New NRA Leader Was Involved In Sadistic Cat Murder
Content note because did you read that headline?
Content Note: Animal cruelty.
What would a week be, at this point, without some wingnut confessing to, bragging about, or being outed for animal cruelty?
The latest monster is Douglas Hamlin, who was named CEO of the NRA earlier this year, after Wayne LaPierre resigned and was subsequently banned by a judge from taking a paying position in the NRA for the next 10 years.
Hamlin, The Guardian reported on Monday, in 1980 pleaded “no contest” to animal cruelty along with four of his Alpha Delta Phi fraternity brothers at the University of Michigan.
The boys, you see, were very upset that the house cat, BK, was not using its litter box. And they responded to that by
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cutting off the cat’s paws, hanging it from a tree and then setting it on fire. They were caught in the act by a student who heard the cat screaming from far away and called the police (thought it appears they did not get caught at that time).
That is not just being a frat boy douche, that’s not a momentary flash of anger, that is calculated, sadistic and, frankly, psychotic. The idea that five people were able to get together and do that to a living thing is terrifying. That is some later seasons of “Criminal Minds” shit right there.
The Guardian managed to get in touch with Shelagh Abbs Winter, whom media at the time named as the student who reported the five to the authorities after finding out about the incident from a friend who was a pledge at the fraternity.
Winter, who said she felt threatened at the time for coming forward, told The Guardian, “You don’t know how amazing this is to me, because I am a member of Moms Demand Action.” Though I have to say that I’m not all that surprised that the cat torturer grew up to be CEO of the NRA and the cat torture reporter grew up to join a group that’s been dedicated to taking them down and protecting kids from gun violence.
“Once a creep, always a creep,” she said of Hamlin, correctly.
Hamlin said in a statement issued by the NRA that he was not a direct participant in the cat murder, but merely “took responsibility” because he was the fraternity president.
“I do not in any way condone the actions that took place more than 44 years ago. I took responsibility for this regrettable incident as chapter president although I wasn’t directly involved,” he said. “Since that time I served my country, raised a family, volunteered in my community, started a business, worked with Gold Star families, and raised millions of dollars for charity. I’ve endeavored to live my life in a manner beyond reproach. My focus now is on protecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.”
Oh, so he was just an incredible mensch who, for no reason, offered to plead guilty to a crime he didn’t commit because he wanted to take responsibility? That’s real interesting, because when the judge sentenced them, he noted that he was extra bothered by the fact that they had attempted to cover up the crime.
This tracks, as a former cook for the frat house told The Guardian that he quit his job and never came back after talking to the police because, “After it was disclosed that the police were investigating, a meeting was called, and the members were told to say nothing; not to cooperate; and not to, essentially, give up their brothers.” This also does not sound a whole lot like “taking responsibility.”
Additionally, Hamlin was actually quoted by The Michigan Daily before sentencing as saying, “We did everything we thought we could do to resolve this thing,” adding, “We think that now it's gone a little too far.”
A little too far? Really? They cut a cat’s paws off, tied it to a tree, and set it on fire, and he thinks that a fine and 200 hours of community service is “a little too far”? That is literally two out of three of the freaking Macdonald Triad. Granted, its validity as a predictor of predatory behavior has been largely debunked over the years, but setting fires and torturing animals are still not qualities one sees in a well-adjusted child, adult, or even a frat boy.
NRA president, though — that might work for them. Surely being a sociopath would be helpful in formulating their famously bone-chilling responses to mass shootings.
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"Let he who has never tortured and killed an innocent pet ... Oh, that's all of you, then? Huh!"
I guess this sort of mindset explains the whole "isn't really too bothered by school shootings" mentality. Sick fucker.