FEB CC Report

February 2015 • Issue No. 6
Murder Victim’s Sister Delivers Blow to Anti-Gunners BY TIM SCHMIDT - USCCA FOUNDER I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Anti-gunners are always ready to pounce. They’re always ready to exploit tragedy—and its victims—for their own shameless gain. The good news? It only takes ONE person with his or her head on straight to leave those anti-gunners reeling. And that’s exactly what happened recently when a representative from Everytown for Gun Safety reached out to Jennie Cochran, whose sister Jessie Doyle was shot and killed by her estranged husband in 2013. Ann Wright, the Everytown representative, called Cochran February 4th: not to offer condolences, but to talk about the organization and an opportunity for Cochran to “get involved.” What Wright really meant, according to the recorded call, is exploiting the stories of victims and survivors “so more Americans can understand the need to strengthen our gun laws.” She explained to Cochran, who listened patiently, that Everytown for Gun Safety “supports the Second Amendment—the right to bear arms—but also believes that guns should be out of the hands of dangerous people, like domestic abusers, convicted felons, and people who are seriously adjudicated mentally ill.” You know...Wright almost had me fooled when she mentioned legitimately dangerous people like abusers and felons. But we clearly have a different view of “dangerous,” because she never did explain why Everytown then seeks to disarm the millions of law-abiding, responsibly armed citizens across the nation who carry guns every day to protect their families. When Wright brought up the background check bill, things really took a nosedive. Cochran questioned who was responsible for sponsoring the bill; Wright didn’t know, and had to ask a colleague. You’d think that someone trying to push their cause would at least be armed with facts. (Then again, we are talking about Everytown…) After several minutes, Wright revealed her true agenda, inviting Cochran to attend some of Everytown’s public events. She said, “You don’t have to share your story if you don’t feel comfortable.” Wait. Wasn’t that the whole point to begin with? After listening patiently throughout Wright’s speech, the ball was finally in Cochran’s court. And boy, did she swiftly make her point: “I’m against the [background check] bill. I’m really pro-gun, as was Jessie, so I really hope you don’t use her story for anything.” She continued: “Background checks aren’t going to keep people from getting guns. They’re not going to stop bad guys who are DETERMINED from going out and killing someone. They’re obviously not following the law already. All it’s going to do is hinder law-abiding citizens.” You can hear Ann growing more and more uncomfortable in the background, offering a harried “OK” every few seconds. But Cochran kept on, delivering gem after gem, including the most poignant statement of the entire exchange (and the one that finally silenced Wright): “The only thing that would have saved my sister was a gun of her own.” I couldn’t have said it any better myself. Take Care and Stay Safe, Tim Schmidt Publisher - Concealed Carry Report USCCA Founder P.S. - In a Fox News follow-up interview worth watching, Cochran made it clear where she stands on the issue of gun control—and on Everytown: “I don’t want them to take what happened to my sister and use it to make more victims...because that is exactly what they’re going to do. When they push for more gun laws...they’re creating a society of victims.”