bomb sniffing dogs. An armed encampment is probably very conducive to providing a safe and warm learning environment. Wayne, you are crazy.

2) Do not listen to the words coming out of my mouth.

During the interview, LaPierre said we should try anything that might reduce the violence. Host Dick Gregory asked does that mean considering a limit on the sale of high-capacity gun magazines. LaPierre quickly reminded everyone that by “anything” he didn’t exactly mean anything. He said, “I don't believe that's going to make one difference.” Gregory pressed on, “If you don't have an ability to shoot off 30 rounds without reloading, you don't think that, just possibly, you could reduce the loss of life?” LaPierre held firm. Gregory obviously did not hear the words coming out of LaPierre mouth. LaPierre will do anything to reduce violence except when it comes to guns. For LaPierre, it is either improbable or impossible that fewer bullets make it at least possible that there would be less loss of a life. Gun rights advocates like to point out that alcohol related deaths are significantly higher than gun related death. LaPierre should argue that he would do anything to reduce the number of deaths from alcohol except stop drinking. LaPierre would probably say, “I don’t buy that argument.”

3) I’m a statist and I believe in using the central government – when it suits by purpose.

During the interview, Gregory asked LaPierre how he would fund the proposal to place armed professionals in our schools. Amazingly LaPierre said the federal government. You heard that right. In LaPierre’s world, federal dollars should be spent to turn our schools into armed camps. What he said was, “With all the money in the federal budget if we can’t come up with the money to do this.” LaPierre said no to improving background checks, no to high capacity magazines, and yes to budgeting paramilitary school troopers.