On Saturday night I was a guest of TTAG and Dan Zimmerman at a local event. His wife, my wife and other like-minded folk attended a Friends of the NRA dinner where hundreds of gun nuts get together and place bids on donated items. One of my clients, Mid America Arms, was in attendance offering their FFL services to make sure winners of firearms passed the appropriate background checks before taking possession of their rifles, pistols and shotguns . . .
This event happens twice a year and all the money is used to support local shooting sports programs. The National Rifle Association mothership gets very little, if any, and none goes to the political side of the operation. It was a big crowd of people from all walks of life, essentially tossing money around to help promote and protect a healthy gun culture.
Could Moms Demand Action assemble such an event? Twice a year, every year?
In late April, the NRA will have its national convention in Indianapolis. Attendance is always enormous. In Houston, Texas, a record 77,000 people came over three days. Could the Mayors Against Illegal Guns get 77,000 people to come to a convention over three days? How about the Brady Campaign?
Could all the anti-gun groups across the country, all the fascist politicians, all the leftist media types – could they get 77,000 people to come together in one spot to rally to the anti-gun cause?
In 2012, the President was unable to fill a 70,000 seat stadium at the Democrat National Convention. His big moment was then moved to a 20,000-seat venue, and I am not sure this was filled.
What irks me to no end is how the NRA is slandered by the media as if it’s a small, fringe cabal propped up by gun and ammo manufacturers. In the sense that the bit companies do support them – Ruger and Midway certainly gave a pile of money to the NRA, just to name two – it’s only because millions of us buy the guns and use ammo.
The NRA is an enormous organization. Almost five million members. Over 40% of households own a firearm. Is there an organization in America that’s more “grassroots” than the NRA? Bear that in mind next time some jackass complains about the “gun lobby.”