The NRA have been running a scam since at least the so called cincinatti revolt in 1977 in which hardliners threw out the existing NRA board who were moderate, in favour of hunting and marksmanship and felt it completely removed from the 2nd amendment. There was no mention at all before then of the 2nd amendment. After 77, the NRA began to dupe gun owners, playing on the fear of crime and owners love of guns. It became all about civil liberties and personal protection - thats when the true meaning of the amendment got pissed all over. Now you look at their magazine and your reminded of the 2nd amendment constantly. Why? So readers are drip fed how important it is (to the NRA).
Reagan was against guns until the NRA helped put him in power, then he was pro guns. Theyve become too powerful a political organisation to trust and are answerable to nobody bar their own membership. Local and state politicians are routinely harrassed and lobbied. Again, gun violence is great for the NRA as the membership just increases after every incident...they keep feeding the beast basically. Now, as I said before, theyre even trying to assert some authority with the UN...this was essentially a sporting organisation 40 years ago! You don't think there's any democratic threat? Whoever linked the 2nd amendment to carrying guns for personal safety basically won the lottery...
When I mentioned inner city crime, I'm certainly not saying guns were the cause, far from it, I DO know the deal - the NRA definetly was though saying that though and this is what it used and still does every day to increase people paranoia, gun ownership and in turn, automatic membership to their organisation.
Its really difficult I suppose to argue definitvely that increasing gun availability increases gun violence as you can provide statisitcs which will prove nearly any point you want to make....however, the USA has the largest gun ownership and the largest gun crime rate per head of anywhere in the developed world...thats not really debateable...yes, you could say if theres more cars for instance there might be more car accidents etc...but guns are designed to kill people and they're doing theyre job well...
The american public have been duped, without a doubt and its terrible. Turnbull says he's carried a gun for personal protection constantly for 10 years and never felt required to use it. Perhaps he does have a love of marksmanship and guns anyway which is fair enough, but to feel there's that much of a daily threat that you need to be armed almost constantly (theres no point sometimes being able to defend youself is there, thats like sometimes wearing a seatbelt) is a shame. There's millions more doing the same for no real reason or threat other than whats drip fed through the NRA directly and indirectly.
