Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action, published an opinion piece in The Daily Caller, a politically conservative news and opinion website, that was critical of NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Act. The SAFE Act in question was passed in 2013, while the opinion article itself was published in 2014.
Chris Cox, Executive Director of the NRA-ILA
In his article, Cox specifically targets Cuomo's language against pro-gun advocates, stating that Cuomo's labeling of gun-rights supporters as being "pro-assault weapons" and "extreme conservatives" reveals more about the governor himself than those who oppose his SAFE Act. Describing Cuomo's comments as "arrogant and dismissive" and that they "ignore reality in the Empire State," Cox furthers his portrayal of Gov. Cuomo as an egotistic, power-hungry radical. Cox literally uses the words "radical," "thuggish," and "extremist" to describe Gov. Cuomo and his tactics.
In his criticisms of Cuomo's liberal agenda, Cox tears away at Cuomo's carefully crafted image as a humble and revitalizing leader for the state of New York. Cuomo's campaign has long been working on developing an image of Cuomo that shows that his partisan views and commitment to serving the public. This image is a sharp contrast to Cox's portrayal of Cuomo as a left-wing extremist that employed "thuggish tactics" to ensure that pro-gun law enforcement officials would not voice their criticisms of the SAFE Act.
While Cox provides a valid point that the SAFE Act was a little too broad in its definition of assault weapons, many of his criticisms of Cuomo are exaggerated and extreme. I am surprised that Cox did not mention the suit that was filed by constitutional activist Robert L. Schultz (who was famous for questioning President Obama's US citizenship) asking for an injuction against the law, but the lack of mention most likely stems from the fact that state Supreme Court judge Thomas McNamara denied the injuction and that Schultz is a conspiracy theorist but that's beside the point.
Given that this portrayal of Gov. Cuomo is coming from a far-right perspective, it's difficult for it to effectively change the image Gov. Cuomo is currently trying to project. This article serves only to reaffirm the existing opinions pro-gun advocates hold over Cuomo's SAFE Act. As a more liberally-minded reader, this article didn't do much to change my own opinions of the SAFE Act and Gov. Cuomo. Knowing that it was written by the Executive Director of the NRA-ILA really prevented me from reading it without any biases.
Where do you think Cox developed the "thuggish" fear from? Why do you think has he felt like incorporating the idea into his campaign?
ReplyDeleteI think that the claim of him being "thuggish" was probably a little bit of an exaggeration. I really don't think that this claim would of effected his voters opinion of him. Like you said, since he is far-right most people will believe that Cox was in the wrong in this situation.
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