The NRA needs to educate the people.

[DerringerUser]

Im sorry, but 57% is way too much. 57% of Americans think there should be heavy restrictions on guns or a complete gun ban. I always see the brady campaign traveling and spreading their propoganda *cough*, I mean, opinions. We need to start educating too. Im sure a lot of that 57% would significantly go down if the americans knew the facts. Do you think the NRA should set aside some of its money toward education and Ads?

Sorry for not backing up statistic earlier, heres the link:

http://www.speakout.com/activism/guncontrol/

 

[geekWithA.45]

Yes.

The American public needs to be re-acquainted w/ traditional Americana.

Frankly, we need to pull a page from the Joyce Foundation book, and start seeding a bunch of smaller groups that simply insinuate themselves into the fabric of society.

Wouldn't be be refreshing for shooting & gun to be just simply.. a normal and non controversial part of our baseline society again?

 

[Outlaws]

See, this is what I don't get. A lot of people hate Bush. They think he is removing us of our rights and taking us towards a police state.

Now the problem, is why the NRA doesn't take this time to play the field.

You with me?

The Second is about preventing tyranny correct? So then why not say, "Listen, people, if you want to one day stop this from getting out of hand you will need guns. The founding fathers saw this coming 200 years ago, but we have let it slip because of a few emotions that were directed at the wrong issue."

The problem though is that the NRA is just another way to spell GOP. Sure they back a Democrat or two, but they need to cut the umbilical cord with the repuclicans and seek out funding from both sides of voters. Bash both sides equally...there are plenty of Republicans they can bash too other than just McCain.

And while I am at it. WHERE ARE THE GUN COMPANIES? Shame on them. Don't just advertise on some dumb TV show on OLN. Get the NRA to help fund something during Monday night football. All these "take a kid fishing" ads I see....what about "take a kid shooting"?

 

[DBabsJr]

WHERE ARE THE GUN COMPANIES?

Excellent question. KFC advertises so big you can see it on the moon, you can't watch 5 minutes of a sitcom without being bombarded with 12 product placements, and now they're putting advertisements on the stinkin' tray tables on airplanes. Obviously someone thinks advertising works. It would be great to see a "Take a Kid Shooting" campaign.

 

[Car Knocker]

It would be great to see a "Take a Kid Shooting" campaign.

Mainstream media wouldn't touch it - too controversial for them.

 

[Outlaws]

Mainstream media wouldn't touch it - too controversial for them.

Mainstream media will touch anything that pays in greenbacks. See OJ for proof.

 

[Car Knocker]

Mainstream media will touch anything that pays in greenbacks.

They regularly turn down political ads that are too controversial.

 

[xd9fan]

The problem though is that the NRA is just another way to spell GOP. Sure they back a Democrat or two, but they need to cut the umbilical cord with the repuclicans and seek out funding from both sides of voters. Bash both sides equally...there are plenty of Republicans they can bash too other than just McCain.

And while I am at it. WHERE ARE THE GUN COMPANIES? Shame on them. Don't just advertise on some dumb TV show on OLN. Get the NRA to help fund something during Monday night football. All these "take a kid fishing" ads I see....what about "take a kid shooting"?

couldnt agree with you more!! good post!!

Mainstream media wouldn't touch it - too controversial for them.

well the mainstream is dying right now. and money is money...........

 

[geekWithA.45]

The problem though is that the NRA is just another way to spell GOP.

My apologies if I come off a bit harsh, but that is a statement indicates a failure to grasp the realities of the dynamics of political power around RKBA issues for the last 30 years of history.

 

[Outlaws]

My apologies if I come off a bit harsh, but that is a statement indicates a failure to grasp the realities of the dynamics of political power around RKBA issues for the last 30 years of history.

There are a lot of Democrats that are not politicians. You don't have to back someone who is not pro-RKBA, but you can't become so heavily associated with one party and expect people from the opposition party to just except you with open arms.

 

[Maxwell]

Listen, people, if you want to one day stop this from getting out of hand you will need guns.

Your wasting your time.
These kind most likely don't believe in self defense against evil of any form. Security and revolution are things they entrust to campus security, cops, soldiers, maybe some guy down the street, always someone else but surely never themselves.

Anyway, thats getting off topic.

I think to bring shooting back you have to get a handle on the media first and foremost. They drive the stereotypes and cause the most damage, especially with the current political climate.
Left to them everyone will continue to believe that shooting is an exclusive sport of rich white republicans, that anyone who's not white and owns a gun is a criminal, that all militias are neo-nazis, and that the only use of a rifle is in a standoff with police.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

To anyone saying "the NRA needs to educate the people".

I presume that you are:

a) Donating to the NRA
b) Contacting the NRA leadership to explain what you, a donating member (preferably a Life Member) would like them to do
c) Are you, yourself, educating young people in the shooting sports, and generally being a great ambassador for the shooting community and Constitutionalists in general.

If not, how is that any different from the old "it's society's fault" excuse?

-MV

 

[Monkeyleg]

This is a timely topic.

After the defeat of just about every pro-CCW legislator in WI last week, I thought about the slick four-color mailers I'd received from the Doyle campaign.

And then I got to thinking about a direct mail piece that would explain the CCW issue, since the media will not give us even two sentences to present our side.

I called a friend and former state senator to ask what the cost would be to do a statewide direct mail piece to voters. Not people who are eligible to vote, but those who have voted.

Cost? About $265,000. That includes postage, printing, purchasing voter lists, and everything else. And that's just for Wisconsin.

I'd love to see it happen. And I'd be delighted to hear suggestions on how to make this possible.

 

[mindwip]

There needs to be a new company that mainly just does what the Brady Campaign does. Spread info about guns in a good light. Send out flyers, do events at schools for gun safty, and what to do if you find one. Done in a good light. Also ads on the radio and tv. Ads in NON-GUN mags.

You need events for first time shooters, it can be sponsered by gun companies they come out learn to shoot, and at the end of the day they can buy a gun like the ones they shoot. It would be profit for the company, it never hurts to get poeple to shoot your gun for free or near enough. Hit up the ammo companys, the jacket companys, gun clean kits. In a way its a gun show but theres shooting and the companys are making the sales, not the poeple.

Any one want to start up a company with that as its purpose, non-profit. I have nothign to do during parts of the weekdays i think i will start to call the bigger companies and see if i can get ahold of there promotion department.

It cost about 500 dollars to start up a corporation in ca. Dont know if its more or less for a non-profit. I will ask the guy that helped start up our familys corporation.


The reason you need to start up a new company, is it easy to set things up if you have a dedicated company to gather and spend money.

 

[mindwip]

Cost? About $265,000. That includes postage, printing, purchasing voter lists, and everything else. And that's just for Wisconsin.

Not bad if we could do that 5 times before an election in all the states i wonder how that would effect the elections.

 

[Monkeyleg]

"Not bad if we could do that 5 times before an election in all the states i wonder how that would effect the elections."

That's just for one mailing piece. And that's a heck of a lot of money.

If we were to do it, we'd need to do several pieces between now and the 2008 elections. We'd need to educate them on the issue, and soften them up for when they hear the "hidden guns" ads from our opponents.

The NRA has probably spent that much in the last couple of legislative sessions running newspaper, TV, and radio ads in targetted districts in WI. Those radio ads were narrated by Theresa Sweet, a survivor of a gang-rape that took place right across the street from her town's police station.

Anyone who has heard these ads, or ever listened to Theresa's committee testimony, cannot ignore them or her statements. The story is too powerful.

Advertising space for a full-page ad in the main or metro news section of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is over $20,000 per page.

Any suggestions?

 

[Kim]

I have thought they should send that litle Second Amendment Primer book to every household. It would be expensive but it could be done. Surly a deal could be worked out and a fund drive done to get the money. I would donate quite a bit if I knew they were serious.

 

[Soybomb]

No we need to take responsilibity for educating people. Its the best activism we have. Have you taken a new person shooting? I did just yesterday. She loved it.

 

[Joe Demko]

It is my custom to take at least 2 noobs to the range every year. As a teacher in a district that sees a fair amount of personnel turnover, it's pretty easy for me to find noobs. Here's a couple key points:
1. I don't tie it to any political party.
2. I don't do any froth-flecked ranting about tyranny.
3. I don't call them demeaning names. e.g. "sheeple"
4. I do make every effort to make the trip to the range a lot of fun.
5. I pay all the range fees, bring the guns, and spring for the ammo; I get better results for the $ than the NRA.

I've yet to take a noob to the range who didn't come away with a different attitude towards guns.

Do your part, ladies and gentlemen. Be nice. Be friendly. Be one of the people in the neighborhood. You may like coming here and wanking-off playing prophet of doom, but that does nothing to further our cause. Either we teach the fence-sitters and less-committed antis that we are just like other normal people or WE WILL LOSE.

 

[Caimlas]

The people need to educate themselves. The NRA can not be responsible; if you give the responsibility for an essential personal duty to an outside body, you deny the individual of it, and in turn remove all personal incentive.

Besides, the NRA hardly has a clean record when it comes to supporting firearm liberties; they have been arguing according to the gun banners since the very beginning instead of arguing against NFA restrictions - which was the original problem that everything else has come from, and which continues to get in our way.

 

[mindwip]

The people need to educate themselves. The NRA can not be responsible; if you give the responsibility for an essential personal duty to an outside body, you deny the individual of it, and in turn remove all personal incentiv

The people cant educate them selfs becuase as hey grow up all they hear is guns are bad. From there point of view all guns are bad and they dont need to learn anything knew because nothing ever make them take a second look at there views .



Also this company needs to be away from the NRA. Too many people see NRA on something and just think to themselfs oo there are those crazy gun nuts telling us every one needs a tank in there backyard.

 

[mindwip]

For a way to get money i was thinking.

1- the members on The High Road make lots of great posters and pictures. Lets take those and put them on shirts, posters, mugs, pens, hell anything and sell them online and gun shows and gun shops. All profit from them goes to the company which spends money on ads nation wide. This would be the bigest money maker. Hopefully

2-sponsered shotouts and events.


3-donations, but really this will never be enough

4-Hold classes about guns and there use and safty, at places. Have people that are already shooting get there friends to come a long and shoot for the first time in a nice environment, for free. Try to get ranges and companys and poeple to supply everything so that it cost almost nothing to the newbies.

5- start a new chip or drink or candy company, with a pro gun theme. This is very easy as most items you eat are only made by acouple of companys that co-pack. co-pack is when one company make one type of drink, but other company pay them to but there label on it. So you have one type of chips thats sellign with 5 different names in the same area. My family company already does this with some products. Hell we even have a sales men and two drivers in so cal. I am sure i might be able to set up a new product. But first i would need moeny to buy the product from the factory. Think about 30-50 thounsand dollars to get started. The profit or most of it could support the non-profit. And just the drinks being out there people will see it more often

 

[MatthewVanitas]

The people cant educate them selfs becuase as hey grow up all they hear is guns are bad. From there point of view all guns are bad and they dont need to learn anything knew because nothing ever make them take a second look at there views .

Clarification: YOU, mindwip, need to educate people. Explain to them that guns aren't bad (in a calm, non-partisan, friendly manner), and take people shooting whenever you get a chance. Almost nobody goes shooting and hates it.

Hoping and wishing that "somebody, somewhere" will go and change the world for you? Not gonna happen.

If not you, who?

If not now, when?
​

Also this company needs to be away from the NRA. Too many people see NRA on something and just think to themselfs oo there are those crazy gun nuts telling us every one needs a tank in there backyard.

The NRA brought that on themselves by using hyperbolic rhetoric some years back. Hopefully they get smart and bounce back from it.

In the meantime, it's probably best not to bring the NRA up right away with fencesitters. However, once they're moving to the pro-gun side, it's probably helpful to point out all the educational activities the NRA offers, completely separate from their political activities.

Like the NRA or not, they have kept things from sliding completely downhill since 1968. Perfection is the enemy of "good enough". I wish the NRA took a firmer stance, but it's good to have the full span covered. I just wish they used less silly alarmism.

-MV

 

[mindwip]

No Clarification needed thanks but thats why i am typing on this thread with my ideas. I am more then happy to start up a company for this, i will pay for everything to get it up and running, but i would need help running it and that would be your job, or some one elses to help

 

[mindwip]

I agree with the no mention of the NRA(for the bad feelings they bring up in people) and they have there hands full, another company is what you need. One that is new and no one knows about, thats your edge.