<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Plenty of reasons why this liberal respects the NRA
Review: Being a liberal Democrat, I joined the NRA with deep reluctance
over 10 years ago, fearing that I would be surrounded by right
wing zealots and KKK members. Instead, I found that I had
lucked into membership in one of the country's finest
organizations. This book provides fodder for anyone curious
about those reasons.The NRA was formed after the Civil War by those who understood
that our heritage as a nation of rifle experts had declined
substantially. Personal weapons are a soldier's life insurance
and the NRA has done much in the World Wars and after to ensure
that our soldiers have the best chance possible to stay alive
through combat and come home safely. Shooting is stereotypically a male sport, yet it is also one
in which women can compete with men with complete equality. In
fact, this book revealed that women have been competing with men
successfully at shooting sports since 1906! Since I collect
old NRA magazines, I have always been struck by the equality
with which male and female competitors have been presented in
issues I have seen back into the 1930s and 40s. I happen to also know that the NRA accepted an NAACP chapter as
an affiliate in the FIFTIES, when chapter members were
threatened by a police force riddled with KKK members. This
vision of equality is shared by the unfairly maligned Charlton
Heston, who was an active civil rights fighter. The NRA and its educational programs are largely responsible
for the steep drop in fatal gun accidents between 1970 and
1990, a FIFTY percent drop from 2400/year to 1200/year. The NRA has been forced by gun hating politicians and lobbyists
to become a no-compromise lobby for our rights. It is only
sensible that they fight for our rights with the same tenacity
that the ACLU and Planned Parenthood do. Really the ACLU has
sold us out by ignoring gun rights and I feel that the NRA is
identical in value, scope and success to Planned Parenthood.
Both support freedom with responsibility and both have my praise
for this.
Rating:
Summary: Plenty of reasons why this liberal respects the NRA
Review: Being a liberal Democrat, I joined the NRA with deep reluctance
over 10 years ago, fearing that I would be surrounded by right
wing zealots and KKK members. Instead, I found that I had
lucked into membership in one of the country's finest
organizations. This book provides fodder for anyone curious
about those reasons. The NRA was formed after the Civil War by those who understood
that our heritage as a nation of rifle experts had declined
substantially. Personal weapons are a soldier's life insurance
and the NRA has done much in the World Wars and after to ensure
that our soldiers have the best chance possible to stay alive
through combat and come home safely. Shooting is stereotypically a male sport, yet it is also one
in which women can compete with men with complete equality. In
fact, this book revealed that women have been competing with men
successfully at shooting sports since 1906! Since I collect
old NRA magazines, I have always been struck by the equality
with which male and female competitors have been presented in
issues I have seen back into the 1930s and 40s. I happen to also know that the NRA accepted an NAACP chapter as
an affiliate in the FIFTIES, when chapter members were
threatened by a police force riddled with KKK members. This
vision of equality is shared by the unfairly maligned Charlton
Heston, who was an active civil rights fighter. The NRA and its educational programs are largely responsible
for the steep drop in fatal gun accidents between 1970 and
1990, a FIFTY percent drop from 2400/year to 1200/year. The NRA has been forced by gun hating politicians and lobbyists
to become a no-compromise lobby for our rights. It is only
sensible that they fight for our rights with the same tenacity
that the ACLU and Planned Parenthood do. Really the ACLU has
sold us out by ignoring gun rights and I feel that the NRA is
identical in value, scope and success to Planned Parenthood.
Both support freedom with responsibility and both have my praise
for this.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent overview
Review: For anyone, friend or foe, this is the definitive history of the National Rifle Association of America. From its 19th century beginning ("to improve and promote civilian marksmanship"), to its current battle to promote and defend Second Amendment rights, this tome presents a cogent and interesting account of the Association's mission and of its ongoing efforts in the current civil rights arena. A good read and a valuable addition to the bookshelf of any American.
<< 1 >>
| 
