Posted on 03/28/2018 8:44:39 AM PDT by Liberty7732
I’ve never been interested in guns. I grew up with guns. I went hunting. I own a gun. But I have no real interest in them as many of my friends and family do, who will talk my ears off about guns in much the same way many talk about cars or fishing or football.
I’ve never been a member of the NRA. Never sent them a dime. When I was a lonely conservative in a sea of liberals while working at daily newspapers in the ’80s and ’90s, I had an NRA bumper sticker posted in my cubicle for everyone to see. But that was just to drive my colleagues bananas, which it did along with the Ten Commandments plaque.
However, I’ve long understood the Second Amendment. It is clear it was the Second to buttress the First when there were eight other slots for it in the Bill of Rights. The framers considered the right to bear arms as both the natural right of humans for self defense and as a last line of defense against a government intent on destroying the rights enumerated in the First Amendment and the rest of the Constitution. A well-armed citizenry is very difficult for a tyrannical government to subjugate.
The National Rifle Association is the nation’s preeminent defender of the Second Amendment. I sometimes have thought they were too rigid in their slippery slope concept, but generally supported what they did. I just never joined.
I can’t really explain why. It’s certainly not any antipathy towards guns. It’s not any misunderstanding that the Second Amendment is about hunting. Perhaps, it was partially as a single-income family with eight children — I’m a lifelong tightwad. But really, 20 years ago, surrounded by newsroom liberals and fighting those battles on every issue, perhaps even I didn’t want to be painted as an “extremist” on just one issue.
All that has changed.
Watching the now abusive nature of the militant and dangerous part of the left in this country, willing to use emotionally traumatized teens to further their autocratic government agenda to weaken this indispensable American right, it’s become clear that the NRA, and as importantly, its membership, is a bulwark against the further diminution of American civil liberties.
This is a straightforward response to the wild and irresponsible reactionary Left since the Parkland shootings. From the vicious attacks on NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch at the CNN “townhall” and afterwards, to the abusive use of emotional teens to pursue a radical leftist agenda by professional activist organizations such as the Women’s March and Black Lives Matter, to the Democrats smelling another opportunity to regain power — their issue du jour — I realized that the NRA has become one of the indispensable front lines of defense for Americans and our ultimate ability to defend ourselves against attackers and our rights against a coercive government.
The NRA’s actions are about more than just gun rights. They are about the rest of the Constitution, too. They suffer the slings and arrows and absorb the blows that the Progressive Left and their propagandists in the traditional media would otherwise be aiming at individual, traditional Americans.
They form a front line of defense and they can rally a deep reservoir of traditionalist Americans like few other groups. While their focus is Second Amendment, their impact is much broader and far reaching.
At its core, the NRA is a civil rights organization. Sure, the media and rest of the Left will scoff at that. But then they consider Al Sharpton and the Southern Poverty Law Center civil rights leaders. So they obviously don’t understand actual civil rights. But that is exactly the role the NRA is now playing in our country: Defender of American civil rights. And it may be one of the most indispensible such organizations out there because of its focus on the amendment that acts as a fists-up defense of all the others.
So if the NRA has been defending the Right that is the last-line defense for all other Rights — which is essentially what the NRA has been doing for the past 100 years, but much more so in recent decades — then the reality is that their only real extremism is in defense of liberty. And as Barry Goldwater said: “Moderation in the protection of liberty is no virtue; extremism in the defense of freedom is no vice.”
What’s may be most meaningful about the NRA is that, unlike many leftist groups funded by the likes of George Soros, its strength is not in its money, whether through campaign contributions or other promotions. The NRA has donated less than $4 million to congressional races in the past 20 years. That is essentially a rounding error in the total amount spent on congressional races in that time. Even the liberal Vox has figured this out and reported it honestly when talking about the donations to Sen. John Cornyn, who is one of the top recipients with $30,000 since 2002:
“But it was a drop in his much bigger ocean of donations. In 2014 he raised $14 million, including $57,000 from Exxon alone. The NRA was nowhere near his top 15 biggest donor contributors. All of the money the NRA has given Cornyn for more than a decade might pay for about 1 percent of his fundraising for one election cycle — and Cornyn is one of the biggest recipients of NRA cash in Congress.
No. It’s strength is in its people, in the millions of members that it bands together to protect this essential right that the framers raised up to second in line. These members vote in high numbers and they vote heavily on this issue. That is where the NRA’s power comes from — the power of democracy in action by an activated electorate.
But knowing all this, I still had not joined. Until now. Watching the now abusive nature of the militant and dangerous left in this country, willing to use emotionally traumatized teens to further their autocratic government agenda to weaken this indispensable American right, it’s become clear that the NRA, and as importantly, its membership, is a bulwark against the further diminution of American civil liberties.
And for that great and noble cause, today I’ve joined the NRA.
In his last senate race , the NRA did not endorse him , nor IIRC did it in the previous one.
--it is disgusting to see this oft repeated lie that "the NRA endorsed Harry Reid", as an excuse for being anti-NRA---
Just renewed my NRA membership yesterday.
I also joined the NRA last month and recently received my Gold and Black cap as a Thank You.
Over 40 years ago, I had a pleasant encounter meeting Alan Gottlieb of C.C.R.K.B.A. (Citizen's Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms) and the Second Amendment Foundation. I will put those folks out there also as organizations to defend the cause.
Joined last month.I don’t own a gun, but I know how to shoot, and have taken the NRA Gun Safety Class. I joined for a couple of reasons: 1. Mr. Redhead joined as a Life Member in the early 80’s. I wanted to honor his patriotism . 2. My son has a CCW and carries everywhere we go. Even (especially) to church. I hope to keep my membership active, and eventually to afford a weapon of my own. :o)
The NRA should be pushing legal action in ALL states with laws which infringe upon the rights recognized in the second amendment. That includes any licensing or permit requirements, limits on open or concealed carry or outright bans on weapons. IOW, they're gonna need a bigger bankroll.
I heard on the radio earlier that a NJ teacher's aide has been arrested for having a handgun in her purse. It was apparently spotted by some liberal busybody (not shown or brandished) who freaked out and reported it. Perfect test case.
I joined for the first time a week ago. I’ve agreed with the NRA for years and finally came to the conclusion that I could no longer sit back and leave to others the responsibility of fighting for my rights for me. I will remain a member from now on. There’s some lasting change the Gun Grabbers managed to accomplish.
I’ve got two good friends who see things as I do. I will work on them to join the fight as well.
That said, if you're an American concerned about liberty, you should be a member, even when the NRA goes squishy. However, there are other groups that are quite a bit more hardcore that deserve your support as well, if you can afford it.
One of my absolute favorites, because they don't back down at all from the racist origins of gun control is Jews for the Preservation of Firearm Ownership (JPFO). Thankfully, you don't have to be Jewish to be a member, which would rule me out. Their style of hard-hitting advocacy is something I really respect and admire.
Another great group is Gun Owners of America (GOA). Like JPFO, GOA is quite a bit more in your face than the NRA ever even thinks of being. GOA does not have the word "compromise" in their vocabulary, except perhaps as a swear word. They are worth checking out if you already haven't, and supporting if you can.
A few Democrat politicians have supported our Second Amendment, and many common Democrats do. Everyone who supports our Second Amendment right should join, in my opinion, and be supported for their contribution in return.
We can catch more flies with honey, you know. We won’t get the mean Democrats, which is a good thing. But we can get the stupid ones who smarten up.
;-)
I do not care for the NRA, GOA member in good standing.
The NRA could dump its entire budget into California, New York, New Jersey , etc., without any effect--that's why they have to pick fights carefully--
I have my own differences with the NRA, but they are the biggest gorilla on the gun rights block, and they are usually very effective, so I maintain my membership.
I live in Southern CA.
My bright Red Dodge Challenger sports “TRUMP 45” Vanity License Plates, an NRA Sticker and a “Peace Through Superior Firepower” Sticker.
Everywhere I go is an adventure. Most of the time I get thumbs up and I have had many conversations in Grocery Store Parking Lots with like minded people.
When I’m stopped at a Red Light, I see the people stopped behind me reaching for their Cell Phones to take a picture of my License Plate. My Wife kids me that my License Plate must be all over Fakebook and the Internet.
I also get flipped off now and again and I even had some Mexican Dude start yelling and screaming like a nut about how bad POTUS Trump is when I was pulling away from the Gas Pump at Costco.
My Wife is fearful for my safety and even wanted me to take the Plates off after the Costco incident. No way Jose. I make the best of living behind enemy lines.
Actually, the NRA did endorse Reid in 2010.
It is one of the differences I have with them. However, it certainly was not enough to make me jump ship.
I notice the guy waited to start yelling until you were pulling away.
I was sitting in my Car and about to start it to pull away when he walks in front of my Car and leans against the Gas Pump.
He then asks me about the Plate. He says, Trump the 45th President? I reply, yep, love the guy. Then he just erupts as I’m sitting there. Had no idea what he was capable of, so I just said, well this is America.
He storms back to his Car which was two Aisles over. I caught him walking away ranting and raving on my Dash Cam which clicked on when I started the Car.
Right before this happened, I was just finishing putting Gas in my Car. The Car in front of me pulled away. The guy behind me driving an SUV decides he can’t wait 15 seconds for me to finish and proceeds to pull around my Car and back in to use the front Pump.
I think to myself, what a Jerk, and finish up. After the Nutcase comes over to berate me and leaves, I start to pull away and the guy who pulled his SUV in front of me says “he’s right you know” as I go by him. That told me he just pulled the stunt of blocking me in because he didn’t like my Plate either. He was a Black guy, so I guess he thought I was a Racist for supporting Trump...
I replied, yep, this is America and I decided not to Vote for the Butcheress of Benghazi.
I am a life member, but the NRA does offer a $10/yr “Associate” membership for those who may want to join but perhaps want to put more efforts into other gun rights groups. However, the NRA is definitely the biggest gorilla on the gun rights block as you say. Associate members will not receive the magazine choices from the NRA.
Love that Impala. My Father had a couple of early 60’s hardtops way back when.
My Best Friends Dad had a Black 1967 Impala SS 396 when I was a kid. It’s on my Lotto Car wish list.
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