Not all the hot-air, anti-gun rhetoric actually occurred at the mayors’ anti-gun summit, as just a couple of days prior, Mayor Bloomberg was displaying his hypocrisy in full force. A story in the April 22 edition of The New York Times reported how, as a boy, Hizzoner owned a rifle. Nothing nefarious or wrong with that, of course. However, listen to some of the points the Mayor raised in the article. “When I was 15 or so, I had a .22-caliber rifle, but I used it only at the range…Part of my hearing’s gone because of it.” Had Mayor Bloomberg followed the instruct of NRA, which recommends always using ear (and eye) protection when shooting, perhaps his apparently frequent trips to the range with his trusty .22 rifle would not have had such a deleterious effect on his ears. Of course, we welcome the Mayor or any other once and former gun enthusiast to contact NRA or visit our numerous websites to ensure that their experiences with firearms are not only enjoyable, but more importantly, safe.
The article also makes apparent that the Mayor is not pleased with the manner in which his parents comported themselves. When discussing people with children in their homes owning guns, Bloomberg noted, “That’s like waving a red flag in front of a kid.” Unless the Mayor’s rifle was stored outside of his home, we guess he would now admonish his parents for letting him have a firearm, as a child, in their home. The Mayor did get one thing right, though, when he noted, “…the big problem we have is there’s an enormous number of guns in the hands of criminals sold illegally.” (emphasis added) Too bad Hizzoner’s actions don’t match his words, as the Mayor’s crusade for laws that will be ignored by criminals, yet obeyed by law-abiding citizens marches on unabated.