title:  Iraq War Veteran Takes Cowardly Republicans To The Woodshed For Being NRA Puppets
text: Instead of bowing down to the NRA leader who has never fought in war his entire life, Republicans should be listening to this Iraq War veteran on the issue of guns.For whatever reason, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre managed to weasel his way out of fighting in the Vietnam War even though he was definitely eligible to serve. Depending on the account, LaPierre either secured school deferments or received a bullshit medical discharge like Donald Trump did.Either way, when it comes right down to it LaPierre talks a big game when it comes to guns but he was total coward when it came time to use them to fight for our country.Yet Republicans fear the NRA mouthpiece so much that they literally do whatever he wants them to do when it comes to gun legislation. Every time there is a mass shooting the GOP automatically refuses to pass any gun laws that would prevent future massacres.In fact, Republicans and the NRA are so gun crazy that they even refuse to support any legislation that bans suspected terrorists from buying guns and declined to support a United Nations resolution to ban the sale of firearms in nations that support terrorism. So not only are Republicans and the NRA in favor of not keeping the American people safe here at home, they are in favor of putting our troops in danger abroad, which is precisely why Rep. Seth Moulton called them out this week. I think that Republicans are scared,  the Iraq War veteran told GQ.  Republicans are scared of the NRA. They re scared of the Tea Party. They re scared of their leadership that won t even allow a debate on this issue. The Massachusetts Democrat served four combat tours in Iraq so he knows what he s talking about when it comes to guns and terrorism.When it came time to take action in the wake of the Orlando mass shooting last weekend, Moulton was so disgusting by Republicans only offering  thoughts and prayers  that he refused to take part in a moment of silence House Republicans staged to make themselves feel better instead of actually doing something to prevent gun violence. Moulton walked out of the chamber in protest and received praise on Twitter. I understand I m one of the few members of Congress who does his own Twitter account, so I saw it right away,  Moulton said  Congressman Jim Himes of Connecticut was, I think, the first to say,  You know what, I m just not even going to attend these moments of silence.  And I thought that was a good statement. Some people have said,  Well, that s disrespectful to the victims.  I think what s disrespectful to the victims is refusing to even have a debate about passing reasonable reforms to prevent these mass shootings from happening. But Moulton thinks it s going to take many more mass shootings before Republicans wake up and finally take action. Either that or an election that kicks most of them out of Congress. I do not know how many more innocent Americans need to die before we come to our senses on this issue. In just my one term here, we ve already had too many moments of silence to even count. But I do have hope, and that s why I m going to keep fighting. Furthermore, he supports universal background checks and an assault weapons ban, which he believes would have stopped the Orlando shooter from purchasing the AR-15 he used. It is absolutely absurd that someone who is deemed unsafe to get on an airplane is allowed to buy a gun in America. It s truly absurd. And the Republican critique is,  Well, there might be innocent people on the no-fly list.  Look, if you don t trust the no-fly list, then why do you allow it for our airports? Maybe that has something to do with the fact that you fly home every weekend.It s also absurd that we could require universal background checks for some gun purchases but not for others. That s like saying if I go up to the airline ticket counter and purchase a ticket in person, I have to go through security, but if I buy the ticket online I just can bypass security.And an assault-weapons ban would have prevented Omar Mateen from buying this gun in Florida. Moulton also knows for a fact that Donald Trump s campaign rhetoric is putting our troops in more danger. The last time I went overseas on an Armed Services Committee oversight trip, we went to Iraq, Israel, Bahrain, and the UAE, and the number of foreign leaders leaders of our allies who spoke derisively about Trump was embarrassing. It was embarrassing as an American, even as someone who doesn t support Trump. And the things that he s saying are absolutely putting our troops at risk today. But Moulton was not done blasting Trump. Donald Trump obviously knows nothing about what it s like to put your life on the line for your country,  he continued.  He s never risked his life for anything. Neither has Wayne LaPierre, which makes one wonder why Republicans still bow down to cowards like him and Donald Trump.Featured image via Twitter