The San Francisco Board of Supervisors directed the fight over increased gun control at the National Rifle Association (NRA) on Tuesday, passing a resolution that declares the NRA to be a “domestic terrorist organization” siting a series of mass shootings this summer.
The Board voted unanimously to approve the resolution and urged other cities, states, and even the federal government to do the same. The resolution indicated that the NRA “spreads propaganda that misinforms and aims to deceive the public about the dangers of gun violence” and that its executive leadership “promotes extremist positions, in defiance of the views of a majority of its membership and the public and undermine the general welfare.” It also accuses the NRA of being responsible for an “epidemic of gun violence” that is directly responsible for over 36,000 deaths and 100,000 injuries each year.
Sam Francisco Board of Supervisors member Catherine Stefani penned the resolution in July after a gunman opened fire at a festival in Gilroy, California, killing four.
“The NRA has done more to perpetuate and create the sick gun violence epidemic that is terrorizing our country,” said Stefani. “They buy-off politicians, prevent common sense gun violence legislation, prevent gun violence research and tell us and everybody that it’s the video games, movies or mental illness.”
Stefani also criticized the lack of gun control efforts by the U.S.
“Every country on this earth is exposed to these issues and influences in equal measure and yet only the United States faces this kind of mass gun violence. The difference is guns. None of our peer countries have assault rifles on their streets. If more guns meant more safety, America would be the safest country in the world,” the statement added.
The board also indicated that they plan to “take every reasonable step to limit those entities who do business with the City and County of San Francisco from doing business with this domestic terrorist organization.”
An NRA spokesperson called the resolution a “reckless assault on a law-abiding organization, its members and the freedoms they all stand for.” The NRA responded to the resolution on Wednesday via their social media pages, saying encouraging members to include the “IAmTheNRA” hashtag to show their support of the organization.
“There are real victims of terrorism – ask those who lost someone in 9/11. @NRA is the fabric of American society. We are teachers, doctors, cops, and everyone who fights for America’s freedoms. San Fran should be ashamed.@NRA members: Show them who you are! #IAmTheNRA”
“This stunt is an effort to distract from the problems facing #SanFrancisco, such as rampant homelessness, drug abuse, and petty crime, to name a few. Their (sic) wasting taxpayer dollars to declare 5M law-abiding Americans domestic terrorists, and it’s shameful,” said the NRA via a Tweet on Wednesday. “This is a reckless assault on a law-abiding organization, it’s (sic) members, and the freedoms they all stand for. We remain undeterred — guided by our values and belief in those who want to find real solutions to violence.”
