I had started a draft on this diary yesterday but got interrupted. Before getting back to it today I happened across a Youtube headline of a Montel Williams segment on Morning Joe — "Is it Time For The "National Safe Gun Association"? I’m not really all that surprised to learn that someone else (likely many someones) had a similar idea; that America needs a competing gun rights organization. And I’m not sure what Mr. William’s motivation might be for that suggestion , but mine is largely a capitulation to reality. It seems more productive than to engage in the predictable chorus of impotent rage and grand proclamations that inevitably follow these events. When nothing changed after Sandy Hook it seemed pretty clear nothing ever would as long as there is an NRA and a compliant GOP. And the playbook has already been trotted out by the right — too soon to talk about, need more facts, no gun control would have prevented, and so on. And the NRA has gone silent. We’ve all seen this show before.
The only strategy I see that makes any sense is a long game view to neuter the NRA. And with all of the guns and gun lovers in America that’s not going to happen unless there is an alternative. Is it really out of the realm of possibility to form an organization that is pro-2nd Amendment but also pro-Sensible Gun Control. One that promotes all of the usual interests of gun enthusiasts while interjecting the occasional bit of sanity into gun control debates. One that will endorse political candidates from both parties with a range of views on gun ownership as long as they are supportive of basic 2nd amendment rights. In other words give the NRA members who are among the 75% or more who agree with background checks a place to go. An organization that is transparent in its political activities, squeaky clean in its administration and savvy in its promotion. Turn the NRA into the MySpace of gun organizations by comparison. I am sure many of those 75% would actually prefer being members of an organization with less of a stink attached to it’s reputation.
Full disclosure — I don’t own a gun, never plan to, and think the US gun culture is the purest form of batshit insanity.