Cadillac Man
New member
I remember my dad telling us boys what the NRA was all about when we were kids. As soon as we learned to shoot, we were summarily required to join the NRA.
Until they changed. Now none of us in my family belong.
It's a fact.
http://historybuff.com/the-nra-actively-supported-gun-control-for-94-years-ZrYRD6aBAmp9
The NRA Actively Supported Gun Control for 94 Years
How a small group of gun nuts transformed the shockingly progressive organization into the most powerful special interest group in America
In the wake of mass shootings in Colorado Springs and San Bernadino, the issue of gun control is once again a point of debate throughout the United States. By now, we can pretty much predict the trajectory of this conversation, from the public outrage to the fruitless attempt by those on the left to enact something, anything, in the way of reform.
This time, the counterpunch from the right was particularly swift, with Senate Republicans voting on Thursday against measures that would bar suspected terrorists, felons and the mentally ill from obtaining guns—this despite the fact that 80% of Americans favor stricter gun control laws.With renewed attention placed on the failure of Congress to pass even the most basic of gun control legislation, many have also turned their sights to the outsize influence of the National Rifle Association. Labeled by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) as the “quasi-militant wing of the Republican Party,” the NRA spent roughly $35 million in the 2014 senate elections funding candidates who support their objective of blocking “any and all gun control proposals.”
While this is precisely what we’ve come to expect from Washington’s largest special interest group, it’s worth noting that up until the late 1970s, the NRA was one of the most outspoken proponents of gun control legislation. In fact, the NRA actually helped President Roosevelt draft the first federal gun control laws—The National Firearms Act of 1934 and the Gun Control Act of 1938. These laws imposed heavy taxes and restrictions on certain classes of firearms—machine guns, silencers, and sawed-off shotguns—and forced gun sellers to register with the federal government.
Karl T. Frederick, the association’s president at the time, told congress, “I have never believed in the general practice of carrying weapons. I do not believe in the general promiscuous toting of guns. I think it should be sharply restricted and only under licenses.”
Until they changed. Now none of us in my family belong.
It's a fact.
http://historybuff.com/the-nra-actively-supported-gun-control-for-94-years-ZrYRD6aBAmp9
The NRA Actively Supported Gun Control for 94 Years
How a small group of gun nuts transformed the shockingly progressive organization into the most powerful special interest group in America
In the wake of mass shootings in Colorado Springs and San Bernadino, the issue of gun control is once again a point of debate throughout the United States. By now, we can pretty much predict the trajectory of this conversation, from the public outrage to the fruitless attempt by those on the left to enact something, anything, in the way of reform.
This time, the counterpunch from the right was particularly swift, with Senate Republicans voting on Thursday against measures that would bar suspected terrorists, felons and the mentally ill from obtaining guns—this despite the fact that 80% of Americans favor stricter gun control laws.With renewed attention placed on the failure of Congress to pass even the most basic of gun control legislation, many have also turned their sights to the outsize influence of the National Rifle Association. Labeled by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) as the “quasi-militant wing of the Republican Party,” the NRA spent roughly $35 million in the 2014 senate elections funding candidates who support their objective of blocking “any and all gun control proposals.”
While this is precisely what we’ve come to expect from Washington’s largest special interest group, it’s worth noting that up until the late 1970s, the NRA was one of the most outspoken proponents of gun control legislation. In fact, the NRA actually helped President Roosevelt draft the first federal gun control laws—The National Firearms Act of 1934 and the Gun Control Act of 1938. These laws imposed heavy taxes and restrictions on certain classes of firearms—machine guns, silencers, and sawed-off shotguns—and forced gun sellers to register with the federal government.
Karl T. Frederick, the association’s president at the time, told congress, “I have never believed in the general practice of carrying weapons. I do not believe in the general promiscuous toting of guns. I think it should be sharply restricted and only under licenses.”
