| Jeff Higgins |
10-03-2015 04:49 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6
(Post 8820535)
Hey Jeff, good to hear. Is it possible to post official NRA press releases or other documentation showing exactly what was proposed? I would love to see it. And any counterpoint material.
If indeed the NRA has made proposals to help with the problem of mental illness and gun ownership, and they haven't been effective in enacting legislation, my point is proven: the NRA needs to lead on the subject and make it a public debate. The fact that the NRA's activities on the subject is not widely known means they are ineffective in publicizing that message. Blaming the media is not an option.
The NRA has a real chance to lead the nation on this topic and they aren't. They need to be as they are the only qualified organization in the country to do the job correctly.
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I would suggest simply perusing the NRA's website for their political arm, the ILA - Institute for Legislative Action. You should keep in mind, however, that there has been a decades-long effort put forth by the NRA in both legislative chambers and in courthouses that is not going to be available on the inter webs.
The NRA has no real publicity arm. While it is easy to keep abreast of their efforts if one is a member receiving their publications, they have no real way of informing the public at large. As a result, like many organizations, the only way non-members are aware of their activities is through the mainstream media. The mainstream media, unfortunately, is decidedly hostile to the NRA. They never miss an opportunity to deride the NRA or to blame the NRA for all manner gun crime, yet I cannot remember the last time I ever read a positive story about the NRA in a major news publication. So, yes, we can in fact blame the media for failing to report on the NRA's good works. They certainly have no trouble mentioning them at other times.
I'll bet you didn't know that the NRA trains more law enforcement officers in the use of firearms and tactics than law enforcement agencies themselves train. All with volunteer training staff, all trained by the NRA. I'll bet you didn't know that all NRA affiliated ranges provide free access to local law enforcement agencies for their own training programs. My own club hosts several local SWAT teams on Mondays. Fun guys to shoot with. The NRA's own publications outline all of this. We don't hold news conferences to announce these things...
What we cannot and will not do, however, is provide social programs for disaffected and troubled citizens. We will teach you the mechanics of shooting, firearms safety, hunters' education, and that sort of thing. Beyond offering our opinion on such matters, actually working on the social and familial influences that lay the groundwork for how one chooses to use their gun are well outside our scope. We, after all, learned such things from our parents and mentors at a very early age. We would hope you did, too. If you did not, there are certainly plenty of programs available to help one out in this regard. The NRA is ill equipped to provide yet another, nor do we have any obligation to do so.
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