Just a few weeks ago my good friend Wayne LaPierre, head of the National Rifle Association, spoke candidly on national television about the president's gun policies. In return, he was personally and professionally crucified for daring to speak his mind. During the past eight years, President Clinton has fought hard for every kind of firearm restriction imaginable. Yet at the same time he has, as a matter of policy, refused to vigorously enforce federal gun laws already on the books. He watched it work in Richmond, Virginia, under a program called Project Exile.
Every felon caught with a firearm there serves a mandatory five years in prison.
No plea bargain, no deal. Believe me, not many felons carry firearms in Richmond any more. The NRA helped fund that project when the Clinton administration wouldn't. The words were no more out of Wayne's mouth when the media erupted. For two solid weeks he was demonized, scorned, vilified.