I have to ask myself, “What is the most appropriate term to apply to GOP ‘gun facts’. Well, it didn’t take me long to settle on “BULL____!” Yet I’m amazed that apparently 38% of our citizenry either believe this drivel, or lightly pass it off as accepted philosophical rhetoric of the party. I’m equally amazed that the media representatives, who know better don’t just say,” BULL____!” when the legislators they’re interviewing come out with some of the most ridiculous defenses of prohibiting regulations on firearms. Here are some of the “facts” as provided by our learned GOP stalwarts with my comments:

Senator Don Young (R-AK): “How many Jews were put in the ovens because they were unarmed?”
Hmmm…seems to me the French and Poles had guns and they didn’t fare very well against the Nazis.

Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI): “Remember, it’s not guns we’ve deliberately removed all barriers to owning that kill people. It’s people to whom we continually deny basic care that kill people.”
And, yes, Mr. Speaker…who is it that continually cuts these programs from the federal budget? It’s not the Democrats!

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL): On his donations from the NRA: “The influence of these groups comes not from money; the influence comes from the millions of people who support the agenda.”
Really, Marco? Gallup polls indicate; 86% favor universal background checks; 83% want a mandatory waiting period; 70% of Americans want stricter gun laws; 67% want assault weapons banned; etc. So who are you swayed by, the majority or the money?

Wayne LaPierre , President of the NRA: “The constitutional right to bear arms is not bestowed by man, but granted by God to all Americans as our American birthright.”
Micah 4:3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Assemblyman Tim Donnelly: “They (guns) are used to defend our property and our families and our faith and our freedom, and they are absolutely essential to living the way God intended for us to live.”
Donnelly must’ve quit reading the Bible after Exodus.

Congressman Steve Stivers (R-OH): “The only difference between an AK-15 and any other type of rifle is cosmetic.”
Does he really think everyone is that stupid? AK-15’s can have 30 shot (or more) clips and can be reloaded instantly; being semi-automatic they can shoot 30 rounds and reload in less than 20 seconds; the cartridge and caliber are designed to do the most tissue damage possible. My Sako hunting rifle has a 5 round magazine; it takes 2-4 seconds to chamber a second shot and at least 30 seconds to reload; it uses a cartridge and bullet to do the least tissue damage and penetrate into the vital organs. And, yes, cosmetically they don’t look much alike.

Congressman Louis Gohmert (R-TX): “I refuse to play the game of ‘assault weapon.’ That’s any weapon. It’s a hammer. It’s the machetes in Rwanda that killed 800,000 people, an article that came out this week, the massive number that are killed with hammers.”
From 2009 to 2013 there were 2,624 persons killed with “blunt instruments” (which included hammers among a lot of other things like baseball bats, tire irons and lead pipes) while there were 44,077 killed with firearms. But Louie was educated in Texas so his math is wanting.

Ben Carson, Secretary of HUD: “We Need Guns to Prevent Tyranny. The Second Amendment offers private citizens some protection should the government become overbearing or controlling.”
A group of people with muskets may have been a good defense against a group of people with muskets. However, considering we have the most powerful military in the world it’s unlikely that even a “well armed” militia would be able to stop any tyrannical acts carried out by the full force of our government. The weapons available to civilians just doesn’t compare to the tech and logistics that our military possesses.

George Washington, Founding Father: “A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well-digested plan is requisite; and their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories as tend to render them independent of others for essential, particularly military, supplies.”
I wouldn’t be surprised to see a move by the Republicans/NRA to remove “well organized militia” from the Second Amendment.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX): “On guns, do we surrender? Or do we stand up now? The Second Amendment provides that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Now, what part of ‘shall not be infringed’ do they not understand?”
Senator Cruz apparently does not accept Washington’s definition of “a well-regulated militia” nor the Webster Dictionary definition of “arms” which is simply, “weapons collectively.” And, he is okay with the infringements on private ownership of automatic weapons, hand-grenades, F-81s and nuclear missiles…right?

Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction writer: “An armed society is a polite society.”
Thus, Columbine, Newtown, Parkland and all the others were “acts of politeness”…right?

Representative John W. Patman (D-TX) : “The people have a right to keep arms; therefore, if we should have some Executive who attempted to set himself up as dictator or king, the people can organize themselves together and, with the arms and ammunition they have, they can properly protect themselves. “
See previous response to Carson.

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN): “I think video games is a bigger problem than guns, because video games affect people.”
And, obviously, a bullet in the chest has no effect…right?

Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida (R) “A child drowns in a pool and the impulse is to pass a law that puts fencing around pools. The cumulative effect of this is you don’t solve the problem by passing the law, and you’re imposing on large numbers of people, burdens that make it harder for our economy to grow, make it harder for people to protect liberty.”
Seriously, Jeb? Does that pertain to seat belt and helmet laws? How about highway speed restrictions and stop signs? And then there’s the starving heroin dealers. You’re an idiot!

Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey (R): “The wide scope of a total ban (on military weapons), therefore, will not further public safety, but only interfere with lawful recreational pastimes.”
Well, Chris, it’s pretty obvious that tennis, cycling or jogging are pretty low in your schedule of “recreational pastimes.” How many calories do you burn shooting an AK-15 as opposed to a single-shot .22?

Mark Levin, show host: “Not a single gun was used at the Oklahoma bombing,”
Absolutely true. And not a single thoroughbred horse has won the Indianapolis 500! So…what’s his point?

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX): “Here’s the simple and undeniable fact: The overwhelming majority of violent criminals are Democrats.”
There can be no comment for this utterance of stupidity.