This is very interesting. Less than 48 hours after the shooting at the Highlands Ranch STEM school, a surrogate group for the Brady Campaign organized a “vigil” for the victims.
Of course, the Brady Campaign doesn’t do things like this out of the goodness of their hearts, and the whole thing was a clumsy attempt at politicizing the tragedy. That’s nothing new, but what is new is the fact that many of the students stormed out, specifically citing their dismay at the event. Their sentiments are echoed by parents and even the families of the victims.
Even more interesting is that this isn’t just being covered by right-wing blogs. The mainstream press has picked up on it. Hopefully, this is the moment things break and people start calling out the gun-control movement for its predatory and morbid tactics.
The Brady Campaign was once known as Handgun Control Inc. By the late 1980’s, it became apparent that the general public wasn’t interested in banning handguns, so everybody switched to the “assault weapons” meme. Back then, they received significant funding from certain progressive organizations like the Joyce Foundation and Tides Foundation, who specialize in, ah, “bundling” and redistributing political contributions to causes they favor.
Because of an embarrassing website registration error, an ignorance of trademark law, and a failed lawsuit against a guy who registered the site handguncontrol.org as a pro-gun site, HCI changed their name to the Brady Campaign. Gun control as an issue had been waning since 1994, and their budget reflects this.
If there’s one thing busybodies and bullies can’t stand, it’s being irrelevant. When Michael Bloomberg came onto the scene and started spending bushels of money, the Brady Campaign found themselves being relegated to the background. They’ve brought a few ludicrous lawsuits that backfired on the plaintiffs, but they have no real clout in the courts or legislatures.
So, they’re desperate. Desperate people do stuff like this. I can only hope the public humiliation is the last nail in the coffin for them.