Quote of the day–Neal Knox

Handgun Control Inc. often quotes from Cruikshank, which says, “the bearing of arms for a lawful purpose is not a right granted by the Constitution.” They never quote the next sentence from that decision: “Neither is it in any manner dependent upon that instrument for its existence.

The Court stated in Cruikshank that since the First and Second amendments limited only the Congress they did not prohibit the Ku Klux Klan from conspiring with local officials to prevent newly freed black slaves from holding political meetings or having guns. It boggles the mind to hear so-called “Liberals” proudly cite the Cruikshank decision.

Neal Knox
October 9, 1987
The Gun Rights War, page 74.
[In 1992 or 1993 I received a mailing from HCI with this quote in the letter.* That letter sealed my relationship with them. It was like remembering where you were when you found out President Kennedy had been shot.**

I was in the bathroom next to the kitchen in our house in Moscow Idaho. I remember setting the letter down on the counter next to the washbasin. I was stunned. Had the Supreme court really said the 2nd Amendment doesn’t mean what it says? I was very shaken by this. HCI wouldn’t put something that profound in writing if it weren’t true. They couldn’t. It would be devastating to their cause if it was found out they had lied. Right?

I don’t remember how I checked up on it. But within a few days I had discovered what Knox had reported in 1987. HCI hadn’t really flat out lied, they “just” didn’t tell the whole truth. It had to be deliberate misinformation on their part. It was, as Knox said, the very next sentence which refuted their point.

This infuriated me. I have not forgiven them. Changing their name to “The Brady Campaign” did not help. That they used Jim Brady’s injury as a justification for a law that would not have prevented, in even the most optimistic scenarios, the tragic shooting of Jim Brady and President Reagan reinforced my opinion of them as deliberate deceivers.

In 2004 then Brady President Michael D. Barnes claimed they had about “a half million” members. Then a couple weeks ago I found out they only have about 50,000 members and that is only if you want to include those that haven’t donated any money in over two years. If you measure “membership” as most people do then the real numbers are about 28K or less.

When they said they would not share supporter names with unaffiliated groups they lied.

There is a reason I have frequently called their lawyer “Half-Truth Henigan“.

When I asked Paul Helmke why he was not concerned with the total violence rather than just “gun violence” it was because I wanted to point out to the rest of the audience that Helmke was, as usual, selectively reporting data that would propagate his half-truth.

Deception has been a part of their organization for decades. I believe deception has become institutionalized in their organization. It is a part of their culture. Perhaps they believe the end justifies the means. I don’t really know why. I just know that to this day they still deceive. And it isn’t all that important to know why. It’s just important that we destroy them politically and as an institution. They may have good intentions but Hell is paved with good intentions and their political goals enable evil.

When Brady people hear or read my name or links to my blog posts in relation to news that hurts them it I want them to know something. I want them to know a major part of the reason I am on their case is because I have never gotten over them sending out a deliberate half-truth in that letter nearly 20 years ago.


*Yes, it’s possible that they still have my name and address in their list of “members” even though I have never donated any money to them. I did send them my address requesting they keep me informed…

**Okay, so that doesn’t resonate with all that many people anymore. How about like remembering where you were when you found out the twin towers where hit by an airplane?–Joe]

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3 thoughts on “Quote of the day–Neal Knox

  1. I feel it incumbent upon me to point out — as I sometimes fear I’m tiresome in doing — that the court is wrong in its reading, as Knox reports.

    The First Amendment does indeed place a limit on Congress — that old “Congress shall make no law…” thing.

    However, the 2nd through Tenth make no mention of Congress, nor the Federal Government. In my opinion, this makes it pretty clear that these Amendments are aimed at guarding the rights of all citizens of the United States, under any jurisdiction. The Constitution being “The Supreme Law of the Land” makes this universal. No need for “incorporation.” A jurisdiction being within the United States is — must be — ruled by it.

    To make it clearer, the proscription lain in the Second Amendment is absolute. The right [pre-existing and herein only affirmed, not granted] of the people to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED. Period. By any actor, either state OR PRIVATE.

    I believe that this is because the right of self-defense inheres to the individual, and cannot be separated from him by his movement from place to place — even onto private property. An armed man might, I suppose, be denied entry to a private home, but very few other places. Once the “principle” (if you want to call it that) of public accomodation comes into play, I believe that a prohibition of weapons is unlawful.

    And encourages lawlessness, as well, but that’s probably just me being snarky.

    M

  2. The fact that the Brady Bunch,IMOHO, actually hated Ronald Reagan was also a little devious on their part. I don’t mean Mr. or Mrs. Brady though, just the people who ran those orginazations.

  3. Cops and lawyers use deception as a matter of course. There are those who have no problem with it. Deception is a tool or a tactic for getting what they want. If they look at this as a war (against the American people?) then in their minds they are no doubt justified. All’s fair in war.

    One then must ask why they are at war. If their premises are false, their tactics dishonest, and their prescriptions destructive, we must look at their motivations. They’ll never be honest about their motivations, of course, but we can put together a picture from bits and pieces over time.

    Having their motivations laid bare is going to be a major poison pill for them. I don’t meant the Brady Bunch (they’re just a little, rather pathetic piece of it) but the whole anti American, anti Rights, anti Liberty Movement. But of course hate never really dies. It just finds a new host.

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