Once again, as NRA deals with the serious business of gun control on the national level, the financial opportunists - GOA and JPFO - come out of the woodwork to nip at its heels and try to squeeze every dollar out of the well-intentioned but frustrated gun-owner. Truly dispicable.
As a focused association of 4 million members, NRA is the standard target for these tiny "send us your money instead" groups. But "attacking NRA" is an industry with these mouths - spin and inflate NRA's position (regardless of what that position is) to something truly twisted - to try to enrage enough gun-owners that they become convinced NRA is evil (pronounced ee-vil, of course). When you are as small as GOA and JPFO, it doesn't take many - 01% of NRA members is a BOON to their pocketbooks - to get yourselves some fast loot.
Their latest betrayal of the Second Amendment is to oppose NRA on opening the mental health records of those who have been adjudicated by a court to be a danger to themselves or others in the wake of the VT shooting. This common sense approach to a solution is drawing support from even the Democrats controlling Congress, who appear uneasy with further restrictions on gun-owners. (Again, due to the fine work of NRA over the last decade. More on that later.) Of course, these inflammatory "hate NRA, pay for our mortgages" groups are quick on the scare tactic trigger, calling the idea "more gun control", inferring that even the average mental health patient will be in danger of never owning guns again.
Of course, they won't educate anyone that NRA's position is both specific and unchanged. A person MUST be adjudicated by a court to be a danger to themselves or others, not simply under care of a doctor or even exhibiting eccentric "Brittney Spears"-type behavior in public. This has always been NRA's position, only now, it is worth money for GOA and JPFO to publicly attack it. Despite the fact that Congress is NOT attacking gun-owners and IS moving toward NRA's position, these "sky is falling" groups will serve the Second Amendment badly and oppose real progress.
This should surprise no one. It was the same story years ago, when GOA opposed NRA's relaxed CCW policies in states like Michigan and Texas. (Now over 40 states enjoy relaxed CCW policies!) Or when GOA supported the father of gun confiscation when they vigorously endorsed Republican Dan Lungren in his 1998 bid for California governor just months after he banned SKS Sporters and ORDERED THEIR CONFISCATION. JPFO has drifted far from it's roots of educating the public about the horrors gun control has perpetrated on the Jewish community to simply become another "barking dog" whenever something important happens and NRA takes a stand.
And of course, the liberal media is eager to take advantage of GOA's and JPFO's rants to confuse the issue, presenting the idiotic views of these RKBA goons as that of the "gun lobby" in an attempt to side-step NRA's point-of-view and misrepresent gun-owners as non-thinking, uncaring neandrethals. They make America's gun-owners appear unwilling and unable to co-exist in modern-day America.
And speaking of media, the differing responses of GOA and NRA following the tragedy are worth noting. Anti-gunners were in front of microphones within an hour to try to spin the event into a call for more gun control. Their eagerness to gain politically from such a tragedy was discussed with disgust by several shocked commentators, personally overheard by yours truly. But was the "gun lobby" any more respectful? Not if you based your view on GOA! Getting between these charlatans and a microphone at such a time is a dangerous place to be - GOA was eager to put their mugs on TV and jump right in! (And some of those interviews are truly regrettable from ANY perspective.)
In contrast, NRA issued this brief statement:
-----
Monday, April 16, 2007
The National Rifle Association joins the entire country in expressing our deepest condolences to the families of Virginia Tech University and everyone else affected by this horrible tragedy.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families.
We will not have further comment until all the facts are known.
-----
Yes, NRA exhibited true class, but you guessed it - it was too late. The liberal media quickly noted how "both sides" were quick to try to gain politically from this tragic event. In reality, it wasn't NRA, or Smith & Wesson or Remington - it was GOA that brought that shame to "the gun lobby". After all, they have car payments to make! (And they need some of you out there to make them.)
We can thank NRA that anti-gunners have been unable to gain traction within the Democrat Party in recent times. The losses of Gore and Kerry combined with countless other federal and state seats have made a strong impression on Democrat leaders and consultants, who, after 2006, have been reminded how nice "winning" can be. Thankfully, there is no doubt about the initials of the group that delivered those defeats - NRA.
While NRA conducts the serious business of protecting gun-rights, GOA and JPFO have donned their standard mode of operation - that of the disloyal opposition in search of "bucks". We can be thankful that government officials pay them no mind, aware of the foolishness of their "automatically-anti-NRA" press releases and statements. Now it is up to the unsuspecting gun-owner, who may have sent money to these tiny groups, to realize how their valuable RKBA dollar is being abused.
Mike Haas
As a focused association of 4 million members, NRA is the standard target for these tiny "send us your money instead" groups. But "attacking NRA" is an industry with these mouths - spin and inflate NRA's position (regardless of what that position is) to something truly twisted - to try to enrage enough gun-owners that they become convinced NRA is evil (pronounced ee-vil, of course). When you are as small as GOA and JPFO, it doesn't take many - 01% of NRA members is a BOON to their pocketbooks - to get yourselves some fast loot.
Their latest betrayal of the Second Amendment is to oppose NRA on opening the mental health records of those who have been adjudicated by a court to be a danger to themselves or others in the wake of the VT shooting. This common sense approach to a solution is drawing support from even the Democrats controlling Congress, who appear uneasy with further restrictions on gun-owners. (Again, due to the fine work of NRA over the last decade. More on that later.) Of course, these inflammatory "hate NRA, pay for our mortgages" groups are quick on the scare tactic trigger, calling the idea "more gun control", inferring that even the average mental health patient will be in danger of never owning guns again.
Of course, they won't educate anyone that NRA's position is both specific and unchanged. A person MUST be adjudicated by a court to be a danger to themselves or others, not simply under care of a doctor or even exhibiting eccentric "Brittney Spears"-type behavior in public. This has always been NRA's position, only now, it is worth money for GOA and JPFO to publicly attack it. Despite the fact that Congress is NOT attacking gun-owners and IS moving toward NRA's position, these "sky is falling" groups will serve the Second Amendment badly and oppose real progress.
This should surprise no one. It was the same story years ago, when GOA opposed NRA's relaxed CCW policies in states like Michigan and Texas. (Now over 40 states enjoy relaxed CCW policies!) Or when GOA supported the father of gun confiscation when they vigorously endorsed Republican Dan Lungren in his 1998 bid for California governor just months after he banned SKS Sporters and ORDERED THEIR CONFISCATION. JPFO has drifted far from it's roots of educating the public about the horrors gun control has perpetrated on the Jewish community to simply become another "barking dog" whenever something important happens and NRA takes a stand.
And of course, the liberal media is eager to take advantage of GOA's and JPFO's rants to confuse the issue, presenting the idiotic views of these RKBA goons as that of the "gun lobby" in an attempt to side-step NRA's point-of-view and misrepresent gun-owners as non-thinking, uncaring neandrethals. They make America's gun-owners appear unwilling and unable to co-exist in modern-day America.
And speaking of media, the differing responses of GOA and NRA following the tragedy are worth noting. Anti-gunners were in front of microphones within an hour to try to spin the event into a call for more gun control. Their eagerness to gain politically from such a tragedy was discussed with disgust by several shocked commentators, personally overheard by yours truly. But was the "gun lobby" any more respectful? Not if you based your view on GOA! Getting between these charlatans and a microphone at such a time is a dangerous place to be - GOA was eager to put their mugs on TV and jump right in! (And some of those interviews are truly regrettable from ANY perspective.)
In contrast, NRA issued this brief statement:
-----
Monday, April 16, 2007
The National Rifle Association joins the entire country in expressing our deepest condolences to the families of Virginia Tech University and everyone else affected by this horrible tragedy.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families.
We will not have further comment until all the facts are known.
-----
Yes, NRA exhibited true class, but you guessed it - it was too late. The liberal media quickly noted how "both sides" were quick to try to gain politically from this tragic event. In reality, it wasn't NRA, or Smith & Wesson or Remington - it was GOA that brought that shame to "the gun lobby". After all, they have car payments to make! (And they need some of you out there to make them.)
We can thank NRA that anti-gunners have been unable to gain traction within the Democrat Party in recent times. The losses of Gore and Kerry combined with countless other federal and state seats have made a strong impression on Democrat leaders and consultants, who, after 2006, have been reminded how nice "winning" can be. Thankfully, there is no doubt about the initials of the group that delivered those defeats - NRA.
While NRA conducts the serious business of protecting gun-rights, GOA and JPFO have donned their standard mode of operation - that of the disloyal opposition in search of "bucks". We can be thankful that government officials pay them no mind, aware of the foolishness of their "automatically-anti-NRA" press releases and statements. Now it is up to the unsuspecting gun-owner, who may have sent money to these tiny groups, to realize how their valuable RKBA dollar is being abused.
Mike Haas
Last edited:
Thank you for illustrating my point. Actually,I was referring more to the posts on THR than to any organization although it applies there as well. Infighting will not accomplish anything more than giving the gun grabbers more to work with and to use against us. THAT IS a d--n shame! Jimmy Ray Thomason
