# Crazy idea - Republicans should push for gun welfare **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 30, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-idea-republicans-should-push-for-gun-welfare/758795 "2016-06-30T17:34:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-idea-republicans-should-push-for-gun-welfare/758795/21 "2016-07-01T03:50:57Z")
The NRA has reportedly taken up a version of Tancredo’s idea: [Share the Safety](https://sharethesafety.org/): [INDENT][INDENT]The National Rifle Association is proud to partner with Smith & Wesson to Share the Safety, a revolutionary “buy one, give one” program that serves to protect your loved ones plus an at-risk family in one of our country’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. Sign up now to be notified when the program launches this Fourth of July. For each stylish gun purchased, an appropriate gun will be donated to an at-risk, low-income, documented citizen in the urban center of your choice. Your purchase will not only reinforce your own security, but it will forever transform the lives of the law-abiding urbanites who will for the first time be able to defend themselves against those who prey on the urban poor. [/INDENT][/INDENT] Press conference at the Reagan Library, where Hensley Cocker gives his NRA argument. To my eyes, the bearded speaker has a strange resemblance to Andy Bichlbaum of the [Yes Men](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men). [Share the Safety press conference at Reagan Library (highlights) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikb66V2rDcw) Libtards at Boing Boing provide more details: [Yes Men punk the NRA with "buy one gun, give one gun" program | Boing Boing](http://boingboing.net/2016/06/27/yes-men-punk-the-nra-with-bu.html) ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-idea-republicans-should-push-for-gun-welfare/758795/22 "2016-07-01T04:11:23Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > There’s plenty of ordinary ineptitude on a weekly basis. But this one was such weapons-grade ignorance, and so immune from defense, that it’s a perfect example. Not really immune from defense. It’s arguably a maladept form of hyperbole: it’s not like the guy made his claim repeatedly. Snopes: [Did Rep. Hank Johnson Jr. Say He's Afraid Guam Could Become Overpopulated and Tip Over? | Snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/guamtip.asp) Tancrendo, OTOH appeared to be as serious as he ever is. The OP did not engage in strawman argument. Rather the OP was [nut-picking](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Nutpicking), but at least he made that clear in the thread title. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-idea-republicans-should-push-for-gun-welfare/758795/23 "2016-07-01T04:58:30Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > “High crime areas” usually means “minorities.” No way either the NRA or the Republicans are going to spend money on them under **any** circumstances, much less arming them. Call me cynical but I’m betting you’d have no problem getting the NRA behind this program. They’d give away one gun at cost to a black guy as a loss leader. Then they’d tell white guys there’s a black guy with a gun in town and sell ten guns at a profit for every one they gave away. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-idea-republicans-should-push-for-gun-welfare/758795/24 "2016-07-01T05:35:30Z")
I thought this was fairly well-known, but the NRA doesn’t really derive most of their political influence from campaign contributions. There’s really not much “gun lobby money slushing around”. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-idea-republicans-should-push-for-gun-welfare/758795/25 "2016-07-01T13:48:24Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Call me cynical but I’m betting you’d have no problem getting the NRA behind this program. They’d give away one gun at cost to a black guy as a loss leader. Then they’d tell white guys there’s a black guy with a gun in town and sell ten guns at a profit for every one they gave away. Ten? The knowledge that one local black person has a gun would probably cause some entire towns to consider arming up. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-idea-republicans-should-push-for-gun-welfare/758795/26 "2016-07-01T17:07:03Z")
I suppose that it’s to be more or less expected from a board this liberal, but there’s an awful lot of bigotry and libel against conservatives in this thread. About a quarter of the posts have clearly claimed that conservatives are inherently racist. Against any other group, such statements would likely be considered hate speech. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-idea-republicans-should-push-for-gun-welfare/758795/27 "2016-07-01T17:32:19Z")
Are people in inner cities in need of gun welfare? Because I’ll tell you the truth, if the cost of guns was the major barrier to ownership, I know people who would set up a nonprofit to make sure this happened before Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-idea-republicans-should-push-for-gun-welfare/758795/28 "2016-07-01T18:02:27Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > **Flyer** , I hope you and **Algher** are joking and not being purposefully obtuse. You know full well when **silenus** referred to “minorities” he means blacks, and he is correct, there is no way on Earth Republicans or the NRA will voluntarily supply or promote supplying arms to black people on a mass scale. I’ll see pigs fly first. > > And anyway, since when do gays typically live in high crime areas? Plenty of gays live in high crime areas, and that is without going back to the gay bashing of the past. I started teaching various lesbian and gay individuals handgun tactics and safe handling back in the 90s, before Pink Pistols was founded. When I mentioned it to NRA/GOP friends - around 20% supported, the rest were less than positive. For this thread, I was taking an example of another group that is regularly discriminated against, not loved by the Republican party, where a belief in gun rights has created some interesting bedfellows. When someone starts discussing minority rights, I tend to consider more than just the black population. While gay is not a race, it is certainly a group that has dealt with laws and societal behavior similar to what various racial and ethnic groups have faced. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-idea-republicans-should-push-for-gun-welfare/758795/29 "2016-07-01T19:23:11Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > Plenty of gays live in high crime areas, and that is without going back to the gay bashing of the past. I started teaching various lesbian and gay individuals handgun tactics and safe handling back in the 90s, before Pink Pistols was founded. When I mentioned it to NRA/GOP friends - around 20% supported, the rest were less than positive. > > For this thread, I was taking an example of another group that is regularly discriminated against, not loved by the Republican party, where a belief in gun rights has created some interesting bedfellows. > > When someone starts discussing minority rights, I tend to consider more than just the black population. While gay is not a race, it is certainly a group that has dealt with laws and societal behavior similar to what various racial and ethnic groups have faced. I understand and can appreciate all you’ve said, but your response to **silenus** was “hey, there’s a group that promotes LGBTQ training in the use and ownership of guns” when he was obviously referring to blacks. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-idea-republicans-should-push-for-gun-welfare/758795/30 "2016-07-01T20:11:57Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I understand and can appreciate all you’ve said, but your response to **silenus** was “hey, there’s a group that promotes LGBTQ training in the use and ownership of guns” when he was obviously referring to blacks. Obviously? Around here (Southern California) you would need to include Hispanics if you want to discuss high-crime areas. If you want to add gang scare tactics, include Asians as well. I interpreted it to be “Republicans would never give guns to the people they hate” type of hyperbole that is rather evident in the thread. ---
**Author:** ![OffByOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/45deac/32.png) [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-idea-republicans-should-push-for-gun-welfare/758795/31 "2016-07-11T20:01:05Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > There’s plenty of ordinary ineptitude on a weekly basis. But this one was such weapons-grade ignorance, and so immune from defense, that it’s a perfect example. Immune from defense? How about, since ONE Democrat said it (and even then we aren’t sure he was serious), then NO Democrat has any understanding of the world. Which is what you are implying. ---
**Author:** ![OffByOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/45deac/32.png) [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-idea-republicans-should-push-for-gun-welfare/758795/32 "2016-07-11T20:04:40Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > The NRA has reportedly taken up a version of Tancredo’s idea: [Share the Safety](https://sharethesafety.org/): > > [INDENT][INDENT]The National Rifle Association is proud to partner with Smith & Wesson to Share the Safety, a revolutionary “buy one, give one” program that serves to protect your loved ones plus an at-risk family in one of our country’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. Sign up now to be notified when the program launches this Fourth of July. For each stylish gun purchased, an appropriate gun will be donated to an at-risk, low-income, documented citizen in the urban center of your choice. Your purchase will not only reinforce your own security, but it will forever transform the lives of the law-abiding urbanites who will for the first time be able to defend themselves against those who prey on the urban poor. [/INDENT][/INDENT] > > Press conference at the Reagan Library, where Hensley Cocker gives his NRA argument. To my eyes, the bearded speaker has a strange resemblance to Andy Bichlbaum of the [Yes Men](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikb66V2rDcw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikb66V2rDcw) > > Libtards at Boing Boing provide more details: [Yes Men punk the NRA with "buy one gun, give one gun" program - Boing Boing](http://boingboing.net/2016/06/27/yes-men-punk-the-nra-with-bu.html) “… in the urban center of your choice.” Anyone else thinking Providence Rhode Island? ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-idea-republicans-should-push-for-gun-welfare/758795/33 "2016-07-11T20:12:50Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > If they start handing out guns, every Bubba south of the Mason Dixon line, is gonna believe they’re entitled to one! If something like this were implemented, you can bet it will be the high-crime, poor whites who will be getting it first. There will be “complications” preventing them from expanding the program into the inner cities, which of course they will blame on Dems and gun control [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-idea-republicans-should-push-for-gun-welfare/758795.md?page=1)