Why Did The NRA Back Down From Open Carry Texas?
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“Open carry” protests are not only extremely dangerous, they are damaging to the cause of gun rights. The media loves to portray gun owners as dangerous and irresponsible, and these guys in Texas fit right into the stereotype.
That’s why the NRA’s condemnation of Open Carry Texas was such a relief — and their rapid apology was such a disappointment.
As the largest gun group in the country, the NRA has a responsibility to ensure that inflammatory tactics and reckless behavior don’t define the Second Amendment cause. They have the power to condemn these activities for what they are — not only unsafe but also counterproductive to passing better gun laws.
Yet the NRA is so terrified by the slightest hint of criticism from gun activists that it won’t take a stand.
Only a few days after the NRA released a statement criticizing the reckless tactics of open carriers — a position most NRA members would completely agree with — they flip flopped and apologized. NRA-ILA President Chris Cox said that a staffer had expressed his personal opinion and that the statement “shouldn’t have happened”.
As a gun owner and strong Second Amendment supporter, I am sick of seeing the NRA cave to the fringe.
This kind of thing is exactly why conservatives are still struggling to take power back in this country. We are our own worst enemies.
We have better ideas, better candidates and more grassroots passion – and yet we let ourselves be defined by talk radio types and weirdos who carry assault rifles into grocery stores.
It’s too bad the NRA doesn’t have the spine to stand by its beliefs. What does it say about the NRA that it won’t stand up to a few hoodlums?
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The NRA simply was not contemplating the number of nuts and idiots there were in this country who had guns and needed to show people they had guns. This is one of those, “I have the biggest dick” things for people who have under achieved in life or are insecure in who they are. Even back in the old wild west most people did not walk around with guns in their towns because most people were just hard working people who had no need to have a gun with them. Of course there were always the show offs who did carry guns that ended up shooting each other and innocent people got killed as collateral damage. Some of the smarter lawmen back then passed rules that did not allow carrying guns in the town limits. Idiots today think that resisting open carry is a new thing. Not at all. Wyatt Earp and “Bat” Masterson both prohibited guns in their towns. To them it was simply common sense. Of course I think that common sense ended about the time the old west did.
All nations seem to have one overriding obsession.
In America it’s guns, in Britain it’s roundabouts in the roads. Both worrying but the latter less likely to shoot you!
America has a few roundabouts. Everyone hates them, because they don’t know how to navigate them 🙂
The NRA caved because they caught heat from their radical membership, or, in otherwords, their entire membership. They have no balls.
True Harry. They have no balls, or brains for that matter.
Kids dying Bill? Yeah they do, with a bullet in their chest. I worked as a cop in a large metro and it seemed like once a month at least some kid was getting shot, or stabbed, or beaten to death, but more often shot. They were almost always between the ages of 12-18. Never once, in a 30 year career, did I find a starving kid. Not once, and since Mike and I worked together he can tell you the same which I think he’s trying to do.
I was once even a member of the NRA by the way, and I loved their training programs. Then they became something else and I tore up my membership card and scraped their decal from my car. They are the front men for the gun merchants and they are the ones helping to kill the kids. Believe it dude.
I always told you the NRA was a f*cked up organization Tim. Who knew they could be THIS f*cked up?
https://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/statistics/childwelfare_foster.cfm
Look at how many children end up in the system. How many turn to life of crime? How many die? Michael do your research and tell me. And see if “guns” are a bigger priority. Yes, guns are a priority. We have a serious problem, but use your voice and blog to bring attention to a bigger problems. Prevent violence by intervention.
The subject is guns Bill, not child neglect. If I were writing about child neglect I wouldn’t be writing about sensible gun control. Secondly, I don’t see where children are dying in America because of poverty or neglect in your link. I do know that children in the inner cities often get killed by guns, lots of them as a matter of fact, so, to me, guns are a priority. A big one.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/child-health.htm
As long as the CDC isn’t inaccurate then this is a good place to start
Now I see the deaths, but how is that so startling? It happens. People, including children, die, and again many are shot and killed. Many die from obesity and various other diseases but I don’t see too many in America starving.
So what is the plan, what do “gun control nuts” want. I say it that way but seems many wanting gun control are obsessive and fanatical just like other side.
So would it be ideal for only govt and criminals to have weapons? We’ve got children dying of poverty, disease, and neglect more than killed by guns. If one doesn’t address these issues killing more children a day than guns do all year then you might want to come back to take the guns later.
I agree gun control is an issue and we need to address, but it’s like you have a bathtub that is leaking that you are focused on while you basement is flooding.
I don’t know how many children are dying of “poverty, disease and neglect” in America. How about a link so I can do some research Bill? Thanks.
The fanatics at the NRA are becoming confused. Only fools carry semi-automatic rifles in Target and other places, and even they know that, but what can they do? They’ve already planted the flag of “gunfuscation” and they can’t try to make sense of it all now. Good article BTW.
I think they backed down because they just didn’t have the courage of their own convictions. They are so busy sucking at the teats of the gun companies they no longer know what’s right.