How 10 minutes with Chris Matthews
has challenged me to fight for gun control
By Robert Hudson Westover
The
recent massacre of innocent children and staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School
in Newtown, Connecticut, will haunt our nation for years to come.
It
should.
The
horrific tragedy that overtook our country last Friday has perhaps convulsed
the American people into taking stronger action at stricter gun control
measures.
At
least I hope so.
Yesterday,
I had the opportunity to speak with legendary liberal commentator Chris Matthews, and the subject
of getting serious action on gun control came up.
This wasn't the usual forum for an intense discussion on such a heated issue. It was
a book signing for Chris Matthews’ Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero at
Politics and Prose in Washington, DC and
that was all—no lecture and no Q&A. However, a chance meeting with my former
colleague would change all that. Paula Terry and I hadn't seen each other in years
but I remembered her as a staunch advocate of liberal causes.
 |
| Robert Westover with Chris Mathews |
She
would not disappoint.
Before
my and Paula’s encounter with Mr. Matthews no one dared to get “real” with the MSNBC political pundit.
The
married couple in front of Paula and me knew Mr. Matthews and Chris thanked the
gentleman, who had years ago apparently enlisted him in Toastmasters, thus
changing his life, while the two men worked together on Capitol Hill.
Then
it was my turn.
My
clever way of “gettin’ jiggy” with the liberal icon was to mention we knew
someone in common. I’ve been working on a book called Lessons in Nobility based on my memories of a friendship I had with
a Russian Countess, who was Hugh “Yusha”D. Auchincloss III’s aunt (still with
me?) Chris and Yusha are friends and I reached out to Mr. Auchincloss last
summer to let him know of my intentions to publish these memories and we have
since become pen pals. As many readers know, Yusha is Jackie Kennedy Onassis’
beloved older stepbrother and since Mr. Matthews’ book signing was about JFK—I
went with it.
It
worked. We spoke a little bit about getting together with Yusha at the famed Metropolitan
Club and I got my photo op.
But Paula really got things going.
She
wanted a clearer understanding as to why we Americans don’t have a stronger legislative
commitment on preventing the sales of semi-automatic weapons. Matthews answered
with a question, “What politician is going to risk losing his seat for
supporting gun control?”
Paula wasn't giving up, “Someone needs to take stronger action,” she insisted, “Times
have changed and many gun supporters have since lost their seats…”
 |
| Paula Terry with Chris Matthews |
Matthews
said back, “Who?”
At
this point I jumped in and said, “We need more guys like me. I’m a third
generation Marine. I grew up with a profound respect for guns. I want them
registered…”
“And
most cops agree with you…” Matthews added and then said what I feel is going to
give the vital emotional connect to reach the minds of rational folks all over
our country on some type of gun control, “Mentally ill people should not be
allowed to own assault rifles.”
“That’s
it. That’s the tagline,” I said. And then added, “Mental Illness + Guns = Death.”
(At the posting of this blog, a Google Search indicated this exact tagline has
not been used or trademarked.)
Feeling
erudite I added, “If we accept the argument that semi-automatic rifles fit the circumstances
of Second Amendment era muskets and primitive revolvers, the fact that we
experience the insanity of mass murder from the mentally ill then perhaps we
should not be shocked when they are turned against us.”
By
this point another fan had bravely approached with that agitated look of “get a
room” on his face. Our time to move on had come, but thanks to Paula and Chris
I now have a tagline that I can develop into an awareness campaign and, with
God’s help, work to prevent another Newtown massacre of the innocents.
And
I think I've already begun...
Tags: Chris Matthews, Hardball,
MSNBC, #newtown @chrismatthews, Robert Hudson Westover, Yusha Auchincloss, gun
control #guncontrol
