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New group gunning to be NRA alternative
By Lew Freedman
Chicago Tribune
The membership of the National Rifle Association is 4 million and it is rare to hear a hunter or competitive shooter make strong statements against the organization.
That's because the NRA is viewed as the uncompromising, stalwart, shooters' rights defender.
So when Ray Schoenke, former Washington Redskins football player, a life-long gun owner and an avid hunter says, "They don't speak for me," it is an attention-getter.
Schoenke and his partners appeared at a national outdoor writers convention in Lake Charles, La., recently to muster awareness and support for the new American Hunters & Shooters Association, billed as an alternative to the NRA.
The association, said Schoenke, president of the new group, is more middle-of-the-road politically than the NRA.
"We think for most hunters and shooters, that's where they are," he said. "There's a middle ground."
The NRA's position on gun control is best epitomized by former group president Charlton Heston's legendary stance indicating the only way he would give up his gun is if someone pried it from his cold, dead hands.
For the Hunters & Shooters Association, the issues do not have to be black and white.
"No one needs an assault weapon," Schoenke said.
Robert Ricker, the Frederick, Md.-based group's executive director, said there are millions of Americans who are neutral, or who don't have informed opinions about gun ownership, hunting and the shooting sports, and they must be reached by an organization that doesn't seem extremist.
"We want to change the impression of hunting and shooting in the minds of the general public," Ricker said. "The heritage, the fathers and sons, gets forgotten. Instead, 'It's all bad.' What we have to do is teach all these people in the middle."
Not surprisingly, the NRA is attuned to such challenges from competing gun rights groups, hinting that the Hunters & Shooters Association might be a fifth column on the side of gun-possession foes. Though it sounds far-fetched in this case, the NRA says beware of enemy "antis" in sheep's clothing.
The Hunters & Shooters Association might be "trying to market itself as a hunting group," said NRA director of public affairs Andrew Arulanandam. "I would say they do support the (President) Clinton gun ban which encompasses semi-automatic weapons. We have no gray area in our support for hunting."
The NRA is the 800-pound gorilla. The organization has many friends who trust the NRA to head off threats to gun ownership and count on its lobbying muscle.
"We have a presence in Congress," Arulanandam said. "We have a presence in all 50 states. Politicians at all levels pay attention to us. We are the largest hunting organization in the country."
The Hunters & Shooters Association believes there is room for compromise in areas such as assault weapons. But the NRA has an all-or-nothing outlook and that approach has worked for it.
The NRA is well-funded, established, has a powerful voice and is a well-known brand name that resonates even with people who are not hunters and shooters.
The organization isn't welcoming because it doesn't see a need for assistance, certainly not from a group that might water down the NRA's hard-core message.
"If you are a law-abiding American, we don't think your (gun ownership) rights ought to be restricted," Arulanandam said. "We're interested in getting guns out of the hands of criminals. Go after the criminal. Leave the ownership of firearms to those people who aren't a problem."
The Hunters & Shooters Association has no illusions.
The NRA has millions of members and the new association has hundreds. Schoenke and Ricker are convinced that making believers out of the vast numbers of Americans who have no strong opinion about hunting or shooting sports can benefit activities.
Logic says they are right, that there are always many undecideds. But we live in a time when politics is dominated by sound bites, not well-thought-out views. The modern political world is characterized by absolute positions, not middle ground stands. The NRA is right at home with that.
The Hunters & Shooters Association is banking on a willingness to listen that may overestimate its intended audience.
"Part of our job is to bring back the view that hunting is our heritage," Schoenke said. "We don't want the soccer moms out there to be frightened of us. It takes time and it's hard."
New group gunning to be NRA alternative
By Lew Freedman
Chicago Tribune
The membership of the National Rifle Association is 4 million and it is rare to hear a hunter or competitive shooter make strong statements against the organization.
That's because the NRA is viewed as the uncompromising, stalwart, shooters' rights defender.
So when Ray Schoenke, former Washington Redskins football player, a life-long gun owner and an avid hunter says, "They don't speak for me," it is an attention-getter.
Schoenke and his partners appeared at a national outdoor writers convention in Lake Charles, La., recently to muster awareness and support for the new American Hunters & Shooters Association, billed as an alternative to the NRA.
The association, said Schoenke, president of the new group, is more middle-of-the-road politically than the NRA.
"We think for most hunters and shooters, that's where they are," he said. "There's a middle ground."
The NRA's position on gun control is best epitomized by former group president Charlton Heston's legendary stance indicating the only way he would give up his gun is if someone pried it from his cold, dead hands.
For the Hunters & Shooters Association, the issues do not have to be black and white.
"No one needs an assault weapon," Schoenke said.
Robert Ricker, the Frederick, Md.-based group's executive director, said there are millions of Americans who are neutral, or who don't have informed opinions about gun ownership, hunting and the shooting sports, and they must be reached by an organization that doesn't seem extremist.
"We want to change the impression of hunting and shooting in the minds of the general public," Ricker said. "The heritage, the fathers and sons, gets forgotten. Instead, 'It's all bad.' What we have to do is teach all these people in the middle."
Not surprisingly, the NRA is attuned to such challenges from competing gun rights groups, hinting that the Hunters & Shooters Association might be a fifth column on the side of gun-possession foes. Though it sounds far-fetched in this case, the NRA says beware of enemy "antis" in sheep's clothing.
The Hunters & Shooters Association might be "trying to market itself as a hunting group," said NRA director of public affairs Andrew Arulanandam. "I would say they do support the (President) Clinton gun ban which encompasses semi-automatic weapons. We have no gray area in our support for hunting."
The NRA is the 800-pound gorilla. The organization has many friends who trust the NRA to head off threats to gun ownership and count on its lobbying muscle.
"We have a presence in Congress," Arulanandam said. "We have a presence in all 50 states. Politicians at all levels pay attention to us. We are the largest hunting organization in the country."
The Hunters & Shooters Association believes there is room for compromise in areas such as assault weapons. But the NRA has an all-or-nothing outlook and that approach has worked for it.
The NRA is well-funded, established, has a powerful voice and is a well-known brand name that resonates even with people who are not hunters and shooters.
The organization isn't welcoming because it doesn't see a need for assistance, certainly not from a group that might water down the NRA's hard-core message.
"If you are a law-abiding American, we don't think your (gun ownership) rights ought to be restricted," Arulanandam said. "We're interested in getting guns out of the hands of criminals. Go after the criminal. Leave the ownership of firearms to those people who aren't a problem."
The Hunters & Shooters Association has no illusions.
The NRA has millions of members and the new association has hundreds. Schoenke and Ricker are convinced that making believers out of the vast numbers of Americans who have no strong opinion about hunting or shooting sports can benefit activities.
Logic says they are right, that there are always many undecideds. But we live in a time when politics is dominated by sound bites, not well-thought-out views. The modern political world is characterized by absolute positions, not middle ground stands. The NRA is right at home with that.
The Hunters & Shooters Association is banking on a willingness to listen that may overestimate its intended audience.
"Part of our job is to bring back the view that hunting is our heritage," Schoenke said. "We don't want the soccer moms out there to be frightened of us. It takes time and it's hard."
