Anybody else been getting their alerts from the NRA, since the Tuscon incident? Before anyone freaks......I'm a 2nd amendment supporter. That being said.....I do see the NRA as being on the fringe. Does anyone else (that feels they can admit it)?
Yeah, common sense with the NRA is not always there . But I'm a member for a couple of reasons. 1. Strong supporter of the 2nd, 2. No other group has as much power defending that right as the NRA. 3. I get hearing aid benefits through them (which I need). One problem I have is they take my $35 a year and spend probably $15 of that a year on postage sending me crap on renewing and to send more money. For heavens sake if you would not waste so much money on mailing crap you would not need more money. Yes, they are the fringe. I love my guns and the NRA is the best chance of keeping things the way they are.
I am a life time NRA member... I think they HAVE to be a little over the top to keep us on an even line. Think about how things have just kind of shifted on us...if they just "ban hi cap magazines", then they would ban "guns with just a pistol grip" we would soon be with England and Australia in having NO rights. If you slide things in on folks, its the boil the frog analogy... I think they need to keep it past the center-line to maintain what we have.
No offense, but this line in the sand is about as ludicrous as the liberal battle cry (at election time) that the republicans want to take away the elderly's medicare and the downtrodden's welfare. There's just no historical basis in truth to it. It's a fear-monger tactic. And, I despise both factions for using them.
There is a huge amount of money spent every year by anti-handgunners, and just plain anti-gun. This is not fear mongering, this is fact. I have spent significant time in places they (anti gun folks) want to adopt thier values. UK is one. You can't reload ammo in UK. I like making my own ammo. You can't have a pistol in UK. I like my pistols. You can't own a semi auto rifle. I like my semi auto rifle. You can't fox hunt in the UK, you can't even bowhunt in the UK. Fact, they lost thier rights with this pie in the sky thinking waiting for historical basis. I mean, I suppose you can put your head in the sand and wait until we start losing rights before (historical basis) you decide its important enough. What I suggest is look at the numbers. Look at the agenda of the opposing side. Look at the historic basis where it happened in other countries. Look at how much we have aligned our values with these countries in the past 20 years. Its all out there.
BC...really, don't patronize me with the "head in the sand" comment. I'm at least as smart as the avg. bear. Why cite other countries? Just fight the anti's legislation introductions (these exist....don't they?? Or, is this part of the fear-mongering??) by citing the most powerful argument available to US citizens.......THE US Constitution. The fear-mongering is the part I despise.
Listen, Jeff, you do have your head in the sand. You are a smart guy I am sure but in this case you refuse to see any other data than the things that agree with you position. This is head in the sand syndrome. Why cite other countries? Common sense, plain and simple. It scares me to death seeing how far we have gone aligning our values with Europe. Patriot act was an eye opener. Your argument is akin that you bought a water heater and like it, but this same model water heater has conclusively burned up several houses down the road. But, you look at the literature and it says its safe and think it could never happen. Here is the literature to ensure you its been tested by some lab. Thats seeing things as you want to see them. Thats head in the sand. Data is out there, but you refuse to even look at it.
I'm just asking you to cite me real legislature put forth by the antis that's cutting into our second amendment rights (legislation that's not been shot down/found unconstitutional). Do that....and I may change my tune. The chicken little crap ain't gettin' it.
exactly, the antis practice just as much "nutjobbery" as the NRA does... imho, the NRA is much more upfront about their nutjobbery and the antis are a bit more subtle and devious with theirs, making it much more insidious... I support the nra, but I don't like their tactics either... but I understand why they have to employ such tactics...
Agreed. The fringe exists on both sides. I'm not choosing sides, here. My allegiance is with the constitution. BC.......it's just a discussion. I'm not trying to stir anything up. Just pointing out that the NRA is on the fringe, also (IMO). I've been getting a LOT of emails and literature, lately (since Obama was inaugurated....and since the Tuscon shooting).
I would still be a member if they didn't spend more money than I give them trying to get me to give them more money. People are either going to join or not, why waste so much money trying to get the ones that join to give more money. Stupid. Spend the money they get on lobbyists pushing the cause and none trying to get more money from members and I'll rejoin.
Try to hunt with lead in CA, legally transport guns in NJ and get arrested and have to be exonerated by the Gov, have the Gov of NY hire folks to try and get straw man purchases in VIRGINIA, get arrested in DC for having Ammo - but no registered gun to use it - those are just off the top of my head. It is a slow creep that gets you, not the quick fast ones. Your head may not be in the sand, but I guarantee it isn't in the same places I go to on a regular basis regarding the 2nd Amendment. I build and collect certain weapons and intend to gunsmith in my retirement and have a "light" C&R FFL now to collect with and get discounts at some of the vendors I do a lot of business with, and will get a gunsmith FFL when I retire. I reload - just came upstairs from my Dillon RL-550B cranking out .223. So I guess you can call it fear mongering, or really I may just be better informed then you on something your not gonna see even on the non lib channels like Fox - stuff like this doesn't make the news - on purpose in many cases. http://www.saf.org/ start here if you care to
How do you feel about not being able to posess a Bazooka? Live grenades? Cruise missiles? Are these infringements on your 2nd amendment rights? Then why are the things you mentioned? What I despise about these conversations is...............common sense is typically not welcomed. And, the fringe reigns supreme. IMO, the die-hard NRA'ers present a false dichotomy to even some of it's members and 2nd amendment supporters ---------"You're either 100% with us.....or, you're against us". And, that's ridiculous.
I was just going to say these exact things. Also, look at CA and how they cannot have more than 5 rounds in a pistol. Must have clips (not magazines) for certain types of firearms. Magazines on others are bolted in. No pistol grips on certain firearms. It goes on, and on, and on... Here's more: http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/pubfaqs.php I don't reload. Yet. Right now, I shoot three calibers: .45ACP, .22LR and 12ga. I'm tempted to get an M4/AR. But, I'm planning on a nice lever action before that. I refuse to join the NRA simply because of the complains I've been hearing about fund raising and some of the others. Don't get me wrong, I very much support the Second Amendment. But, there's other ways to support it than through the NRA. I'll have to add that site you posted to these others that I'm still reading through: http://appleseedinfo.org/ http://oathkeepers.org/oath/ http://www.idpa.com/
Yeah, I'm all about folks having access to "military" hardware - your doing exactly what you are saying you hate...taking it to an extreme. There are laws - NFA/1968 GCA etc that are set in stone and make sense, but criminals don't follow the law...so laws are only for folks who care to follow them. I gave real world examples of how the 2nd Amendment is being slowly eroded and you give me jackassery.
I'm not saying the NRA is perfect, but they do what they do to keep folks filling the coffers, legal defense is not cheap. Like I said, I am a life member, get my magazine and don't pay attention to all the other noise, but they are invaluable to our protection of rights. I also am a member of the SAF that I posted the link to up a ways and a small number of other legal defense funds who have been involved in the recent overturns of the DC gun cases. No money, no defense.
