Replies

Shooter, This article is why I really dislike the NRA’s tactics, and I’m a member.
They are already negotiating from the 50 yard line.
The fact of the matter is you can either be on the Strategic Defensive or on the Strategic Offensive. Playing defense you fight to hold what you have, and by definition the other guy gets to play offense. On the offensive you attack their position and they have to defend it.
The NRA lost coming out of the gate. How you frame the problem sets the bounds of the discussion for possible solutions.
How does that work in this case
Was the problem at VT?
A: “Guns got in the wrong persons hands because we don’t keep the right data, aren’t willing to disbar more folks from owning guns, magazines too big, no waiting period etc. etc..?
Or is it?
B: “You will never prevent all of these events from happening; it could be terrorists the next time. The students in these situations have no way to defend themselves, and since in practical terms the police cannot protect every classroom in this country, never will?”
In the ‘A’ case we argue about how much harder we make it to buy a gun in this country, and about expanding the list of folks who cannot buy guns. This is endless. If the next adult mass shooter was in detention as a child, do we add ever having been sent to the counselor’s or principal’s office to the list of criteria for never owning a gun. That’s what Dingell will want. The NRA will get it lowered to three or more detentions between the 9th and 12th grades, and call it a victory.

In the B case we make them defend their “no guns in schools” position. We make them discuss how to make schools safe, how their solution will stop a shooting in progress etc. If they argue for a continued gun ban in schools we ask them for their fall-back plan if a gun does get there in the hand of a shooter. In this case they are defending the no CCW on campus (and a lot of other places) position, and having to make the case for not changing it.

On the Strategic Defensive the best you can do is NOT LOOSE, everything else is worst.
On the Offensive you can fail and still HOLD WHAT YOU HAVE, or take ground, advance your position and maybe get in some victories.

Then NRA is playing defense here. They are trying to limit damage. In this case the NRA has given up the high ground and is back to fighting on the gun banners terms which are that gun owners are the problem and the number of folks with guns need to be limited.
Strategically we should be arguing “Guns Save Lives”. .
The best we’re going to get out of this is a smaller list of disbarred folks.