On Strategy

I got a call from an NRA rep this morning, asking me for my support on a “critical issue.” OK, which one?

His response? HR 45, a bill that was introduced in January. I wrote about it in February, and it hasn’t gained an inch of traction since. It’s dead, people. Just like last year.

And yet, I’m getting frantic calls about it in May. It was the big story in America’s First Freedom last month. Are they truly this far behind the curve? I don’t think so.

So, why are they bugging me about it?

I informed the rep that the bill had garnered no significant support, and that it amounted to political suicide for anyone who pushed it. He agreed that this was true, but that Obama had promised to “steamroller the 2nd Amendment as soon as the economy gets better.” Exact words. I asked him to cite the source for this quote, and he stammered that the word “steamroller” may not have actually been used.

I told him that we needed to be very careful in how we present our arguments, and that statements like that could come back to bite us. Remember the “jack-booted thugs” quote from the 1990’s? Not good press.

He responded, “the Senator said that, with the economy the way it is, they can’t do anything to ban guns, but as soon as the economy gets better…”

I cut him off. Which Senator? Pelosi? Reid? McCarthy? I hit paydirt with McCarthy’s name. He cited H.R. 1022, from 2007, as cause for alarm and general squirming. It failed that year, just as it did in 2005 and 2006. If it gets reintroduced this year, it will also fail. I told him this, and it became obvious he really hadn’t researched any of this very well.

He then returned to a rehearsed tirade about how dangerous HR 45 would be. Again, I pointed out that it isn’t going to pass. He acknowledged that this was probably true, but that we couldn’t take any chances. He reiterated, “as soon as the economy gets better, they’ll come for our guns.” When pressed, he couldn’t tell me anything specific, beyond “it’s going to happen.”

So I asked, if we’re outnumbered in the legislature and obviously doomed, has the NRA reached out to these guys at all? His response was, “well, we’re aware of them.”

Sorry, but thanks for playing.

We have a real problem here. The NRA is barking up the wrong tree with HR 45. How about drumming up support for S. 941, which reins in many of the problematical policies and procedures of the BATFE? Not sexy (or scary) enough? How about fighting S. 843, which is dangerous?

There’s no way the ILA is this clueless, and I don’t want to entertain the idea that they think I’m so stupid as to be whipped into a frenzy over an obviously dead bill. I don’t even read America’s First Freedom anymore, since what little scholarship is printed is overshadowed by hysterics over what “might happen.” If you spend all your time and energy freaking out over what “might happen,” you’re going to be exhausted and weak when a real crisis arises.

No, I don’t trust this administration one bit. I know Obama’s record on the 2nd Amendment, just as I know the proclivities of the people he’s placed in positions of power. The difference is that the political climate is different, and instead of casting a wide net, we need to be vigilant for sneaky backdoor regulations.

We also need to understand the victories we’ve attained, and we need to support those responsible. If the NRA wants my money to support Alan Gura’s litigation in California, sure thing. Just ask. Same goes for any legislation or court challenge that cements the incorporation of the 2nd Amendment in the wake of the Nordyke decision.

I’ve been a member for most of my adult life, and despite my differences with them, I’m aware of how bad things would be without them. I just wish they’d spend a little more time on intelligent strategy.