Donald Trump says he wants to study a petition that calls for allowing the open carry of guns at the Republican convention this July in Cleveland.
While proclaiming himself "a very, very strong person for Second Amendment," the Republican front-runner told ABC's This Week that "I have not seen the petition. I want to see what it says. I want to read the fine print."
For those of you who haven’t been following this burning story, thoroughly Diaried here by xxdr zombiexx , a very—how you say-- “private” individual or individuals posted an online petition a couple of weeks ago to allow the open carrying of firearms at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this year. Thus far the petition has garnered over 38000 signatures.
The petition contains so many marks of classic satire that I’m frankly envious:
According to the policy on their website, "firearms and other weapons of any kind are strictly forbidden on the premises of Quicken Loans Arena."
This is a direct affront to the Second Amendment and puts all attendees at risk. As the National Rifle Association has made clear, "gun-free zones" such as the Quicken Loans Arena are "the worst and most dangerous of all lies." The NRA, our leading defender of gun rights, has also correctly pointed out that "gun free zones... tell every insane killer in America... (the) safest place to inflict maximum mayhem with minimum risk." (March 4, 2016 and Dec. 21, 2012)
OK that sounds kinda plausible—like it could actually have been written by some gun-loving Second Amendment purist. But then you get to this:
This doesn't even begin to factor in the possibility of an ISIS terrorist attack on the arena during the convention. Without the right to protect themselves, those at the Quicken Loans Arena will be sitting ducks, utterly helpless against evil-doers, criminals or others who wish to threaten the American way of life.
and this:
We must take a stand. We cannot allow the national nominating convention of the party of Lincoln and Reagan to be hijacked by weakness and political correctness. The policies of the Quicken Loans Arena do not supersede the rights given to us by our Creator in the U.S. Constitution.
(emphasis in original)
CNET, God Bless ‘em, have already clued into the fact that this is a joke:
Except that the petition is surely fine satirical commentary. A blog called Hyperationalist has claimed responsibility.
He or she writes: "It just doesn't seem right that thousands of patriotic Republican good guys should be left totally unprotected by whatever bad guys might wish to do them harm. I mean forgodsake people, ISIS could show up to take out everybody in and around that building and they'd be sitting ducks. Sitting ducks, I tell you! There might even be a bad egg or two among the delegates."
Hyperationalist didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
(CBS has also confirmed the source as Hyperationalist and interviewed him).
Never mind the obvious fact that, assuming the petition was real, a nationally-televised convention showing Republican delegates lugging around AR-15 automatic weapons would probably be the worst PR disaster in political history. AS CNET wryly points out:
The convention doesn't promise to be a unifying spectacle. With Donald Trump perhaps not gaining enough delegates to secure the nomination outright, rancor is likely.
If guns were allowed, this might add something a touch troubling to the spectacle. Some, indeed, might argue that what society needs are guns that are smarter than their owners, but progress on that technology is slow.
No, Trump wants to study it. He wants to read the fine print. Because Mr. Twitter himself “hasn’t seen the petition.” What do you want to “study,” Donald? Hyperationalist has tweeted before and his posts aren’t exactly standard Republican fare:
However, his or her tweets since 2011 suggest that he's not exactly of the Republican cause. For example: "Win-win for the Trump people at last night's rally: a protester got beat up and a black guy got arrested. This was accompanied with the #NeverTrump hashtag.
He or she also retweeted a comment praising the "wizard trolling" of the petition.
(links within the quoted material are from CNET; the ”retweet” referenced is actually the post linked above from xxdr zombiexx(!))
The NRA has no comment on this, which is understandable. Sensibly, all of the other Republican candidates have run from this petition (which is being signed by Democrats in droves as well as many deluded Republicans) like scalded dogs:
The other Republican presidential candidates -- Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich -- have not commented on the open carry petition.
That’s because for all their faults Cruz and Kasich have at least two brain cells they can rub together in an emergency. But the guy Republicans are telling us will go toe-to-toe with Vladimir Putin and make us all “winners” and “make America great again” and yadda yadda yadda doesn’t seem to get the fact that this is all just a royal scam of the highest order, and the joke is on him. There are only two possible conclusions—either he can’t tell when he’s being conned (in which case he’s a complete sap) or he’s too afraid of the NRA not to go along with what he knows has to be a joke (in which case he thinks Americans are complete saps).
Which is it, Donald?