Is the NRA Leadership Wimping out?
June 9, 2000
More and more these days, I'm hearing voices of dissension in the hunting & shooting community concerning the National Rifle Association (NRA). Is it not possible that those who have been immersed for so long in the ever-corruptive political climate of Washington, D.C. have become diseased, like so many of our Senators and Representatives, into believing that compromise is the only way to victory? Unfortunately, that is the word on the street... or more accurately, the word at the shooting range, in the woods, and around the campfire. For a good read on the subject, try William F. Jasper's article, The NRA's Gun Control Schizophrenia.
Yes, I am a proud member of the NRA. And yes, I doubt the strength of their stance on many issues. Do I know of a better, or more steadfast, organization to fight for the rights of gun owners? I'm not sure. I do know that I'm hearing more and more about Gun Owners of America (GOA), and I like what I'm hearing.
A quote on GOA's website, by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), classifies GOA as "the only no-compromise gun lobby in Washington." I gotta say, I like the sound of that. Their website offers many useful services, such as the ability to enter your ZIP code and immediately receive names and contact info on Federal elected officials for your district, and also offers an easy link to info on your state elected officials. The site is crawling with news and alerts on various anti-gun measures, including info on recent votes, current bills, etc.
This writing is coming from a diehard NRA member. I'm also one of those guys who believes that giving an inch will result in the opposition taking a mile or more. And I'm telling you, this is getting to be a lot to take. It's bad enough (make that damnably bad) that our country is headed by a pompous, self-serving excuse for a president who circumvents Congress in order to apply extortion tactics to privately held firearm manufacturers, among numerous other reprehensible acts he has performed. A military-style armed invasion of a private home in the southern end of my home state recently reminded me that no low is too low for this administration. Must we endure a wavering and wilting gun lobby as well? In these days when even so-called comic strips tread on the name of gun owners and classify hunters as people who "grab guns, go outside, and just start shooting anything that moves," don't we need a definitive leader in the fight for our rights?
Far be it from me to liken Mr. Charlton Heston to Bill Clinton, perish the thought!! However, I do see many signs of wavering and inconsistency, many of which are mentioned in the aforementioned article; I urge everyone to read it, regardless of your leanings on this issue.
Personally, I am undecided on whether or not to abandon the NRA just yet. When, for example, they consistently support the National Instant Check System (NICS) in spite of the fact that Attorney General Janet Reno, the Department of Justice, and the FBI are flying in the face of the law by turning this "instant check" system into a national registration of folks applying to buy guns, I do have my doubts. Serious doubts.
Update (5/17/2007): I let my NRA membership lapse several years ago, and am now a life member of GOA.
-Russ Chastain
Follow this link for another example of NRA climbing into bed with anti-gunners.
