by Angel Shamaya

April 28, 2002

KeepAndBearArms.com -- The National Rifle Association's 2002 annual members' meeting in Reno marked another changing wind in the gun control arena. Georgia Democrat Senator Zell Miller's keynote speech, a rallying battle cry, is indeed a mile marker -- one that scares a few hardcore gun prohibitionists silly. And that was before he said the things he said Saturday night!

An example of fear from the anti-rights crowd hails from the Brady camp's press release the day before Senator Miller took the stage. Breathlessly, they took a shot at Senator Miller and urged Democrats not to support the right of the people to keep and bear arms. "The NRA leadership does not represent the views of mainstream Americans," squeals Brady Campaign president Michael D. Barnes.

In his speech, which started and ended with a standing ovation, Senator Miller responded to the gun prohibitionist's erroneous statement with the gentle but firm command of a matter-of-fact leader telling it like it is:

"Handgun Control, Inc. criticized me for being here tonight. They accused me of  -- "courting" is the way they put it -- courting the NRA, saying you didn't represent mainstream America. Folks, I ain't courted anybody since my wife Shirley said 'yes' 48 years ago. [laughter and applause] And when I look around this room, ALL I SEE is mainstream America. I see a room full of patriots who love their country and all it stands for, and there is nowhere I'd rather be tonight than right here with you -- on the picket line of freedom's defense." [screams and applause]

And with thousands present Saturday night (4/27/2002), Sen. Miller said some things that are much more alarming to the anti-rights Democrats than that, too. For example, early in his speech he introduced his cousin to the crowd as a 40-year Life Member of the NRA, and then had him stand up and take a round of applause. His doing so was a statement that being associated with the largest gun rights organization in America is indeed a badge of honor to be worn with pride.

If you listen really closely, you can almost hear Brady leader Michael D. Barnes crying -- his worst fears coming true. And he's definitely afraid of this situation. "Before Senator Miller's colleagues rush to embrace his belief that supporting sensible gun laws loses elections," Barnes whined in the April 26 press release, reminding us that gunowners, and the NRA, sent Al Gore off to grow a beard, "they should look around the Senate chamber" to see the socialists who oppose your right to stop a rapist from harming your family. If that isn't fear, what is?

The Brady Camp is scared, and they know that if the Democrat party keeps harping against our gun rights, they will lose more of their base -- so Barnes is doing his best to use peer pressure to keep the anti-self-defense folks in his camp as best he can. And he's also using lies. Here are just a couple:

1)  "The last two elections demonstrate that Americans want common-sense gun laws and they will support elected officials who pursue them," he fibbed, failing to mention that Gore was only the third Democratic presidential candidate since the civil war to lose every confederate state.

2)  "NRA Efforts to Weaken 'Concealed-Carry' Laws Floundering", Brady's press release absurdly asserts. How this "fact" squares with the 30+ "shall issue" concealed carry laws backed, supported, endorsed, funded, promoted, fought for and won with NRA's assistance in most cases is a mystery. Does the Brady Campaign's frontman do drugs, or does he just get off on storytelling?

There is one thing Barnes got right in his press release attacking the gun-friendly Georgia Senator. "Democrats and Republicans who want to win elections would do well to listen to their constituents and address gun violence prevention issues in their upcoming campaigns." They are -- it's called "concealed carry decriminalization," Michael. Wake up and smell the coffee, boy. Next up: Ohio, Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas. The order may be off, but they are all coming sooner or later.

"Here at home in our fight against suicidal terrorists who slit the throats of flight attendants and crashed planes into our cities, the most certain line of defense is a skillfully trained, highly dedicated, ARMED U.S. airline pilot. Our pilots want that choice, and most Americans support this. To President Bush and his administration, I say this: 'We trust the pilot with our lives; it's time to trust him with a firearm.'" —U.S. Senator Zell Miller (D-GA) NRA National Members' Meeting April 27, 2002, Keynote Address

Senator Miller may as well have kicked the Brady leader right between the legs. (Does that hurt a eunuch?) Miller told the crowd that he and Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) are the sponsors of the "Lawful Commerce of Firearms Act", a bill that "addresses the problem of junk lawsuits filed with the intention of driving the firearms industry out of business by attempting to hold manufacturers and dealers liable for the crimes of others." Said Sen. Miller, "28 states including my own state of Georgia have enacted this kind of legislation; the U.S. Congress should follow suit."  (Presumably, this will be the Senate version of HR2037, Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which currently has 222 co-sponsors in the House and was heard in a subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee on April 18. NRA Director Rep. Bob Barr signed on as a co-sponsor the very day the bill was introduced, as did NRA Director Rep. Don Young. If your U.S. Rep. isn't on board, use the red, white and blue form on the left side of this page to locate contact information and apply some heat.)

The quotes coming out of Sen. Miller's mouth during his speech in defense of the right to keep and bear arms -- the very finest RKBA speech I have ever heard from a Democrat -- were exceptionally well chosen. He quoted James Madison, calling him the father of the Constitution. He quoted Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry.

That's enough to make a Michael D. Barnes worshipper cower, but it gets even better. Senator Miller literally brought the house down when he proclaimed with enthusiasm:

"I got my first gun, a 20-gauge Stevens, when I was 12 years old. And since that time I've accumulated quite a few others. Like many of you, I've got more guns than I need, but I don't have as many as I want! [laughing, screaming, cheering] Now that may sound a bit confusing to some -- a Democrat wanting more guns -- but just to clear up any confusion, hear this good: I am also a Life Member of the National Rifle Association with an A+ rating, and I'm darn proud of it!"

Then Senator Miller went into an eloquent dissertation about FREEDOM, LIBERTY, and how being ARMED is very much about just that.  And he didn't skate over the point; he drove it home, and then he drove it home again.

THEN he threw a curve ball one would never expect from a Democrat in a million years: he called for the arming of pilots, and he challenged President Bush to make it happen:

"Here at home in our fight against suicidal terrorists who slit the throats of flight attendants and crashed planes into our cities, the most certain line of defense is a skillfully trained, highly dedicated, ARMED U.S. airline pilot. [screams, cheers, applause] Our pilots want that choice, and most Americans support this. To President Bush and his administration, I say this: 'We trust the pilot with our lives; it's time to trust him with a firearm.'"

"Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Michael D. Barnes," said the cheers of thousands of gunowners, laughing, screaming at the top of their lungs.

Hats off to NRA, followed by a bow of appreciation -- for putting the Democrat anti-rights people on notice, and for reminding us that it's time to cultivate more pro-RKBA allies from the political Left.

I do confess to disagreement with Senator Miller in an area where I also disagree with the NRA: "gun free schools." If the librarian at Columbine High School had a gun and knew how to use it, she could have saved 10 lives including her own. Instead, she sat on the phone with police, crying, and waited in fear for her executioners to come and do her in. I'm hopeful the NRA, and Miller, will change their position and support arming teachers and administrators -- before more students die needlessly at the expense of political correctness.

But Zell Miller's overall political record on gun rights is certainly a far cry beyond the vast majority of Democrats' records -- he's even done better by gunowners than far too many Republicans.

I have the whole Senator Miller speech on tape, but rather than laboriously transcribe it or invest time reproducing an inferior recording for the internet, I'm waiting to see if NRA puts up both a cleaner, high quality recording and a transcript. They are usually really good about that, especially on important and pivotal speeches, and this one is HUGE. If they don't have it up in a few days, I'll make it happen, and if they do get it posted, we'll put a link up on our home page and in our Newslinks section -- you've got to hear what this congressman said to a packed house of gun owners; it's that good.

Now let's figure out how to use his speech in creative ways to educate other Democrats in areas where an opinion shift is possible.