Benjamin Franklin, around the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, just 250 years ago this month, famously noted that the Founding Fathers needed to hang together or else they would most certainly all hang separately. While things aren't quite that dire for gun rights these days, I do think the sentiment has some merit for us.
And the NRA's Doug Hamlin, in a column in American Rifleman, espouses a similar sentiment.
He is, of course, talking about the NRA.
In the short time I have been in this position—humbled and honored to be serving you and our cause—I have focused on streamlining our programs and services, refocusing our efforts on our competitions and other events, and committing resources to the many legal and legislative fights we are in to defend and, where necessary, to win back our Second Amendment-protected freedom. To get this done, I have been graced with incredible help from many members of the now-refashioned NRA Board, by those who now have leadership positions here at the NRA, and by many others in the greater NRA community. As we look to the future with optimism, we are transforming our organization through modern technology while staying true to our roots as a 155-year-old institution dedicated to freedom.
For several generations now, but especially over the last decade, there has been a concerted effort by the enemies of our freedom to push false narratives about the NRA. Many in the mainstream media and in Hollywood, working in conjunction with gun-control groups and a “usual-suspects” list of politicians, have fabricated and produced false historical and contemporary portrayals of this association. Their goal is to divide us, to quell our enthusiasm, and to deflate our morale.
Unfortunately, they have had some success. And these efforts to marginalize us were given credence from mistakes made by some who previously held leadership positions in your NRA.
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This is critical. We need you—the members—to engage. Please renew your membership, recruit new members to join our ranks, and donate at nra.org. I also urge you to visit friendsofnra.org to find a Friends of NRA dinner in your area, participate and bring like-minded members of your community who share our outdoor traditions and understand the vital importance of our Second Amendment rights. Also, be sure to download the new NRA app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. It puts powerful tools, benefits and information right in your pocket.
Obviously, part of his job is to work for the NRA and to try to increase membership. I understand that, and it's good that Hamlin realizes that Wayne LaPierre's actions did lasting damage to the organization, especially as it just made it easier for the NRA's critics to attack the organization itself.
I'm not thrilled with calling them "mistakes," though, because that hints at something completely unintentional, as if Wayne were oblivious to the fact that he had no business spending NRA money on personal comforts. In fact, that's part of the problem that's not being addressed here.
It's easy for the NRA to say that we should all hang with the NRA. It's quite another to ignore the fact that a lot of people are still more than a little bothered by how little they feel the NRA has done to clean house. It's fine to disagree, of course. I have friends who are board members who have worked diligently to clean that house. They're doing their best, and reformers seem to be doing their best to grow their numbers on the board.
This is good.
And, like it or not, we need the NRA. While GOA, FPC, and SAF are great in their own ways, no one stands with quite the size and legacy of the NRA. To paraphrase one of the greatest speeches in film history, in my not-so-humble opinion:
Son, we live in a world that has anti-gunners, and rights have to be guarded by large organizations. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for LaPierre, and you curse the NRA. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know -- that LaPierre's downfall, while tragic, probably saved lives; and The NRA's existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives.
You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall -- you need me on that wall.
So while I still have issues with the NRA, the truth is that everyone who truly believes in the right to keep and bear arms needs to stand shoulder to shoulder with one another. We need to stand unified, because if we don't hang together, we most certainly will hang separately.
