Kerby Anderson

Recently the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution that declares the National Rifle Association to be a domestic terrorist organization. I wasn’t too surprised since I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and often read about similar kinds of resolutions passed by the Berkeley City Council. But this resolution is worth a brief evaluation because it points to a dangerous trend.

First, the supervisors attempt to redefine terms according to their Leftist lexicon. Even people who strongly disagree with the NRA would have trouble calling it a domestic terrorist organization. Moreover, terrorism is not a viewpoint. It is a terrorist action. Jim Geraghty put it this way: “Being a member of Occupy Wall Street does not make you a terrorist. Being a member of Occupy Wall Street and planning to blow up a bridge makes you a terrorist.”

Second, the supervisors order city employees to “take every reasonable step to limit” business interactions with the NRA and its supporters. Does that apply to someone who has a contract with the city who is on the membership roll of the NRA? Jim Geraghty wonders if the city would cancel a contract with a company that provides orange traffic cones because someone in the company supported the NRA.

Third, the supervisors also urge “other cities to follow their example.” If they are successful in getting other cities to join them, the NRA might have difficulty scheduling conventions, workshops, or even gun safety seminars in various cities.

For those of you who hate the NRA and approve of these actions, let me ask you a question. How would you feel if a conservative city council or board of supervisors labeled the ACLU, CAIR, or a number of other groups this way? I think that illustrates what is wrong with this rash decision by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.