The National Rifle Association's Wayne LaPierre will testify before the Senate about gun violence on January 30, and it should be fun to watch, because LaPierre never fails to put on a good show. The hearing, before the judiciary committee, will also include testimony from Mark Kelley, the husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords. In his press conference the week after the Newtown shootings, LaPierre declared school shootings happened because schools are gun-free zones, and therefore criminals know it's a good place to kill people. On Meet the Press a few days later, he said, If it's crazy to call for armed officers in our schools to protect our children, then call me crazy" -- something tabloids were quite willing to do.

The NRA's controversial public statements since Newtown have caused even an NRA official some concern. The ad calling President Obama a hypocrite for having armed protection of his daughters was "ill-advised," according to Jim Baker, head of the federal affairs division of the NRA's lobbying arm. "I think the ad could have made a good point, if it talked about the need for increased school security, without making the point using the president's children," Baker told Reuters.

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Elspeth Reeve