Quote of the day–Neal Knox

There is a silly notion, fervently adhered to by many gun owners, that if our side of the gun issue would just sit down and talk with the other side, we could work out a “reasonable” compromise that would satisfy “society’s need to keep guns out of the hands of criminals,” while imposing little inconvenience upon law-abiding gun owners.

…and the lion shall lie down with the lamb.

Neal Knox
July 29, 1988
The Insatiable Thirst To Ban Guns
The Gun Rights War, page 118.
[He goes on to explain that after every infringement concession the anti-gun people immediately propose a further infringement. No concession by the proponents of freedom has ever appeased the anti-freedom forces.

Chris Knox added a note to the article and pointed out:

The single exception to the history of NRA either supporting or acquiescing to every Federal gun law now on the book is the 1994 Clinton ‘assault weapon’ ban. Bill Clinton signed that bill half a decade after this piece was originally written. ILA, under the leadership of hardliners, fought the Clinton ban with everything it had–and lost. The tactical loss turned into a strategic victory. The long-term result was the Democrats losing its lock on the House majority and the first sitting Speaker to be turned out of office in a century.

Today we are still enjoying the benefits of this “strategic victory” that occurred 16 years ago. The AWB is no more, the anti-gun people have significantly scaled back their ambitions, and still congress gives them a cold shoulder.

I found this quote particularly applicable because of a story Dave Hardy told a small group of us at lunch yesterday. He told us that during the debate for the Gun Control Act of 1968 the NRA seriously considered conceding defensive handguns and rallying around hunting rifles and shotguns.–Joe]

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5 thoughts on “Quote of the day–Neal Knox

  1. Hi Joe —

    Thanks for the quote! That is probably one of the most important pieces in the book. It shines a light on the historical fact that the antis will keep coming after guns until the last .22 single shot is banned. And they’d be looking for something else to ban because “gun crime” would just rise.

    Best,

    Chris

  2. I hear the word “compromise” all the time. Like if I think the, the anti’s, are completely wrong, I should meet them halfway to make them feel better??
    Politicians compromise all the time and what does that do for anyone?

    No compromising with gun rights.

  3. The concept is not hard to understand. All too often we are expected to view compromise as a virtue, and the act of taking a hard line against infringements as “extremist”. That’s how evil wins– by appealing to our better nature as a way of defeating us. Barry Goldwater had that figured out a long time ago. What was the quote? “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Something like that.

    Those who would bargain away our basic rights, calling themselves superior statesmen, are not our friends.

    Let the other side always be the ones making concessions. They can meet us halfway once a month for the next 76 years. We propose and end to all restrictions on personal weapons, and they can settle for repealing half of them. Lather, rinse, repeat. We propose the immediate jailing and a lifetime ban against working in public service for any and all legislators, judges, and LE who’ve supported restrictions on 2A rights, and they can settle for resignation and relinquishment of their retirement pensions. Lather, rinse, repeat.

  4. Joe,

    If we would just adopt the posture that Israel took with Arafat, we would be closer to the mindset necessary to defeat them. Arafat took every concession from Israel and used it as a club to get more concessions. At no point was he ever content with coexistence. He wanted only the annihilation of the Jews and the taking of their land. He could have had “peace” and “co-existence”, but rejected it every time.

    The anti-gun lobby only wants us and our rights destroyed. Compromising with them, granting concessions to those who would see us destroyed, is enabling the slow-motion destruction of our rights and our lives. I refuse to compromise with those whose end game is my destruction. It is time that we treated them like the terrorists enemies that they are.

    Those who argue for the State having the monopoly on force only wish to be part of the power apparatus when it is implemented.

    Count me out.

  5. To be fair, that was the “old guard” NRA that considered doing that, not the modern NRA as created by Harlan Carter and Neal Knox. They also had plans to move headquarters to Colorado and retire from politics altogether.

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