Why I joined the N.R.A.

Townhall.com ^ | April 5, 2004 | Mike S. Adams

[Atlas Sneezed]

It was just after midnight in January of 1993 when John and Tiffany left a party at the Sigma Chi house in Starkville, Mississippi. The band was winding down as the couple walked to their car in the parking lot close to where Highway 12 runs into Scott Field on the campus of Mississippi State University.

When they came upon a man who was trying to break into a car parked near their own, all hell broke loose. Before they knew it, they had been abducted at gunpoint. Words cannot describe the horror that John witnessed before Tiffany’s life was taken. Shortly thereafter, he too was murdered execution-style by the side of Highway 45. Many tears were shed on Monday night when our fraternity met to mourn the deaths of the two young students.

After the murders, I had to endure driving by the murder site every Thursday night at about six o’clock on my way to Tupelo, Mississippi. My band played once a week at a bar in Tupelo called Jefferson Place. That meant that I had to drive by the murder site again on my way home at about two in the morning. The images got to me after a couple of weeks, so I called my friend David and asked whether he was still selling his .357 magnum. It was a model 19 by Smith and Wesson. I bought the gun thinking that it would be better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it.

After I moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, I sold that .357 magnum. At the time, my friend Barry Whitehead told me that selling a gun was always a big mistake. Three years later, when I bought my first house in downtown Wilmington, I learned that Barry was right. Despite rampant crack sales, it took almost nine months to get the police to take an interest in the drug trafficking in my neighborhood. Later, I bought my second .357 magnum and a concealed carry permit to go along with it.

In the three years that I lived in that neighborhood, I rarely “used” my permit by carrying a concealed weapon. Nonetheless, it came in handy late one evening when I was walking in my neighborhood and accidentally stumbled upon a crack deal. When the dealer asked what I as doing there, I simply told him that it was my neighborhood. He smiled and told me his name. I suppose that he knew I was carrying a gun because of my confidence. Two months later, eighteen people were arrested smoking crack in his house. I should know because I arranged the drug bust. I told him it was my neighborhood. He should have listened.

For those who don’t know, the concealed carry laws that have been enacted across the land have had a clear effect on serious crime that most social scientists refuse to recognize. Serious scholars such as John Lott have shown that lives are saved as a result of these laws. Nonetheless, Lott has been shunned by academics more interested in showing their classes “Bowling for Columbine” than in actually saving people’s lives.

Less murder, less rape, and less robbery would be nice unless, of course, it interferes with the liberal desire to take another shot at Marxism. No pun intended, of course.

As an out-of-the-closet gun owner, N.R.A. member, and hunter you can imagine the comments that I hear from disapproving faculty members here at my place of employment. When one colleague learned I was in the N.R.A., he asked why “we” think that everyone should own an “assault rifle.” That discussion ended when I asked him to tell me what an “assault rifle” was. He didn’t know. He just knew he hated them because Dan Rather said they were bad. Oh, the intellectual curiosity.

Of course, giving up my concealed-carry permit and quitting the N.R.A. would never be sufficient to redeem me in the eyes of the anti-gun fanatics here in the ivory tower. My status as a hunter is alone sufficient to condemn me in their eyes. Many of my colleagues who fail to muster compassion for unborn humans are staunch defenders of the local deer population. The fact that the overpopulation of deer causes numerous highway fatalities is of little concerned to them. And most would rather see a deer wrapped around the grill of a Ford Expedition and dragged down the highway than to have it experience a clean, quick death with the help of my Browning A-Bolt.

I know that my membership in the N.R.A. helps to neutralize these extremists, some of whom would outlaw hunting scopes because they are “unfair” to the deer. If you think I am kidding, think again. I have actually heard it suggested in the faculty lunchroom.

Of course, I really don’t mind when the academic anti-gun nuts use the First Amendment to express their opposition to the Second Amendment. Every time they do, I just head down to the local sporting goods store and buy another gun that I don’t really need.

When I joined the N.R.A., I became part of an organized effort to neutralize the wacky ideas of the anti-gun lobby in America. I also believe that the N.R.A. won the last Presidential election for George W. Bush. Even Bill Clinton says so and we all know that guy never lies. He isn’t in the N.R.A.

Some people say that a conservative is a liberal who’s been mugged. Maybe an N.R.A. member is a liberal whose unarmed friends were killed by the side of the highway on a cold night in January.

Dr. Mike Adams (adams_mike@hotmail.com) is the author of “Welcome to the Ivory Tower of Babel.”

[WhiteyAppleseed]

It was only after the death of my brother, a life member of the NRA, that I learned the truth about Gore. Our father passed away a day or two before Election 2000, and though I think my brother voted for Mr. Bush, I voted Gore. Our family was Democrat, our parents held local township office positions.

I was lurking here in 2000, though I didn't learn the truth about Gore until I read back-issues of American Rifleman magazine. Was the truth about Gore posted here? I don't know--if I had learned here what I learned from the NRA publication, I certainly would not have voted for Gore.

[GrandEagle]

I had learned here what I learned from the NRA publication
I did not mean to insinuate that the NRA is somehow an evil organization that is opposed to firearms, pro democrat, or liberal. The original comment that I responded to was something along the lines of "we need to all work together". On many issues I would agree. My disagreement is not with the intent or mission of the NRA. It seems to me that they have conceded the war and are doing their best to slow down the eventual confiscation of firearms. It is simply my opinion, based on my own personal experiences. I do not consider them an enemy at all, I just seriously differ with what appears to me to be the appeasement approach. A lot of good information can be aquired from them.

[WhiteyAppleseed]

What I've been trying to tell people here for some time is that there are probably people who log onto this site, looking for information, or because they heard about it, and the site is somewhat addicting, but while I was here in 2000, I voted for Gore, though I would have cast my vote for Mr. Bush had I known about Gore--which I only learned later--at least as far as guns are concerned--after the death of my brother and after I began reading backissues of the NRA publication.

Gridlock sounds great. So does bed. One of my dogs will be waking me up in 3-4 hours and I have a full schedule tomorrow.

[Law]

Thanks for posting the article.

[Badray]

"...having a CCW wouldn't have help them if they were in a bar, consuming alcohol or on campus. All three of those are against CCW permit guidelines and if found carrying under those conditions, a probable felony would be the result."

It depends on where you are. In PA, none of those are violations of the carry parmit laws. Of course, I am mindful of the people in both environs and exercise caution, but I still carry.

[GrandEagle]

of those are violations of the carry parmit laws.
Wow, really? Even here in Alabama you can not carry in an establishment who's primary business is serving alcohol. I believe that the rules for carrying on a campus have a "with intent to commit a crime" clause in them.

[gooleyman]

...I think the 2nd Amendment has been fiddled with too much already.

-----
OH-H-H, NOW I GET IT!!!! If we elect a DemocRAT (i.e. SKerry) the 2nd Amendment will be fiddled with LESS. We'll wind up with even more gun rights. Why didn't you 'splain that before. All these years I've been wasting my vote vot'n for them dad-gummed Republicans.

Sorry. I'm sticking with Dubya. If the Dems had nominated a Sam Nunn-type, I might consider him...maybe. Especially since Bush has blessed so much new spending (Medicare, Education, etc.) Bush certainly isn't perfect, but then again who is? (That's rhetorical.)

[WhiteyAppleseed]

You talkin' to me?

[WhiteyAppleseed]

These are your words:OH-H-H, NOW I GET IT!!!! If we elect a DemocRAT (i.e. SKerry) the 2nd Amendment will be fiddled with LESS. We'll wind up with even more gun rights. Why didn't you 'splain that before. All these years I've been wasting my vote vot'n for them dad-gummed Republicans.

I 'spect ya'll got yer head so close to the ground that grasshoppers be fillin' up yer ears. 'Cause post #80 ain't got no such woids in it. I 'spect you be puttin' words in my mouth cause I dare to raise my head above the safety of the hole most folk dig fer demself.

Presently, I'll be voting for Mr. Bush, and iff'n I want to take my time changing my registration status, dat be mine own business.

[gooleyman]

... 'Cause post #80 ain't got no such woids in it...

-----
OK, OK, I guess we both have some explaining to do. What did you mean in post #80 when you said,

You asked for it. I'm a registered Democrat, own a bunch of guns and I think the 2nd Amendment has been fiddled with too much already.

My previous post was directed to Peter J. Huss in which I said,

"By the way, Read my Tagline.
I didn't even agree with Ronaldus Magnus about EVERYTHING.
I don't even agree with Rush about EVERYTHING.
I don't agree with SKerry about ANYTHING.
Case Closed."

You know what...just copying and pasting that, I think I get it. You were exposing a folly in my tagline by saying that you were a DemocRAT and we actually DO agree on something...namely that the 2nd amendment shouldn't be touched. Sorry for the confusion. I never claimed to be the brightest bulb in the chandelier.

I would submit to you that you are simply a DINO...a "DemocRAT In Name Only." I'll bet you even believe taxes should be cut more and abortion is wrong too. AH-HAH!!! Thought so...smile. Welcome home.

[WhiteyAppleseed]

Yeah, I feel the force...been invited over to the dark side.

[tiplee]

I currently have a Anschutz Woodchucker for sale if interested. It is in very good condition. I am trying to find out what it is worth. It is a single Bolt 22 with the numbers WC10245.

If interested e-mail me: tiplee@gmail.com

[GrandEagle]

I told him it was my neighborhood. He should have listened.
This is the key!

My .45 has save my life once and kept me from a mugging once.
Anytime one of these nuts talk about disarming citizens, they are saying to me "I wish you were dead."

I take offense to that...

[EdReform]

BTTT

[Joe Brower]

"From the archives" ping!

My take is simple: If you own a gun, you should belong to the NRA. Or the GOA, CRPA, JPFO, etc.! But do something to make a difference.

[mbynack]

I consider the NRA to be one of my most important expenditures. They've done a lot to fight the gun control lobby and to provide training for gun owners.

[blackie]

"My take is simple: If you own a gun, you should belong to the NRA. Or the GOA, CRPA, JPFO, etc.! But do something to make a difference."

Roger that ~ I belong to the NRA, GOA, OFF and Liberty Belles.

[EdReform]

NRA bump!

[uncbob]

My take is simple: If you own a gun, you should belong to the NRA. Or the GOA, CRPA, JPFO, etc.! But do something to make a difference.

That is why I don't have much hope for the future

Over 50,000,000 or so gun owners

The NRA etc should tens of millions of members

Unfortunately only several million are carrying the water for the rest

Cost of membership is not the problem
APATHY and stupidity is

[EdReform]

I have to agree. I gave a neighbor a coupon for $10 off NRA membership and last time I talked to them, they still hadn't joined.

Once my budget will allow it, I'll be changing my regular NRA membership to Life member.

I also belong to SAF.