That's a bit convoluted and demonizing for me, and kind of damages my reception of your other remarks. I consider the NRA a respectable and vital organization, much like the ACLU.
i used to think the NRA was a respectable organization, misguided though i find some of their arguments on gun rights to be. i find it tiring to admit that i've been participating in this debate for over 20 years and we seem to only move towards greater armament of criminals despite overwhelming evidence from other countries that certain specific legal restrictions work to deter criminals from possessing guns.
20 years ago, the NRA did a lot of respectable work, and still operate one of the best training courses for the under-18 crowd. over the last 20 years, as it's become obvious the NRA represents gun manufacturers more than the gun owners themselves, i continually question whether or not they are truly concerned with the safe and responsible operation of firearms by individuals.
as i said, when a percentage of every new gun sold goes into the NRA's operating fund, it's not difficult to imagine why the NRA's solution to all crime is "buy a gun". it's in their financial self-interest to keep guns flowing, and their rhetoric (especially LaPierre's "lack of government control after a disaster" speech to the Senate) is more alarmist and dystopian than ever. i find such talk to be irresponsible and completely divorced from what self-identified NRA members have been asking for, especially since the Newtown massacre. there was definitely a time when the NRA had my respect, but more and more they lose it when people like Wayne LaPierre opens his mouth to paint yet another grim and miserable picture of a society in disarray in which owning a gun is the only possible solution to survive.
I could replace a lot of the nouns in there with environmentalist causes and get back "Well of course solar and wind manufacturers donate to the Hugatree Foundation, they care about our right to breathe clean air. Yes it is true a Hugatree member endorsed forced sterilization of much of the population but he doesn't speak for them all, he retracted the remark, and he was just venting about the very legitimate concern of overpopulation". How much of your new animosity for them comes from years of struggling on the other side against them and hearing 'from a bad light' remarks directed at them?
That happens to me a lot, I'll have to stop and take a breath and remind myself that X group donating to Y cause is not corruption and sabotage of democracy but merely a combination of self-interest and agreeing with their cause. Same a lot of the nasty remarks directed at some public figure would be shrugged off as irrelevant or even positive if they were a neutral or an ally. I resent when they are directed at people I'm aligned to, and most of the time these days I can catch myself when I hear them directed at someone I'm opposed to and say "That really isn't relevant, that really does degrade both them and us"
You imply it is wrong that the NRA seems to view arming people in swaths as a goal, to you it apparently is, to me it is not. When the NRA says we should try to get more people armed I simply nod my head in approval, that it profits the gun manufacturers and the NRA not only doesn't bug me but is something I view as a positive thing. I'm glad a business I approve of has turned a tidy profit and I'm glad an organization I approve of has gained additional supporters/followers/funds to assist the cause.
Remember, I want virtually everyone armed and trained, I don't picture 99% of the population with a gun on their hip at all times but I would like most people to be comfortable with one and I'd like to know that if I walk into a room of a dozen random people the odds are at least one or two of them are packing and know how to use it.
You're essentially saying the NRA is wrong for pursuing a goal I entirely support and I don't think you've absorbed that. Your language is negative but you have still described activities by them which I find not only acceptable but actively approve of.
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- 22/03/2013 07:35:13 PM
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