The location of the protests appears to be downtown Grinnell, but on Dec 14 it will end with a "silent walk" to the Brownells facility on I-80, a couple miles away.

WARNING: The writer is a flaming idiot liberal. But I repeat myself...

http://www.desmoinesregister.c...un-safety/874492001/

Grinnell anti-gun violence activists hope to meet with their neighbor: the NRA president

Rekha Basu, rbasu@dmreg.com
Published 4:48 p.m. CT Nov. 18, 2017

"Deep in America’s heartland," says a page on the National Rifle Association website, "there’s a thriving business with small-town roots stretching back over three generations. Guns, guts and love of liberty built this business into something special ..."

The store is Brownells on I-80 in Grinnell. Its CEO, Pete Brownell, is president of the NRA, which calls his retail business "a firearm supply store extraordinaire, a rock-solid pro-Second Amendment mainstay." The NRA depicts the surrounding community as one where people "lead the lives our Founding Fathers envisioned."

But organizers of a Grinnell event called "26 Days of Action Against Gun Violence" that kicks off Sunday may not be what the NRA has in mind. These residents, faith leaders, college students and faculty want common-sense gun restrictions to save lives. They will make the case for the next 26 days, one day for each person killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., five years ago on Dec. 14, 2012. Adam Lanza used an AR-15 military-style assault rifle to massacre 20 children and six adults.

Grinnell may be miles away geographically, but it is central in the influence of the gun lobby. Some organizers believe Brownell's ascension in May to NRA president offers an opening to engage. The NRA has staunchly resisted curbs, including a law banning the sale of bump stocks, a ban on semi-automatic weapons and limits on the use of assault weapons.

The NRA has poured money into congressional campaigns through its PAC, which last year spent close to $1 million on that, giving $645,000 to Republican House candidates and $10,500 to Democrats, and $161,250 to Senate Republicans. Brownells gave a combined $17,000 to Iowa Republican congressional incumbents Steve King, Chuck Grassley and David Young, and to Donald Trump.

Brownells is the world’s largest manufacturer of gun parts and seller of guns and gun parts. As one of the donors of $1 million or more, Brownell belongs to the NRA Golden Ring of Freedom circle, reports the Grinnell College newspaper, Scarlet and Black.

Since Sandy Hook, America has seen 1,518 acts of mass gun violence (those which killed or wounded at least four people) resulting in 1,715 deaths and 6,000 injuries. President Donald Trump, while blaming mental health issues, signed a repeal of a regulation to add the names of mentally disabled Social Security-recipients to the database for gun-purchase background checks. And the NRA has unleashed a storm of combative videos targeting opponents. One pledges to go after its detractors “with a clenched fist.”

Gun violence claims more than 30,000 lives annually, about the same as liver disease. Yet research into firearm injuries and deaths essentially stopped in 1996, when Congress threatened to strip funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention if it continued such research. The bill also pulled $2.8 million away from research showing ties between gun injuries and public health.

Members of the Grinnell group acknowledge Brownell and his wife, Helen Redmond, are well-known, respected members of the community who have donated to many local institutions including a program for local youth at Grinnell College. Redmond is president of the Grinnell-Newburg school board. Some note that in past years, Brownell expressed reservations about how far the organization had gone.

So Eliza Willis, a political science professor at Grinnell College, and 169 other concerned residents who got together through a Facebook page wrote Brownell a letter "as your friends and neighbors, fellow Grinnellians, broken-hearted and grieving for our country in the wake of the massacre at Las Vegas." Citing his leadership on investments for the collective good, it urged him to “make the case for the NRA to return to its roots as an organization representing the interests of ordinary gun owners, who overwhelmingly support common-sense measures to ensure more responsible acquisition and use of firearms."

They’ve heard nothing back. The Rev. Wendy Abrahamson, pastor at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Grinnell and a lobbyist for the Episcopal diocese of Iowa, said she and other pastors tried three times in vain to reach Brownell to schedule a meeting. She has seen her parishioners struggle with the impact of gun violence.

“We care about our town," Abrahamson said. "I care about Mr. Brownell and his family. This whole thing makes me want to cry."

Brownell didn't return my calls so the best I could glean of his attitude comes from the NRA website, where he expresses enthusiasm about the gun industry's growth and his business' role in it. He praises the firearms industry for its support of America's security and freedoms.

A Gallup Poll last month showed for the first time since its pollsters asked the question in 2000 that a majority (51 percent) of Americans favor passing new gun laws rather than just enforcing the current ones better.

Some in the town, especially business owners, are leery of taking the issue up because of the Brownells' money and business, according to Jeanne Hammen, who owned Bill's Jewelry Store with her husband before selling it last year. She likes the Brownells, but says, "I still very much disagree with the business they have." She says the NRA ads are divisive and untrue, noting, "I know no one for gun safety that's for taking everyone's guns away."

Communities were once able to come together to solve problems, but money and the politics it funds have diminished the power of personal persuasion. Yet surely there comes a saturation point when enough is enough. In a hopeful development, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is sponsoring a bill to give states money to improve background reporting to FBI databases and set new standards for reporting by the military and other federal agencies. The NRA has said it supports the bill.

Grinnell's 26 Days, which include a screening of the “Newtown” documentary, with Sandy Hook survivors in attendance, will culminate Dec. 14 in a silent walk to Brownells. Is it too much to hope walkers would be invited in for an honest chat?


Rekha Basu is an opinion columnist for The Des Moines Register. Contact: rbasu@dmreg.com Follow her on Twitter @RekhaBasu and at Facebook.com/ColumnistRekha. Her book, "Finding Her Voice: A collection of Des Moines Register columns about women's struggles and triumphs in the Midwest," is available at ShopDMRegister.com/FindingHerVoice

Someone should organize a massive counter protest. In IA that shouldn't be too hard.

Dec.14th. In central Iowa that could mean 50* and sunny or -13 with snow blowing up the protesters butts on their “walk”. All on the same day.

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:
The location of the protests appears to be downtown Grinnell, but on Dec 14 it will end with a "silent walk" to the Brownells facility on I-80, a couple miles away.

Grinnell's 26 Days, which include a screening of the “Newtown” documentary, with Sandy Hook survivors in attendance, will culminate Dec. 14 in a silent walk to Brownells. Is it too much to hope walkers would be invited in for an honest chat?

Its a long winding road up to Brownells.....best be careful you protestors don't get run over now

Bless their hearts.

I bet they have even higher retail sales than normal.

I've shared this a time or two on the forum. When I was in high school and college I worked at a fancy restaurant owned by two Culinary Institute of America grads. A couple times a year, we would get veal protestors who would stand in the road right-of-way out front with signs and make libtarded chants. We always sold out of veal on protest nights (I don't remember us ever selling out on non-protest nights). Protests are like free advertising that draws in normal people.

quote:

Originally posted by 357fuzz:
Dec.14th. In central Iowa that could mean 50* and sunny or -13 with snow blowing up the protesters butts on their “walk”. All on the same day.

It'd be a real shame if somebody drove by with one of the tanker trucks used to water down dirt roads and "watered" the protestors on a wintry Iowa day.

A manure spreader is good EVERYday

Here's hoping for -10 degrees and snow for their little temper tantrum. Other than that, this is much to do about nothing as their little whinefest isn't going to change anything. Not one damn thing.

I recognize that some protests are and have been actually useful on occasion.

But I have to question the sanity of anyone who thinks theirs will be effective, at all.

(shakes head)

I guess it’s time to make all accessory purchases from Brownells for the foraseable future.

I just placed an order to show my 'support' for the protesters.

We can wish for various forms of physical resistance to the libs - and those would definitely be entertaining -
but I think Brownells' most effective microphone in that community is probably their checkbook.

Brownells should cut any donations they make to any groups that are even barely related to these protesters. The protesters target a business that provides jobs and support for the community, the left liberal agenda sucks, when are these SJW's going to protest the pressure cooker company or Home Depot for renting a truck. Instead of fixating on evil guns why not protest the lack of control over the mentally ill, or heaven forbid to stop terrorists from coming here. But that wouldn't fit with their idiotic agendas

The anti-gun people have cause and effect reversed. The NRA isn't powerful because it has lots of money, it has lots of money because it reflects the strongly held beliefs of millions of voters. So when they accuse the NRA of influencing Congress, they're really saying we should have no influence on Congress.

Gobbledygook, deep and wide. Made out of feelings with no added facts or logic.

quote:

Originally posted by Some Shot:

...Made out of feelings with no added facts or logic.

Yep, liberals acting on emotions, no surprise there. I say ignore them, don't give the media any reason to cover it, although I expect the Des Moines Register to declare three people a "massive turnout."

Speaking of liberal POS newspapers, did you notice the article did not include one single person supporting Brownells?

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:
Grinnell's 26 Days, which include a screening of the “Newtown” documentary, with Sandy Hook survivors in attendance, will culminate Dec. 14 in a silent walk to Brownells. Is it too much to hope walkers would be invited in for an honest chat?

Added bold emphasis to the quote.

Does anyone here actually believe a bunch of bleeding heart libs can remain silent for more than 15 seconds let alone have a "silent" walk all the way to Brownell's?
I'm surprised their gums don't perpetually bleed the way they seemingly can never, ever shut their hole.

The building is in the middle of a large open area. Both times I visited on my way cross country...the wind was blowing pretty good.
Hopefully it's nice and cold too.

Typical Liberal logic. Very few facts.

X amount of people killed by firearms. So if the deaths of X amount of people is THE big DEAL. What about illegal drugs that kill 2X of people. Or alcohol/tobacco use that kills probably 5X that amount?

All about disarming us.

Seriously snipped for space, mu comments re indented

quote:

Rekha Basu, rbasu@dmreg.com
Published 4:48 p.m. CT Nov. 18, 2017

The NRA has staunchly resisted curbs, including a law banning the sale of bump stocks, a ban on semi-automatic weapons and limits on the use of assault weapons.

Good. It's why we send them money.

The NRA has poured money into congressional campaigns through its PAC, which last year spent close to $1 million on that, giving $645,000 to Republican House candidates and $10,500 to Democrats, and $161,250 to Senate Republicans. Brownells gave a combined $17,000 to Iowa Republican congressional incumbents Steve King, Chuck Grassley and David Young, and to Donald Trump.

Soros gave GDC's 10 Billion. STFU.


...1,518 acts of mass gun violence (those which killed or wounded at least four people)”

I won't send thoughts and prayers because I know you hold that in contempt. But the definiton is problematic by itself, not just that gangsters are included in it but by this definition, I'm having a 'mass' demonstration at my house tonight for steaks and cigars.


So Eliza Willis, and ...other concerned residents urged him to “make the case for the NRA to return to its roots as an organization representing the interests of ordinary gun owners,

they are


who overwhelmingly support common-sense measures to ensure more responsible acquisition and use of firearms."

they do but it doesn't mean what you say it means



“This whole thing makes me want to cry."

I know, right?


according to Jeanne Hammen, "I know no one for gun safety that's for taking everyone's guns away."

OK, that's it, Bull shit!

Communities were once able to come together to solve problems,

yes they did

but money and the politics it funds have diminished the power of personal persuasion.

Yep, now go look into a mirror


Is it too much to hope walkers would be invited in for an honest chat?

The new definition of 'an honest chat' is lying and shrieking until your enemy, yes, enemy, is reduced to surrender or flight. So yes. You have slammed that door.

This whole thing is such a shuck and jive act that it's hard not to just laugh it away, but this little mime act is winning a lot of battles.

Hmmm... My Apple Maps claims a 7 hour, 51 minute drive. A "distance to" web app about 547 miles. (That would imply an average speed of 68 MPH. <waggles hand>.)

Road trip?