There’s an incredible story on the Mother Jones website about U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). It seems that Paul, the supposedly really bright son of Rep. Ron Paul, sent out an alarmed message to his fans and supporters, telling them that the United Nations is coming for their guns. He warned them that the UN is considering “the United Nations Small Arms Treaty,” which would nullify Americans’ Second Amendment rights. The treaty, if approved by the U.S. Senate, would let the government "CONFISCATE and DESTROY ALL 'unauthorized' civilian firearms." And if that’s not bad enough, it would also require that all guns be registered with the UN, which would eventually lead to "full-scale gun CONFISCATION." He later told supporters in an “e-mail alert” that "There's an all-out WAR going on for our gun rights," again referring to the UN treaty.
There’s just one teeny problem: There is no such thing as the United Nations Small Arms Treaty. It’s a figment of the overactive imagination of a variety of reality-challenged right-wing groups, particularly the National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR), an outfit that, Mother Jones says, “considers the National Rifle Association too moderate.” The American far right's standard gospel decrees that the government and evil liberals are constantly conspiring to take away Americans’ guns. That’s nothing new. What is new, however, is that someone in a high position in the U.S. government is now spreading the far right’s gun paranoia around the country, like so much manure on a vegetable garden. In case you were wondering, yes, the NAGR supported Paul with endorsements and money when he ran for the U.S. Senate in 2010.
Thanks go to our occasional “research assistant” Mike, whose on-the-money comment about Mr. Paul was, “Hard to believe that this guy is a fucking U.S. Senator.” Hey, in today’s Tea Party-infected political world, “hard to believe” is a sentiment that comes around all too often.
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