Open Carry Texas and the NRA

Normally, you would expect a gun rights group to be best friends with the National Rifle Association (NRA). After all, the goal of this association is to "promote and encourage rifle shooting on a scientific basis". In this case however, members of Open Carry Texas (OCT) are not too thrilled with the NRA. In fact, members of OCT have posted picture of themselves cutting up their NRA membership cards? So how did this all come about?

It started when the NRA criticized OCT rallies. In fact, they called them "downright weird". The statement was posted on the website of the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA), the lobbying arm of the NRA. The rallies were for less restrictive carry laws. The OCT is specifically trying to make openly carrying handguns remains illegal. Long guns such as rifles can be carried openly but must not be done so in a way that alarms anyone. In their rallies, OCT members carried handguns around in private places such as restaurants and other public places. The NRA said that the demonstrators had "crossed the line from enthusiasm to downright foolishness". They also decried the demonstrators who harassed a veteran on Memorial Day. 

In a statement posted to its website on its website last Friday, the NRA wrote that "Using guns merely to draw attention to yourself in public not only defies common sense, it shows a lack of consideration and manners. That's not the Texas way. And that's certainly not the NRA way". In response to the NRA's comments, the OCT threatened to withdraw their full support from the NRA and support "other gun organizations that fight for ALL gun rights". 

A few days later after issuing the statement, the NRA retracted it, saying that they were merely the opinion of a staffer. Chris Cox, the executive director of the NRA-ILA, said in an interview that the statement "was a mistake" and "it shouldn't have happened". On Facebook, OCT thanked the NRA for the clarification and said that they were going to focus on getting open carrying legalized in Texas, even if they did not have the support of the NRA.

While this movement is mostly unpopular, there is a chance that open carry will be legalized. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, especially if the NRA chooses not to support the OCT. 

Will the NRA Get Their Way Again?

The National Rifle Association (NRA) is one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the U.S. Their pro-gun standpoint has come under intense tragedy in the wake of tragedies such as Sandy Hook and Aurora, Colorado. However, it doesn't seem as if they can be stopped. In April of last year, they managed to block legislation that would make it harder for criminals and people with dangerous mental illnesses to obtain access to firearms. Now, it looks as if they will get their way again.

Their latest target: Dr. Vivek Hallegere Murthy, President Obama's nominee for surgeon general. But their issue with Murthy has nothing to do with his medical expertise, they're more focused on the fact that he supports gun control. This is quite a shame, as Murthy is truly qualified to be surgeon general. An attending physician at a hospital in Boston, Murthy also teaches medicine at Harvard, has an MBA from the Yale School of Management, and is involved in medical nonprofit groups. In a better world, the Senate would judge his right to be surgeon general solely on his merits. Unfortunately, the NRA is going to make sure that doesn't happen.

Last month, Murthy said that he had seen many patients end up in the emergency room as a result of gun violence. However, he did promise that he would not make gun control his top priority if confirmed for the position. Instead, he would focus more on obesity. Still, that has not calmed down the NRA.

If Dr. Murthy is not confirmed, we can give another point to the NRA, a group that has proven to be very powerful and influential.

Looking Back at 2013

The world was supposed to end in December of 2012, but as you know, that didn't work out too well. So, 2013 came rolling around. Like every year, it had its highs and lows. We said farewell to many larger-than-life figures, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela, former British leader Margaret Thatcher, and actors Paul Walker and Peter O'Toole. But there were plenty of other significant topics. This article will look at 13 of the biggest ones. Basically, 13 big stories from 2013.

1. Jennifer Lawrence: The fan-favorite actress starred in two hits this year: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and American Hustle (her role in the latter earned her her third Golden Globe nomination). Some of her future projects were announced as well, including X-Men: Days of Future Past and East of Eden.

2. Ted Cruz: A senator from Texas, Cruz gave a speech in September in which he railed against Obamacare. The speech lasted 21 hours and led to the government shutdown. TIME named him the fourth runner-up for Person of the Year.

3. Boston Marathon- On April 15th, two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the iconic race. Three people were killed, and hundreds were injured. The main suspects are Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, two brothers originally from Russia. The former is in police custody, and the latter was killed by police.

4. Peyton Manning- SI's Sportsman of the Year led the Denver Broncos to the first seed in the AFC after throwing for for 55 touchdowns and 5,477 yards (both season records). He also made his thirteenth Pro Bowl.

5. Andy Samberg- The former Youtube sensation lent his voice in the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and starred in a new show called Brooklyn Nine-Nine, for which he received his first Golden Globe nomination.

6. Chennai Express- The Bollywood movie directed by Rohit Shetty was the second collaboration between stars Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone. The movie was critically well-received and is the second-highest grossing Bollywood film of all time.

7. Percy Jackson- The son of Poseidon (at least according to author Rick Riordan) starred in both a new book and movie this year: The House of Hades (the fourth book in the Heroes of Olympus series) and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (the second film in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series). 

8. Pope Francis- TIME's Person of the Year started the year as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Cardinal and Archbishop of Buenos Aires. But in March of 2013, he inherited the throne of St. Peter. He has already won the hearts of many with his acts of charity and compassion.

9. Seth Myers- The head writer and longtime cast member of Saturday Night Live will become the new host of Late Night in February. He also voiced the character of Prock, the lead character in the show The Awesomes.

10. Edward Snowden- A former NSA employee and runner-up for TIME Person of the Year, Snowden leaked several classified NSA documents and then fled the country. He has been granted asylum in Russia, where he currently resides.

11. Miami Heat- The boys from South Beach won their second straight NBA title in their third straight trip to the Finals. They did so by vanquishing the San Antonio Spurs in seven games. Furthermore, King James picked up his fourth MVP award in two years.

12. How I Met Your Mother- The beloved CBS sitcom entered its ninth and final season this year. The season, which will end on March 31st, 2014, will finally show how the main character (played by Josh Radnor) meets the woman he will end up marrying. Fans need not be too sad about the end of the show however, a spin-off entitled How I Met Your Dad is coming.

13. OneRepublic- The band fronted by Ryan Tedder is up for the People's Choice Award for Favorite Band. They also released a new album this year, called Native. One of the songs from that album, "Counting Stars", ended the year at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.