On Obama, NRA members aren't buying the NRA's tired old spin

Ray Schoenke
By Ray Schoenke at July 24, 2008 - 1:34pm

Sure, the leaders of he National Rifle Association (NRA) are going to spend $40 million dollars of their members’ money in a campaign against Senator Barack Obama. But, we may have reached a tipping point on gun policy and gun politics. Because, according to CQ Politics, even the NRA’s own members aren’t buying the anti-Obama spin:

The National Rifle Association (NRA), for example, has struggled to convince members that McCain is the candidate most supportive of gun rights. After the NRA sent out an e-mail last month attacking Obama, the group was surprised by the backlash it received. "Amazingly, some people still don't believe Obama is radically anti-gun," a follow-up message sent the next week said. "Some have gone so far as to claim that NRA was actually misrepresenting Obama's anti-gun positions."

It is time for a change in the gun debate.

NRA members know their gun rights are safe. In the recent D.C. gun ban case, Justice Scalia, who, believe me, the gun lobby really wanted to write that critical decision, found that we do have a constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. But, in language that is consistent with the view of most gun owners, Scalia, "Like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited." That’s not a surprise to most of us.

I run a progressive gun rights organization, the American Hunters and Shooters Assocation (AHSA). We welcomed the Scalia’s decision. The Court made it clear that most guns are now safe from government confiscation. That’s also the position of Barack Obama. He voted against gun confiscation in the Senate and supports an individual right to keep and bear arms. That’s why I endorsed Obama – he gets it. That’s also got the NRA worried. The group’s top political honcho, Chris Cox, told CQ Politics a couple weeks ago:

Rather he’s concerned about a pro-Obama campaign launched by one of the NRA’s newest rivals, the American Hunters and Shooters Association. Started by former Washington Redskins lineman Ray Schoenke and former NRA lawyer Bob Ricker in 2005 in an effort to forge a middle ground on gun issues, the group endorsed Obama in April — saying that he, more than Republican John McCain , is likely to preserve the pristine wilderness areas where hunters like to go.

Cox and his colleagues at the NRA should be concerned. Gun owners are ready to move on and to hear from AHSA.

My guess is the NRA’s members aren’t listening to the NRA leaders because those leaders have become too entrenched in partisan politics. They’re still fighting battles from the seventies and eighties. That may be good for fundraising, but it’s not doing much for hunters and shooters.

For years, we’ve heard endlessly about the NRA’s lobbying strength. But, what do they do with all their perceived power? They're not working on issues that matter to hunters. The NRA leaders aren’t fighting to protect the Roan Plateau from drilling. The NRA leaders aren’t fighting global warming. The NRA leaders aren’t fighting to protect public access. That’s why this year is different.

Sure, Senator Obama isn't going to be perfect. But, in the new world of gun policy -- which includes public access, conservation, global warming -- we know he’s on our side. That’s more than we can say about the leaders of the NRA.

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Tags: AHSA, Barack Obama, global warming, gun rights, hunting, nra, public access

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