I am doing an “interview” by email with a professor of writing for the University of Vermont for a column she writes. Most of it had gone fine, but she asked me to explain the NRA to her. I think that she is genuinely interested in understanding the other side. Coming from academia she has a very narrow perspective and has not really been exposed to “our” side of the story. There has been a bit more back and forth on this one. Here is my latest email. Any feedback on what I am missing? Remember this has to be short and can’t get sidetracked with a lot of detail. First, let me put this in a perspective that you might use to explain the NRA to other writers. Nobody is trying to infringe on your first amendment rights. We are not saying you cant write books. But you must be reasonable and use common sense. The founding fathers could not have foreseen todays society and known the power of modern books. Books can incite violence. Any reasonable person knows that. We are just saying that you must write common sense books. We are not trying to take away your right to write books, you can still write books, but you must write books that are safe. Clearly you are too close to this to see the bigger picture, so we will decide which books are safe and which books you will be allowed to write. But, you say, books dont kill people. No they do not. Nor do guns. Both are just tools. But, if you look at the history of the world, tyrants have always controlled the flow of information and the ability of the people to arm themselves. Thats what the 2nd amendment is all about, it has nothing to do with hunting. It might be scary for some people, but in the real world its the only thing that is keeping America free. A very good example happened in Oklahoma a few days ago. If a citizen had not had access to a gun, there is no telling how many more people would have died. I know its a big leap for your progressive, left-leaning, save-the-wolves soul. But, the bottom line is the NRA is simply protecting the rights of American Citizens; a right that if you remove the hysteria and the fear is just as important as any other in our constitution. In fact more important, because without it, there is no way to protect the rest of our rights. Its that simple and most of the opposition is founded in fear, misunderstanding and a sand-covered, buried-head belief that evil does not permeate our world. Anyway, here is what you wanted: “The way the NRA has been represented by the press and in todays society is unfair and inaccurate. Politically, the NRA is a one-issue organization that is dedicated to preserving our constitutionally guaranteed right to keep and bear arms. That said, they do have a wide range of programs. The Eddie Eagle program had taught millions of kids about gun safety. The NRA promotes competitive shooting and has training programs for just about all aspects of gun ownership. The list goes on. The people who run the NRA and the vast majority of the membership are some of the finest people I know. They have high moral values and are American patriots who believe strongly in the rights of the American people as detailed in our constitution.”
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 15:15:01 +0000
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