For years I had that bumper sticker on my truck and it is true. I became a life member in the 1980s, joining about 5,000,000 other like minded gun owners. When politicians, taking heads and others claim I am responsible for shooting deaths, I take it personally.
Contrary to the hype, half-truths and outright lies about the NRA, it is the oldest civil rights organization in the United States. It was started by two Union Army officers in 1871 to “promote and encourage rifle shooting on a scientific basis.” This was in response to the awful marksmanship of union soldiers in the Civil War.
Safety has always been a prime concern of the NRA and many free programs are offered to promote gun safety. The Eddie Eagle Program has been locally to teach kids to stay away from guns unless an adult is present. Gun range safety gets funded through various NRA programs, and many law enforcement gun training programs are directly supported by the NRA.
The organization has evolved to protect the 2nd Amendment rights of citizens as they have come under fire. After its founding the NRA quickly got involved in stopping Jim Crow laws that prohibited blacks from owning guns.
When gun banners whine about the power of “The Gun Industry” through the NRA, they are being specious. The power of the NRA lies in its 5,000,000 members. It is fairly easy to find information on membership in the NRA; not so easy about the gun ban groups like the Brady Campaign.
The most up to date information I could find shows the NRA with about 5,000,000 paid members, with a donation income of about 55 million and spending about 17 million in political races. The AARP compared that to 500,000 members of the Brady group with an income of 6.3 million and political expenses of 1.7 million.
The number of voters agreeing with the NRA is its power, not industries or anything else. Votes count.
The most egregious lie about the NRA is it got a law passed to exempt gun businesses from product liability. The NRA did help get a law passed that puts gun businesses on the same level as all others. For a time the gun banners were trying to sue gun manufacturers out of business by claiming they were responsible for their product being used in a crime.
If business are responsible for misuse of their product, Chevy can be sued when a driver crashes into a parade and kills people. Texaco can be sued when their gasoline is used to start an arson fire.
The NRA is not without its problems. Some gun rights folks claim it is not strong enough. Like any huge organization, it has had internal problems. And it is hated by those that hate guns.
When you hear “NRA,” know they are talking about me and millions of law-abiding gun owners. Another radical gun ban group the Violence Policy Center, did extensive research a few years ago and crowed they found ONE NRA member that used a gun to kill and was charged with murder.
Search the data yourself and try to find crime committed by folks like me, NRA members.
Now we know some of the “somethings” the democrats and Biden administration are demanding. From VOX, here are the proposals in the current democrat gun ban wish list legislation and my thoughts on them:
- The Raise the Age Act: This bill raises the age to purchase certain semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21. Two 18-year-olds commit horrific murders so let restrict all 18- to 21-year-olds. I got a semiautomatic rifle for Christmas when I was 8 years old. These same folks want to lower the voting age to 16 and let five-year-olds choose their “gender.”
- Prevent Gun Trafficking Act: Already illegal, so the “coulds” and “mights” in this act are irrelevant. They are trying to stop gun sales by individuals. Same folks that sent guns to the Mexican drug cartels during the Obama administration.
- The Untraceable Firearms Act: The ridiculous “ghost gun” law – it is already illegal to remove the serial number from a gun. But this tries to make it illegal to use a 3D printer to make gun parts.
- Ethan’s Law, the Safe Guns, Safe Kids Act, and the Kimberly Vaughn Firearm Safety Act: Also known as “Lock up your guns so you can’t get to them when you need them” act. If you are so irresponsible as to leave guns where kids can get to them, no law will make a difference.
- Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act: Former President Donald Trump banned bump stocks – so lets do something already done?
The Keep Americans Safe Act: – by banning “high-capacity magazines.” Already been tried, from 1994 to 2004 such magazines were banned, as were a laundry list of “assault weapons.” Contrary to the lies, there is no evidence that ten-year ban made any difference, the Columbine school shooting, the worst at that time, was committed in 1999, right in the middle of it, and it was allowed to expire after 10 years because it did nothing to help.
From the same VOX article, here is the real goal: Democrats could still think bigger
“The House’s expedited consideration of the gun control bills would likely help reduce gun violence if the bills became law, but as German Lopez ecplained for VOX, the policies that could have the most impact are ones that reduce the number of guns that people have. These include proposals like gun licensing, which would curb the number of guns that are sold because it makes it more difficult to obtain them.”
Reduce the number of guns law-abiding citizens can get and own. That is their goal and they will not be happy until it is zero.
I will ask my usual request. Give me factual information, not emotional “mights and maybes,” showing how your proposal would have made a difference in any of the recent shootings.
Till next time – Gone fishing!