Gun rights advocates and the NRA have notched a few victories lately, despite unwavering opposition, not least of which took place in San Francisco last week. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors- a body that currently presides over record homelessness, drug use and human filth in the streets- unanimously approved a resolution calling for investigations into connections between the NRA and local arms retailers. They and other leftist groups have dubbed the NRA a terrorist organization.
It’s worth mentioning at this point that no member of the NRA and no one officially associated with the NRA has ever committed or participated in what the news media commonly calls a “mass shooting.”
By and large, people who believe in the second amendment join the NRA to support its work protecting the Second Amendment, and not because they are violent in nature. So it is irresponsible for anyone to label the NRA a terrorist organization- effectively labeling members terrorists.
Less than one week after the resolution was passed, the NRA challenged it, saying that it is an affront to the First Amendment rights of the city’s citizens. The organization called the action “blacklisting,” and, according to a local spokesman, “urged San Francisco’s federal court to step in and instruct elected officials that freedom of speech means you cannot silence or punish those with whom you disagree.”
The Mayor of the San Francisco, London Breed, has backed down in anticipation that the federal court will side with the NRA. She declared in a formal memo that “no municipal dept. will take steps to restrict any contractor from doing business with the NRA or to restrict City contracting opportunities for any business that has any relationship with the NRA.”
NRA CEO, Wayne LaPierre responded by saying, “Through these actions and our public advocacy, we hope the message is now clear. The NRA will always fight to protect our members and the constitutional freedoms in which they believe.”
Attorneys William A. Brewer and Sarah Rogers, who represented the NRA in the filing, wrote in reference to Mayor Breed’s memo, “The memo serves as a clear concession and a well-deserved win for the First and Second Amendments of the United States Constitution. It is unfortunate that in today’s polarized times, some elected officials would rather silence opposing arguments than engage in good-faith debate. The NRA – America’s oldest civil rights organization won’t stand for that.”
The NRA has lodged a petition against a similar ordinance in Los Angeles, which has yet to be withdrawn. Apparently, the leftist leadership of LA is less concerned about restricting its citizens Constitutional rights. But what this shows is that when actions like these come down the pike in an attempt to curtail American’s right to self-defense, they often come in a coordinated fashion.
The Daily Caller reported last month that 32% of Democrat voters have openly declared that they want the NRA to be officially labeled as a terrorist organization. In an anti-gun protest held in Washington last month, one protester held a sign reading, “NRA, stop inciting to violence,” indicating that not only are anti-gun protestors unable to construct a proper sentence but that a portion of the public still actively supports additional gun control measures.
A Rasmussen survey found that 28% of Democrats want legislation to make it illegal for Americans to join an organization like the NRA.
The survey also showed that 43% of likely voters believe NRA members are less likely to commit crimes than non-NRA members who own guns, and 13% said that they believe NRA members are more likely to commit a crime.
The good news is that the percentage of likely voters who believe NRA members are scary and dangerous still represent a minority. But the flood of anti-gun rhetoric coming from the Left has clearly influenced the rise in anti-gun owner sentiment. With the connection between the spike in anti-gun protesters in Washington and the failed attempt to legally demonetize the NRA in San Francisco, we can see a direct correlation between even failed Democrat policies and public anti-second amendment opinion.
