Posted on 10/27/2013 9:48:43 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
Two of the country’s leading advocates of enhanced background checks for gun purchases headlined Democratic Congressman Bruce Braley’s afternoon fundraiser today. Gabby Gifford is the former Arizona congresswoman who was nearly assassinated in 2011.
“I’m working hard — lots of therapy: speech therapy, (physical) therapy and yoga, too, but my spirit’s strong as ever. I’m still fighting to make the world a better place and you can, too,” Giffords said. “Be passionate. Be courageous. Be your best.”
Giffords spoke briefly after her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, addressed the crowd of Braley backers. He made the couple’s pitch for what they call “common sense” regulations to keep guns out of the hands of the seriously mentally ill, domestic abusers and criminals.
“When dangerous people get guns, we’re all vulnerable,” Kelly said, “vulnerable at the movies, at church, going to work, and time after time after time on our campuses and even in our childrens’ classrooms.”
According to Kelly, gun safety and gun rights are too often pitted against each other.
“Gabby and I both believe wholly and completely in the Second Amendment and that it extends to all Americans that right to own a firearm and we take that right every seriously,” Kelley said, “and we would never, ever give it up — just like Gabby would never give up her gun or I would give up mine — but rights demand responsibility.”
Braley talked about his friendship with Giffords, but did not talk about enhanced background checks, which he supports. Braley delivered the mostly biographical speech he’s been giving on the campaign trail, but he added a dig at Texas Senator Ted Cruz, the Tea Party favorite who headlined an Iowa GOP fundraiser Friday night.
“If you’ve been waiting in line to see Ted Cruz, you’re going to be sorely disappointed,” Braley said and the crowd laughed. “But I’m sure that Ted would have loved to have looked out at an audience of this size while he was in Iowa and I think this is a good symbol of why Democrats are going to have a great year in Iowa in 2014.”
Kurt Meyer, Braley’s fundraising co-chair, also bragged about the size of the crowd, compared to the one that greeted Cruz in Des Moines Friday night.
“There are 1200 people here today which is more than twice as many that came to show up for some bogus senator from Texas that was in Iowa the other day,” he said, pounding the lectern as the crowd cheered. “And clearly there’s a lot more enthusiasm here today than there was that night.”
This afternoon’s event was held on the Iowa State Fairgrounds, signifying Braley is now a statewide candidate for the U.S. Senate now. It was the first time Braley has held his annual “Bruce, Blues and BBQ” fundraiser outside his congressional district.
In other words, two Democratic activists campaign for a Democratic Congressman. Not newsworthy at all.
But of course the media tries to create news by treating them as independents who just care about their fellow citizens just because she was shot. What a crock.
After all. Laughner passed his background check, the one that Handgun Control said was needed to make unicorns cavort in the grass with butterflies.
Well, they got that one wrong. But this next one will be much better. You bet your life.
Beats working for a living, I guess.
Enhanced background checks just means the feds are going to dig deeper in their checks to reduce the the number of applicants that can pass according to the criteria they set forth. Expect the number of excluions to continue to rise incrementally until almost no one can own them with the exception of law enforcement personnel. This is their end game plan. Expect them to get the Left riled up to demand the enhanced background checks without knowing what they are which I find particularly funny since they are the ones that commit the crimes with guns at a much higher rate than conservatives by far.
Speaking from the perspective of someone that has conducted thousands of background checks during my career.
He’s a disgrace to the uniform he wore and to the astronaut corps as well. Can’t these two stay home at their enclave in AZ? Or are they not welcome there either.
Are these two douche bags who are both trying to extend their 15 minutes of fame going to call for strict knife control..after all, last night a maniac killed 5 people including 4 children all with a knife..so is Giffords going to call for a ban on assault knives
did mark sneak into a local gun store and try to buy an ar-15 - you know,’so he could then turn over to the ‘police?
i am sure mccain would have them as guests in his house.
same leftist playbook, just substitute giffords for brady.
Did he BBQ the baby seals he killed?
no doubt. Dems of a feather............
Here they come, Heckle and Jeckle wearing a frown. Oh noes!
““When dangerous people get guns, we’re all vulnerable,” Kelly said, “vulnerable at the movies, at church, going to work, and time after time after time on our campuses and even in our childrens’ classrooms.”
So Mark, you and Gabby are saying that we should all be heavily armed at all times. Right?
I guess locking up mentally unstable people is too insensitive. It’s more PC to take rights away from everyone else.
Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.
Throwing sh## on the wall to see what sticks.......again
Retired astronaut Mark Kelly found a new way to make a living...pimping out his wife.
I think their 15 minutes is up.
In the immortal words of Daffy Duck:
Ahhh, shaddup!
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