Boner Candidate #1: I’M SURE THIS WAS JUST A COINCIDENCE.
It’s probably just a coincidence, right? On a day when students all over the U.S. walked out of their classrooms to protest gun violence in schools, the National Rifle Association tweeted a photo of an AR-15 — a weapon frequently used in mass shootings. The NRA posted the tweet, that read, “I’ll control my own guns, thank you,” on Wednesday morning. An AR-15 was allegedly used by the Parkland, Florida, school shooter in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre last month that left 17 dead. Since the shooting — which spurred student organizers to plan Wednesday’s nationwide walkout — many have called for stricter gun control, urging retailers to stop selling assault-style rifles and putting pressure on the NRA to support common-sense safety measures. Wednesday’s tweet falls within the gun lobby’s hardline stance on preserving Americans’ right to own firearms. Some on social media questioned the timing of the tweet, coming on a day when many are speaking out about gun violence.
Boner Candidate #2: I GOT THE IDEA FROM “HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN”
A Michigan man running as a Libertarian for U.S. Senate says he wants to raise money to buy 20 pump style shotguns for homeless individuals. “Not only are the homeless constantly under threat from would-be criminals,” says Brian Ellison, “but they are also under threat from governments at various levels that criminalize activities that homeless people rely on for survival.” Ellison says he has no fears that the guns would be misused, for example, to shoot police who are trying to move people off an illegal encampment. “I don’t know why the homeless are viewed as such a different type of people as the rest of us,” he says. “I carry a gun with me all the time, and I don’t victimize anyone. I wouldn’t expect that the homeless would use their weapons to fight off the police who are asking them to leave. I think the homeless would use their weapons to protect themselves from being victims of violent crimes.” Ellison acknowledges his campaign, “Arm the Homeless,” has shock value that will bring attention to his campaign. But he says as a third-party candidate going up against well-funded Democratic and Republican opponents, shock value is about the only thing he can do to get media coverage.
[polldaddy poll=9960435]
