I attended the NRA Board of Directors meeting this weekend, and anyone interested in the general commentary can check my Twitter timeline. But there was at least one topic I thought worthy of a longer post.
Susan Howard of the Public Affairs Committee made an important point to the rest of the NRA Board of Directors when she gave her committee report on Saturday. She felt it was time for the board to tell their own stories about what they do and how they are involved with the movement to protect our rights. Susan reported that she talked to both Wayne LaPierre and Chris Cox about some kind of page or site to really meet your NRA board of directors and get the information on what moves them to serve and stand up for the Second Amendment.
Personally, I say that it’s about damn time. Susan argued it was time to tell the stories that show we’re really the good guys. I think this is a good lesson we can apply more in the broader movement, too.
The anti-gun groups will try to say that if you care about the safety of your family, you’re just paranoid. We need to make sure that we counter with the fact we care about the safety of our families because we love them, and we will do what we must to protect their lives. The best way to counter it isn’t to argue with those groups. It’s to tell others who are undecided on the issue why we’re good folks who can be trusted to safely exercise our rights.
When it comes to the shooting sports, we can apply the same ideas. Anti-gunners will try to say shooters are just compensating for something else, but we know that recreational shooting is fun. The best way to counter it is to tell non-shooters why about what that great time at the range, along with an offer to get them out there to see for themselves. We’re the fun folks, and that’s our story to tell.
As much as we’ve mocked Meet the NRA before, this kind of project should really be CSGV’s worst nightmare. When our people start showing that they are normal folks who simply believe in the Constitution, want to defend their loved ones, and know how to safely have a great time at the range, it will be a perfect illustration to how out-of-touch the extremist anti-gun groups really are with average Americans.
I was surprised to see some offensive non-2A related quotes in the sliding ticker at the top of the MeetTheNRA page.
I think it’s a good idea. This goes right to one of the anti-gunners biggest problems; because they’re against something, there isn’t really an activity for them to do outside of talk. It’s not like there is an ‘anti-gun range’ (don’t recall who came up with that) for them to go to.
They always go on about how we’re fearful, but it’s they who spend all their time worrying, whereas we can enjoy ourselves.
Doubleplusgood kudos to Bitter for attending the NRA Board of Directors meeting, and sharing on SNBQ!
You are right on target Pyro – We should tell our story (loudly and often) about how we’re out in the sunshine, actively having fun in a social situation with like-minded people, challenging ourselves and testing our skills development, striving to improve at every outing…what a contrast to passive, fearful people huddling in their cafes, working on their skills at ordering a double grande latte…
The way to own the narrative is to proactively create the narrative ourselves, like Susan Howard appears to be recommending, and never, ever allow the anti’s to define us or the issues.
I am in. I am a life member and would love more information about the board members and how they operate to fight for our gun rights. How can we make this happen? More than interviews on NRA news, what about a meeting, localized in the Philadelphia area? :)
Wouldn’t it be great if the NRA did a “I’m a gunnie” campaign like the one the Mormons are?
I’ve never heard of it, but they have already done a few things along those lines. There was the celebrity “I’m the NRA” ad campaign from about a decade ago. Now, they have the donor version of it where regular NRA members talk about why they are supporting the organization and talk about their favorite programs.