Republicans love guns. They also love pretending they’re tough on crime by voting for every pro-gun bill the NRA floats their way. And most of all, they absolutely love that sweet sweet money for their campaigns that gun nuts are so eager to fork over for any member of Congress who’s willing to kiss the ass of the merchants of death.
Late Thursday night, the House of Representatives voted to overturn an Obama-era rule that had been put in place to keep people with severe mental illnesses from buying firearms. Specifically, the rule, banned Social Security beneficiaries from purchasing a weapon if their disability payments are handled by an outside party as a result of their “marked subnormal intelligence, or mental illness, incompetency, condition, or disease.”
On CNN Friday morning, Wyoming Senator John Barrasso was asked by host Alisyn Camerota if he personally felt it was a good idea for those with a mental illness to purchase firearms:
“As I understand it, it involves 75,000 people with mental disorders so severe that they cannot work, and they have someone else manage their Social Security benefits,. How does it make sense to let them have guns?”
Barrasso was stumped, so he replied:
“This is a new change by President Obama, a midnight regulation on his way out the door,” he said. “It should be subjected to full debate, discussion, and the House voted on it yesterday.”
Camerota pressed Barrasso again:
“If someone has a mental illness so severe that they cannot work, should they be able to have a gun?”
More deflection and double talk from the senator:
“Well, the question is, is somebody able to have a gun at the same time they’re receiving Social Security disability benefits. And you can take a look at how those decisions are being made. But for seven or eight years, right up until the end of President Obama’s turn, it was fine.”
Once again Camerota tried to get an answer:
“Senator, are you comfortable with somebody having a mental disability and having a gun?”
But Barrasso resorted to bullshit and told her:
“You can take a look at what the Constitution says, which is what I do. As a physician who’s spent lots of time dealing with patients with all different backgrounds, there are clearly people who have been labeled one way or another, and I’m not comfortable with midnight regulations by the president.”
Yep, that sweet NRA and gun company money works every single time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6kM-6KbtZY
Featured Image Via CNN Screengrab
