Jimmy Carter on Gun Control

The only Chief Executive to ever come from Georgia had this to say in a New York Times editorial last week:

(…) none of us wants to own an assault weapon, because we have no desire to kill policemen or go to a school or workplace to see how many victims we can accumulate before we are finally shot or take our own lives. That’s why the White House and Congress must not give up on trying to reinstate a ban on assault weapons, even if it may be politically difficult.

As much as I admire Mr. Carter for his humanitarian work, I really wish people would stop asking for his opinions on politics.

Of course, nobody knows the horrors of violence first-hand like Mr. Carter. Observe:

Jimmy Carter fending off killer swamp hare

If he’d had an AMD-65 with a 50-round drum magazine, perhaps the oar wouldn’t have been necessary. To each his own, I suppose, but what kind of self-respecting Southern Baptist goes fishing without a gun?

Oh, and before you bitch about it, the “rabbit incident” did really happen. According to the historical record:

The animal was clearly in distress, or perhaps berserk. The President confessed to having had limited experience with enraged rabbits. He was unable to reach a definite conclusion about its state of mind. What was obvious, however, was that this large, wet animal, making strange hissing noises and gnashing its teeth, was intent upon climbing into the Presidential boat.

“Limited experience with enraged rabbits?” Does Walter Mondale count? Perhaps the rabbit was enraged by the rather unflattering portrayal its brethren received in Night of the Lepus.

Or perhaps it was just all hopped up on Billy Beer and spoiling for a fight. We’ll never know.

In any case, please leave the 2nd Amendment debate to those who understand it, Mr. Carter.