NRA's LaPierre pulls major gaffe on Israel

It appears that the NRA is losing badly in the post-Sandy Hook political battle over potential gun restrictions.

Republican pollster and PR guru Frank Luntz said the NRA is tone deaf on the gun issue and the GOP should avoid being sucked into the association’s mindset.

“The public wants guns out of the schools, not in the schools,” Luntz said on CBS’ “This Morning” earlier today. “And they’re not asking for a security official or someone else. I don’t think the NRA is listening. I don’t think they understand most Americans would protect the Second Amendment rights and yet agree with the idea that not every human being should own a gun, not every gun should be available at anytime, anywhere, for anyone.”

That blunt assessment comes on the heels of a major gaffe (a blatant lie?) by NRA spokesman Wayne LaPierre who used Israel, of all countries, as an example the U.S. should follow on the gun issue. Appearing on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” LaPierre said the NRA’s proposal to put an armed guard in every American school was based on the Israeli model.

“Israel had a whole lot of school shootings until they did one thing: They said, 'We're going to stop it,' and they put armed security in every school and they have not had a problem since then," LaPierre said.

One problem: LaPierre is making stuff up. On national TV. On one of the most influential news shows in the nation.

The Associated Press took a close look at the situation in Israel and found that the country has never suffered from a barrage of school shootings.  In fact, they only have had two in the past four decades and one occurred after the Israelis installed a lightly armed guard in each school.

Israeli officials told AP that the NRA’s claims that Israel serves as proof that more weapons, not less, are needed is nonsense. The armed personnel in the schools are designed to deter and fend off terrorists, not crazed or disgruntled gunmen.

What’s more, Israel keeps a tight lid on who can own a gun, which means a total inventory about one firearm for every 30 adults. In the U.S., the ratio is estimated at about 1:1.

Americans are also much freer to choose what type of guns they buy. Automatic weapons of the type used at Sandy Hook are banned for private ownership in Israel, the AP reported. It is also rare for a person to be authorized to own more than one firearm.

Eighty percent of the 10,000 people who apply yearly for licenses are turned down. In the U.S., people can purchase firearms from private dealers without a background check or a license of any kind.

In Israel, applicants must undergo police screening and medical exams, in part to determine their mental state, one official said.

Anybody who possesses a legally acquired gun waives the right to confidentiality, and authorities cross-reference for new information about the gunholder every three months.

Can you imagine the spastic response from LaPierre and Co. if an Israeli-style system was proposed for the U.S.?