Those Pesky Grades
So, the Brady Bunch issued its state by state report card a while back. Tennessee got a D+, if you must know. Maybe we can get an F next year. Regardless, here’s something on the issue I found amusing:
First, the group gives Vermont a grade of D- because, supposedly, the “state’s weak laws make it too easy for criminals, the mentally ill and juveniles to get guns.”
But this statement is laughable, for crime in Vermont is virtually non-existent. Just last year (2003), Vermont earned the Safest State in the nation award from the Morgan Quitno Press — a group of statisticians who rank each state according to its safety record.
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FBI statistics showed last year that the states which enjoyed the lowest murder rates earned grades of D or D- from the Brady Campaign. New Hampshire, North Dakota and Maine have murder rates that any state or country could only dream about.
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Finally, the Brady Bunch awarded Maryland one of the highest grades in the nation (an A-), even though they had the second HIGHEST murder rate in the nation.
How can the Brady Campaign give that state an A- with a straight face? The state is not keeping its citizens safe from gun violence — or any other violence for that matter. But hey, Maryland gets an A-, simply because they have strict gun control laws — regardless of whether those laws are keeping people safe.
Oh, that whacky Brady Campaign.
