Why the NRA?

[clublights]

I need some help to wrap my brain around this a bit better...

Why do the anti's as a whole think the NRA is so powerful and so totally evil?

They act as if the NRA eats babes and kicks puppies all day and night.
They act as if the NRA has total and complete power over any firearm and firearm owner...
They act as if the NRA controls every aspect of manufacturing of firearms as well as make a direct profit from every gun, bullet and accessory sold.
They act as if the NRA is just the KKK in new clothes.


Why are these things ?

Anyone shed some light on it other then "They are just bat shit crazy"

[TheGrey]

I think it has too with the fact that the NRA is a pretty powerful lobbying force, and the fact that it's members don't roll over and pretend not to care. Any sort of resistance to the antis is met with confusion and bewildered hurt.

[theGinsue]

While there are some up & coming organizations out there, the NRA is the most powerful PRO-2A organization in existence; mostly due to its huge member base. Because of this, the NRA continues to keep the Anti's from completely eliminating our 2A rights (save the debates over the motives & compromises of the NRA for another thread).

This makes the NRA the primary "bad guy" in the eyes of the Anti's. Weaken or destroy the NRA and they can eventually win their cause.

Unfortunately, many members of the NRA, and others who support the NRA and 2A aren't as firmly planted in their "shall not be infringed" convictions as many of us. Using inevitable atrocities such as mass shootings or any violent crime where a firearm was used to claim it's the NRA's fault for not allowing "common sense" gun laws to be put into effect turns many of these wishey-washey Pro-2A supporters into Anti-2A believers. The anti-NRA dogma also works to keep many others from becoming new members. New members are critical to maintaining the member base as older members eventually die off. Incrementalism. Slowly erode the grass-roots support & eventually the NRA will be effectively neutered of it's lobbying and member-base power.

Additionally, the anti-2A/predominantly liberal mindset of "believe as I believe or you're not just wrong but my enemy as well" remains a pervasive characteristic of these folks.

ETA: TheGrey replied while I was typing my response. She hit the nail on the head.

[clublights]

See that is part of it for me ..

The NRA has 5mil or so member which is only about 1.5% of the US population. While yes 5 million is a LOT of people 1.5% is not a very large percentage of the population.

[asmo]

Read Rules for Radicals and you will understand.

* RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.” Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy.

[theGinsue]

See that is part of it for me ..


The NRA has 5mil or so member which is only about 1.5% of the US population. While yes 5 million is a LOT of people 1.5% is not a very large percentage of the population.

You're right, but 5 million individual voices through 1 powerful lobbying group tends to be heard better than 50 million individual voices on their own.

ETA: Excellent post asmo. Simple, yet quite accurate.

[Rabid]

You all are hinting around the reason besides Asmo. They can say "it is the NRA " and make it seem like one evil entity instead of saying "the millions of people who are the NRA".

[Bailey Guns]

Liberals never argue using logic to support their position because it rarely does. They argue from an emotional perspective. Furthermore, the truth can't support their agenda so they have to "change" the truth to fit their cause, just like with any other subject they argue against.

Liberals have lie to get their way. It's pretty much that simple.

[spqrzilla]

See that is part of it for me ..

The NRA has 5mil or so member which is only about 1.5% of the US population. While yes 5 million is a LOT of people 1.5% is not a very large percentage of the population.

But those 5 million are opinion leaders for many more motivated millions.

When polled, five or six times as many people claim to be NRA members than NRA's membership stats show.

The power of the NRA is true grass roots, unlike Bloomberg's astroturf organizations. The NRA lobbyists are powerful because of the people behind them, NRA lobbyists actually have very little hard cash behind them compared to other lobbying organizations.

[Jeffrey Lebowski]

I get a huge kick out of it when the media calls the NRA a front group for all the manufacturers. They are the NRA.

Uhh…no. We are.