FEMA caves in to the NRA

From my buddies The Gun Guys:

FEMA has buckled under the NRA's increasing pressure, and, in doing so, endangered a camp of people who have already been victimized.

When the NRA found out weapons were banned at a FEMA-sponsored camp for refugees, they went beserk. They lambasted the group for "attacking the rights" of the evacuees, and demanded that weapons be allowed in the camp. That's right, they demanded that people who had already been victimized be put in another dangerous situation, living in close quarters with frustrated people who would be allowed to carry weapons.

On first glance, FEMA didn't do much more than promise an investigation to find out who gave the order. There is a policy in place, they found, to keep weapons out of FEMA sponsored setups, for reasons of public safety. Also, they did find out who exactly gave the order-- it was Col. Greg Phares of the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Department. Phares isn't just the one who gave the order to keep guns out, he's also... an NRA member. He says (very calmly and clearly, as opposed to the NRA's vicious ranting) that because the walls of the camp are so thin, it would dangerous to have guns in the camp. There is already a security force in place, and (keep in mind an NRA member is saying this) there is no legitimate reason to have guns there.

And yet the NRA still ranted and raved.

And now, today, weeks after the initial allegations, FEMA has decided to allow weapons into the camp.

Never mind that everyone says it's a bad idea. Never mind that the Baton Rouge press told the NRA, in very clear terms, to "butt out." Never mind that the NRA isn't just a minority voice in this case-- it's not even local to the issue. FEMA buckled under their pressure.

Know another group that buckled under NRA's bullying. Try Congress. The gun immunity bill wasn't something the people wanted, or that even the gun industry was yelling against (although we're sure they funded some lobbyists). It was the NRA's yelling and whining that got that bill passed.

And, frankly, we're tired of the yelling and the whining. It's time for some common sense. Just because the NRA yells the loudest and has the most money doesn't mean they're right. In this FEMA situation, they weren't. And FEMA should have acknowledged that instead of folding just to shut the NRA up.