TTAG Commentator Greg In Allston penned the following:
Hi Rebecca. Here’s my two cents and take it as you will. Being a Massachusetts resident, I certainly have my issues with the NRA. They haven’t done much more than jack to right the many wrongs foisted on the good citizens of this state by our legislature. I’m also not too keen on some of its Fudd board members or their ubber social conservative leanings (and being gunnies, one has to admit that to a very real extent social conservatism, rightly or wrongly, often goes hand in hand). That said, I’m a member and have been, off and on, for over forty years. Why?
Simply because they do some (many) things right. Their shooting sports programs, training and instructor development are just a few of the things that they do well. Perfection is the enemy of the good and all that. They’re also The Big Dog when it comes to lobbying and the media. There truly is strength in numbers. If we’re going to win back and expand our fundamental human and civil rights, I think that being a member of the NRA is a very good idea. Only by broadening their membership will change come from within.
You and Margaret can help by being a catalyst for that change. I’d also recommend that you join your state’s NRA chapter organization. It’s your call and it’s your dough.
The NRA are also tediously tenacious money whores, as you’ll surely find out if you join. My advice is to totally ignore that aspect of membership. If you have a few extra bucks that you’d like to direct to civil rights action in regard to the 2A, might I suggest that you make a contribution to SAF? SAF isn’t as high profile as the NRA, but what SAF has done that the NRA has been very reluctant to do is fund some of the most important 2A litigation to come down the pike in decades.
The sainted Alan Gura, the man who won both Heller and McDonald, is working closely with SAF on numerous other landmark cases across the country; Hightower v. City of Boston, Muller v. Maenza in NJ, Woollard v. Sheridan in MD, and Kachalsky v. Cacace in NY are just some of the important cases that they’re working on. These cases have the potential to change the 2A landscape for the better for decades to come. These cases don’t come cheap. If every 2A supporter (millions of us) gave just a few bucks towards these and other cases, we’d be an absolutely unassailable force that would send the anti’s into oblivion.
Of course you should join the Pink Pistols. Though they may just be a Facebook page in your area, it seems that there are active groups across the country. Start a chapter in your area. One again has to look at the demographics. I would venture to guess that the majority of gay folks tend to be left or even well left of center, yes? That segment (the left that is) of our society often finds guns icky and uncivilized.
It’s a bit of the same paradox that you find in the Jewish community here. After all of the hatred and bigotry that they’ve experienced over the centuries, many Jews in this country are reluctant to embrace the 2A. The phrase “Never Again” will only be empty words if you can’t or won’t defend the principle. Aaron Zelman started JFPO for just that reason.
It’s a long, hard slog. Patience, focused hard work (and money) and building community are some of the keys that will allows us to unlock the doors to greater freedom and liberty. By joining some of these organizations, and promoting them within your sphere of influence, you’ll help change the landscape and make for a better country.