The Triangle

Issue date: 5/6/05 Section: Ed-Op
Originally published: 5/4/05 at 8:24 PM EST
Last update: 5/5/05 at 10:47 PM EST

Media Credit: The Triangle Mack

The media has extensively portrayed the NRA as a lobbying group for the gun industry, bent on destroying the barriers that exist between citizens and obtaining firearms. When I have written commentaries supporting Second Amendment rights, many have called me a pundit for the NRA, hell-bent on chaos and destruction. I am a member of the NRA, and fully understand the efforts of both my organization and the anti-gun lobby to accomplish their goals.

The NRA was started by two Union officers right after the United States Civil War in an effort to improve marksmanship amongst some Union troops. General Ambrose Burnside, a resolute abolitionist, became the first President.

Michael Moore, filmmaker and left-wing activist, led viewers to believe in the movie "Bowling for Columbine" that the NRA somehow came about from former Ku-Klux-Klan members. Nevermind that nothing of the sort is historically accurate, the moral and ethical standards of its founding members were nearly impeccable. Those that started the NRA were stalwart civil rights activists.

As the organization grew, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) was formed. Their purpose is to lobby congress on issues important to their constituents - the members. They rate almost every state and federal election candidate according to their adherence to Second Amendment rights. The vast majority of the candidates sponsored by the NRA-ILA in elections end up winning. They are not elected to serve some evil gun-manufacturing lobby, but to serve the constituents of their district. The NRA makes it easy for citizens to identify those in favor of gun rights by rating the politicians who support them.

The NRA is not a corporate giant just funded by other corporate giants. A Zogby poll in 2000 found that around 20 million Americans align themselves withe NRA's belief system. The membership roster is just over four million dues-paying members, and 28 million believe that they are affiliated with the NRA through their local and state shooting clubs and activist organizations. The NRA is a grassroots effort by millions and of Americans to retain what they perceive are their Second Amendment rights. This effectively rebuts claims by much of the anti-gun lobby that the NRA is an arm of the gun industry, when in reality, it is a monstrous organization that has a diverse base of supporters.

Media Credit: National Rifle Association

The NRA established youth programs in an effort to encourage gun safety and shooting sports amongst adolescents. Their shooting competitions are attended and sponsored by the Boy Scouts of America, Future Farmers of America, 4-H clubs, American Legion posts, and Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps programs. The NRA provides tools necessary to promote clay-pigeon and target shooting amongst young adults, while also teaching the safe handling of a firearm.

"Eddie the Eagle" is a mascot of the NRA who teaches children what to do if they find a gun. "Stop! Don't Touch. Leave the Area. Tell an Adult," is a slogan used to tell kids what to do if they find a firearm lying around. This non-political, safety-oriented mantra is something anti-gun groups refuse to give the NRA credit for.

The NRA is not comprised of four million white, slightly overweight male rednecks from Alabama and Georgia. Members exist in all 50 states, with NRA-endorsed candidates in every election on the state and federal level. There are over 230 million firearms in the United States, with as many as 50 million gun-owning households.

Yet, the violent crime rate has been on a 10 year decline, dropping to their lowest rates since when the National Crime Victimization Survey was started in 1973. The population is beginning to realize that, since crime is consistently dropping every year and gun ownership is steadily increasing, guns may not be the best things to blame.

The Political Action Committee wing of the NRA is just one small aspect to an otherwise large group of people. Their bumper stickers for individual members proclaim "I am the NRA." Each member is an integral part of a collective of gun owners. Yes, there are executives and suits in the board room. Yes, they run election campaigns and endorse candidates. However, their motives are more pure than the politicians and media who decry them. They want to educate the public, the youth, and the bureaucrats in Washington about the benefits and safe operation of firearms. They promote awareness, not fear. Until people stop demonizing them, the ignorance directed towards the NRA will permeate through the population.



James Mack Jr. is a senior majoring in criminal justice and the editorial & opinion editor. Mr. Mack can be reached at ed-op@thetriangle.org

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools