Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

President’s Column: If Gun Restrictions Were Applied To Technology, They Would Not Compute

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

President’s Column:  If Gun Restrictions Were Applied To Technology, They Would Not Compute

What if computer owners were the object of Bloomberg’s lies? What would be the public reaction if the government, claiming to prevent cybercrime or digital terrorism, required all citizens to undergo an FBI background check before acquiring or disposing of computers? What if the transfer of any computer without government approval were a felony? And what if not passing the background check, for reasons the   government was under no obligation to divulge, made computer possession a criminal act?

The outrage would be overwhelming. After all, virtually all owners of digital devices and computers are neither terrorists nor criminals—they are just Americans exercising their First Amendment rights to free speech. 

Most Americans own and use computers or cell phones at home, at work or on the go. We buy them, trade them, sell them and give them as gifts. Smartphones, tablets and similar portable devices are now ubiquitous. And we periodically upgrade these devices to keep pace with improvements in technology.What if the media and politicians were demanding that all computer owners pay the price for the acts of hackers?

Computers have become essential parts of our daily lives. They have brought us the greatest revolution in the history of free speech and as such are protected by the First Amendment.

As with firearms, in peaceable hands, they are a force for good.

But, as with firearms, computers can be used for criminal and evil ends. Fraud. Dissemination of child pornography. Cyberbullying. Identity theft. And for life-and-death evil in our computer age, look no further than the sophisticated use of technology by ISIS to spread its horrific barbarism and recruit jihadists to fulfill their apocalyptic vision of destroying Western civilization through mass murder. These ISIS seventh-century monsters are very adept at using 21st-century technology to achieve their evil ends.

For all of us who use our computers for commonplace purposes, there is the specter of hackers—cowardly operators who find joy and excitement in their malice of inflicting pain and damage on millions of innocent computer users worldwide.

If you’ve had your hard drive destroyed, lost emails or family photos, or had priceless work wiped out, corrupted or stolen, you know how damaging these attacks are. 

Hackers, using computers as weapons, have stolen or compromised millions of private files: health records, Social Security numbers, bank records and credit records.

Protecting against these malicious intrusions is a multibillion-dollar business, involving tens of thousands of super-smart people working around the clock.No law can “prevent” cybercrime. And no law will “keep computers out of the hands of cybercriminals.”

Add to this, massive worldwide law-enforcement efforts to catch and punish cybercriminals. Virtually every aspect of hacking and terrorism has its consequences in criminal law. That’s why it’s called cybercrime.

No law can “prevent” cybercrime. And no law will “keep computers out of the hands of cybercriminals.”

Again, what if the media and politicians were demanding that all computer owners pay the price for the acts of hackers?

Given that threat, anybody who owns a digital device would know that their liberty, their right to pursue happiness, is at stake. They wouldn’t stand for it.

But that is exactly the senseless threat gun owners face in states that billionaire Michael Bloomberg has targeted for ballot initiatives to criminalize all now-legal firearm transactions between law-abiding citizens with his deceit about “universal” background checks.

We know, and Bloomberg knows, that any aspect of commerce involving criminals is already covered by very tough federal laws. It’s a truth he hides from the public. 

Making the innocent pay the price for the guilty when the guilty pay no price—that philosophy is at the very core of all gun-control schemes.

For a peaceable person who owns a firearm, that concept is abundantly obvious. It is not obvious to non-gun owners, and that is the essence of Bloomberg’s game plan.

With his multimillion-dollar, state-by-state ballot initiatives to force gun owners to submit to “universal” background checks for every now-legal firearm transaction, Bloomberg is counting on deceiving non-gun-owning voters into believing his snake-oil pitch.

He thinks those voters are stupid. They are not.As NRA members, the most well-informed voters in the nation, we can counter Bloomberg’s deceit person to person.

It is our obligation to reach those voters to explain the threat to our freedom in terms of what would be identical threats to their liberty. 

Put in terms of computers, knives, cars, boats, stamps, anything used by ordinary people and abused by criminals, voters will understand the danger of Bloomberg’s game. What criminals do with those objects has nothing to do with what good people do with them.

As NRA members, the most well-informed voters in the nation, we can counter Bloomberg’s deceit person to person. He’s counting on low-information or no-information voters. It’s up to us to turn those friends, neighbors and acquaintances into high-information voters who understand the truth.  

BY Allan Cors

President

Allan Cors is the President of the National Rifle Association of America.

TRENDING NOW
Nancy Pelosi: Pro-Gun Voters Made an Impact

News  

Monday, November 18, 2024

Nancy Pelosi: Pro-Gun Voters Made an Impact

Congratulations NRA members and other pro-gun voters! Once again, our votes helped make the difference.

Make Crime Illegal Again

News  

Monday, November 18, 2024

Make Crime Illegal Again

While less prominent than the red sweep of the nation’s electoral map and the triumph of President Donald Trump, another telling development following the 2024 elections was the number of Californians in ultra-progressive strongholds who ...

Federal District Court Strikes Down IL’s “Assault Weapon” and “Large-Capacity Magazine” Bans in NRA-Supported Case

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Federal District Court Strikes Down IL’s “Assault Weapon” and “Large-Capacity Magazine” Bans in NRA-Supported Case

Today, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois struck down provisions of the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA) that prohibit “assault weapons” and “large-capacity magazines” in an NRA-supported case, Barnett v. Raoul.

Bloomberg’s Mayors, Back in the News!

News  

Monday, November 18, 2024

Bloomberg’s Mayors, Back in the News!

Just a few short weeks ago, we wrote about Michael Bloomberg’s controversy-dogged gun control organization, Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), and how another high-ranking member of the group had been indicted for allegedly committing serious ...

NRA Files Amicus Brief Arguing that Washington’s Magazine Ban Violates the Second Amendment

Friday, November 15, 2024

NRA Files Amicus Brief Arguing that Washington’s Magazine Ban Violates the Second Amendment

Today, NRA filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court of the State of Washington in a challenge to Washington’s prohibition on magazines that hold over 10 rounds.

Kamala for Gun Confiscation: In Her Own Words

News  

Monday, September 16, 2024

Kamala for Gun Confiscation: In Her Own Words

During the September 10 presidential debate, President Donald Trump correctly highlighted Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s support for gun confiscation. A visibly defensive Harris claimed, “We're not taking anybody's guns away. So stop with the ...

California: Governor Newsom Signs Multiple Anti-Gun Bills into Law

Friday, September 27, 2024

California: Governor Newsom Signs Multiple Anti-Gun Bills into Law

On September 24th, Governor Newsom continued his crusade to erode Second Amendment rights in California by signing several anti-gun bills into law. NRA actively opposed these bills throughout the session and will continue to fight ...

NRA Scores Legal Victory Against ATF; “Pistol Brace Rule” Enjoined From Going Into Effect Against NRA Members

Monday, April 1, 2024

NRA Scores Legal Victory Against ATF; “Pistol Brace Rule” Enjoined From Going Into Effect Against NRA Members

NRA Members Among the Largest Class Protected from Draconian Rule

Michigan: Take Action Against "Gun-Free Zone" Bills Today!

Friday, November 15, 2024

Michigan: Take Action Against "Gun-Free Zone" Bills Today!

Yesterday, the Senate Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety SB 857 and SB 858 with amendments and the bills will now be eligible for votes on the Senate floor. Please use the take action button below and ...

Grassroots Spotlight: North Carolina Grassroots

Take Action  

Monday, November 18, 2024

Grassroots Spotlight: North Carolina Grassroots

The North Carolina NRA-ILA Grassroots Team recently held an NRA “Day of Action” event to coincide with the start of early voting in the Tarheel State, and to encourage our Second Amendment community to “Get Out and Vote”!

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.