Has Bloomberg done us a favor?
I am on the record as an advocate of saving the NRA. The training division, museums and the Whittington Center are worth it. If we can save more than that, all the better. However, the larger organization has clearly been operating at a very low level of efficiency for a very long time due to the massive redirection of funds to enrich a few employees at the top.
Now it appears that the NRA is on the ropes. This week Bloomberg’s owned and operated gun control group “Everytown for Gun Safety” released an ad specifically aimed at discouraging membership. Sadly, it appears everything in the ad is true. Members are suing the organization over the same issues and the NY AG is trying to dissolve the whole organization.
What will the result be if the NRA disappears as a political organization? The anti-gun “movement” thinks that killing the NRA will end opposition to their anti-gun rights agenda. They could not be more wrong. In fact, they may have done us a favor.
Most NRA contributions that were available for political action were over and above dues. If the NRA goes away, will all these people who made these contributions stop caring about gun rights? Of course not! Sure, some people will become discouraged and stop contributing – but most will simply redirect their giving to groups like GOA, SAF, and FPC. All of these groups operate much more efficiently than the NRA. If the NRA was wasting half the money donated for political action – a conservative estimate IMHO – than we need only half of the contributions to these and like groups to achieve the same results. If we get more money than that to these more efficient groups, than we will actually increase our effectiveness. Don’t forget that many new gun owners have been added since the last big gun control push. When the next push comes, many of these new gun owners, particularly the younger ones, are going to give to groups other than the NRA. Of course, the same will be true of many previous contributors. They are not going to stop caring about their rights.
Another factor impacting the effectiveness of these newer groups is technology. In my opinion, GOA, SAF and FPC have done a much better job of utilizing internet technology than the NRA has done. One excellent example is SAF’s “2nd Amendment First Responder” program. With the use of “leftover” air time on cable channels – including Fox News – they are compiling a massive list of text addresses. When action is needed, they will be able to text huge numbers of people with directions as to how to act in opposition to gun control bills. This will cost them next to nothing. Compare this to what the NRA had to do in the past – say in 1993. About the only way to reach people back then was through the magazines or by direct mail – both much more expensive.
The news media and anti-2A groups are actually believing their own propaganda. They don’t believe that the NRA’s power has always come from gun owners. They think that destroying the NRA will end opposition to their radical gun laws. They do not realize that there are other groups that will inform the same people, who will still flood the switchboards and email servers with message opposing their bills. They think they can convince a majority of lawmakers that they can remain in office after passing unconstitutional gun laws – while their lines of communication are being flooded with opposing messages. Most politicians are not that stupid.
Finally, consider the strength of state organizations – as evidenced by the passage of constitutional carry in several states. Do they think that state organizations will not respond to the threat of new federal laws? Are they really that stupid?
One fact about the NRA is undeniable: They have been wasting millions of dollars for decades. Ending that waste is a good thing. We just need to make sure everyone knows where to send their contributions:
