Has the NRA lost its way?

SGT Jeremiah B. — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 16:47:09 -0400

In the wake of the Charleston massacre, NRA board member Charles Cotton blamed the massacre on the pastor. He said,

"And he voted against concealed-carry. Eight of his church members who might be alive if he had expressly allowed members to carry handguns in church are dead. Innocent people died because of his position on a political issue."

It doesn't matter how you slice it. That statement was patently wrong and utterly ridiculous. The pastor did not hold the shooter's hand or commit any offense aside from being black. While he wasn't speaking officially for the NRA, his comments reflect the mentality and perspective he brings to the table when the organization is making decisions.

I grew up in a very pro-2A family, but my father cancelled his NRA membership because he felt it was heading in the wrong direction. That it had increasingly shed reason and practicality in favor of extreme positions arrived at through fear (or possibly corruption). He felt the organization no longer represented the actual desires and concerns of most gun owners and has actually served to turn public opinion against gun ownership. I tend to agree with him.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/06/19/an-nra-board-member-blamed-a-murdered-pastor-for-the-deaths-in-charleston-yes-really/

SGT Private RallyPoint Member, MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca, SGT Efaw (Mick) G. , SFC Mark Merino , TSgt Hunter Logan

An NRA board member blamed the pastor killed in Charleston for the deaths of his members

"Innocent people died because of his position on a political issue."

Response by SGM Matthew Quick made Jun 19 at 2015 5:09 PM

SGM Matthew Quick — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 17:09:30 -0400

It's a shame, but each side will politicize this massacre.

Response by LTC Bink Romanick made Jun 19 at 2015 5:22 PM

LTC Bink Romanick — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 17:22:24 -0400

The NRA is a lobby not for the gun owners but for the gun manufacturers..you have to have a clientele so they target that sector of society that uses firearms.

Response by PO2 Skip Kirkwood made Jun 19 at 2015 5:29 PM

PO2 Skip Kirkwood — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 17:29:28 -0400

That was a ridiculous statement, but it was the statement of a person, not an organization.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Jun 19 at 2015 6:49 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 18:49:35 -0400

What a crap comment to make. Once again, all the ills of the world are boiled down to agenda setters. The two camps of 'if I only had a gun'....,and 'because they had a gun'. When I go to church, I don't expect snipers to defend me from the steeple. I do expect crazy people to act crazy and do crazy things when they are allowed to go through life crazy. Crazy is as crazy does. For political reasons, we hear the incidents of broken people carrying out their demented fantasies with a gun again, and again, and again. Welcome to the wonderful age of the internet. Nothing has changed, except the way we report get fed the news. Forget the fact that alcohol kills more people daily than all the nut jobs combined can do in years. Prohibition has been tried and failed and won't get any political hacks elected. Our own media is to blame. Take the time to unplug and think for yourself. There is never a focus on the happy median with them. The media demands absolute thinking. Why? It sells air time, endorsements, makes money, etc. Remember when the news was 1/2 an hour at 6am and at 11pm only? We learned more real things going on in the world when there was no time to waste. They did actual reporting. We live in the same world as back then, but this 24/7 reporting crap fills out the hours by pitting our citizens against each other. We are individually categorized into groups that we are expected to fall into. We believe we have freedom of speech, but what a load of garbage. In the words of Metallica, "you can do it your own way, if it's done just how I say." You are not allowed to disagree or you are a racist, an elitist, a gun nut, a baby killer, a stooge, a victim, a sexist, an illegal, a freeloader, the list is endless. Freedom of speech? Laughable. They own us. All they have to do is stick the camera in our face. Paranoid, long-ass, rant complete. Drops mike; exits stage left.

Response by TSgt Joshua Copeland made Jun 19 at 2015 7:07 PM

TSgt Joshua Copeland — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 19:07:12 -0400

Dude is an idiot.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 19 at 2015 7:16 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 19:16:43 -0400

"Never let a crisis go to waste" - Rahm Emanuel

I am not PC, but that is one of the most shameful, exploitive, and pandering statements I have heard in a long time. It made me blanch, and that is not easy. This guy needs to be fired, but not before being repudiated by the NRA. This is not a time to make points. It was in poor taste from the other side of the issue post Sandy Hook, and it is vile now.

Those people are dead because a douchebag wanted to kill in a racist orgy of loser-life depravity. Please, oh please put him in the regular prison population and let justice be served.

Response by Cpl Eric Witzel made Jun 20 at 2015 1:36 AM

Cpl Eric Witzel — Sat, 20 Jun 2015 01:36:20 -0400

The NRA lost their way long ago. The more you research about whom they lay in bed with the more you see the BS. I gave up my membership years ago and became a member of National Association of Gun Rights. I want to see my dues be put to good use not to pay their mouth piece $900,000 a year to make a few speeches.

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Jun 21 at 2015 9:49 PM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Sun, 21 Jun 2015 21:49:13 -0400

This was a horrible statement to make! The interpretation of 2A and it's support in it's current form will not allow it to be changed to support IMHO, effective gun control, because too many feel their rights will be infringed while those who side step the law, like the Charleston shooter, will still manage to get a hold of them. People that don't believe in carrying are still not going to carry, despite what the NRA may or may not think. IMHO, I don't believe that any of the unfortunate victims of this crime were gun carriers and would have pleaded religiously for the shooter to stop even if they were carrying. No one is at fault here because of a political decision.

Response by LCpl Mark Lefler made Jun 22 at 2015 1:07 PM

LCpl Mark Lefler — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 13:07:21 -0400

There's nothing wrong with wanting to defend firearms rights. To me though the NRA is cold and impersonal about tragedies that firearms are used in. I think they would do better being sympathetic then being cold about it.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 22 at 2015 2:46 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 14:46:23 -0400

NO NO NO!

Now that is absolutely the most foolish, ignorant thing to say! That's not a way, for sure, to win a second amendment argument. THIS is WAY TO EARLY to state what if's. I totally agree with you when you say it is wrong SGT Jeremiah B.

The only thing I do not agree with is with your assessment that this is going to be the cornerstone of all or most NRA members... You can't label them all because of that one a$$.

The NRA DID state that "individual board members DO NOT speak for the NRA and DO NOT have the AUTHORITY to speak for the NRA."

And I absolutely LOVE that there are police officers at school.

What this "man" said was tasteless, disgusting, he should come out with an apology if he hasn't all ready. To EVERY SINGLE family member, don't he dare address them as a group. Just irates me, people thinking they can treat others they way that they do.

Response by SSG Gerhard S. made Jun 22 at 2015 3:20 PM

SSG Gerhard S. — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 15:20:30 -0400

No.

Response by SSG Gerhard S. made Jun 22 at 2015 3:26 PM

SSG Gerhard S. — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 15:26:35 -0400

Pew actually shows that the favorability of gun ownership by Americans has actually gone UP. I know that doesn't fit the narrative of the Progressive left, so they just state the opposite, and hope nobody checks. Those who don't favor gun ownership WANT to believe the falsehood, and those who don't believe the falsehood don't care to check.

http://www.pewresearch.org/data-trend/domestic-issues/gun-control/

Gun Control

Response by TSgt Kenneth Ellis made Jun 22 at 2015 4:45 PM

TSgt Kenneth Ellis — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 16:45:38 -0400

Wrong. This is a house of worship not a war zone. I do not understand how he was able to reload without someone taking him down.

Response by SSG John Erny made Jun 22 at 2015 5:07 PM

SSG John Erny — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 17:07:17 -0400

I am a Benifactor member of the NRA. I do not agree with everything the NRA says but they are important when it comes to defending the 2A. Some on the left would love to make it impossible for anyone to have any kind of fire arm.

Response by MAJ Keira Brennan made Jun 22 at 2015 6:00 PM

MAJ Keira Brennan — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 18:00:54 -0400

IMHO The NRA are a bunch of bat-Scheiße fear-mongering white guys. Lapierre is at the front of that list.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 23 at 2015 7:26 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 19:26:07 -0400

The NRA, NAACP, it's all the same. Organizations rushing to the smoke of an incident with their soapboxes. The only one to blame here is the shooter. If all these organizations and media outlets would shut up for a second and take a breath, we might be able to concentrate on the family and their losses. That's all that matters.

Response by SMSgt Lawrence McCarter made Aug 30 at 2019 8:42 PM

SMSgt Lawrence McCarter — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 20:42:33 -0400

Seems the NRA was a place to learn to handle firearms safely and gun safety was the major program. Target shooting and Marksmanship badge which I did have mostly with .22 rifles while growing up. Responsible handling of firearms at all times. None of us were dangerous and had no mishaps and respected firearms and safety of others as well. Socialism has no place for even that and creating a fear of firearms instead of a respect for them. The attitudes they push are the problem and hateful approach to anyone that doesn't think like them and use of violence to drive the points home and try to get the Government to control everything. These are the people that threaten safety and infringe on the rights of other now to be able to have the potential to protect themselves from a Government that they are trying to change and not for the better. The NRA now is reacting to things that before weren't even an issue and laws that aren't being enforced against actual Criminals. The battle now is against evil individuals who want to disarm their victims and make it easier to prey on them ! Those that are misinformed play right into the hands of the criminals and self serving politicians without even knowing that is what they are doing.