The NRA: Fighting to stay relevant

“These should be good days for the National Rifle Association,” said Mitchell Landsberg in the Los Angeles Times. The Supreme Court endorsed its expansive view of the Second Amendment in 2008, guaranteeing individuals the right to have guns for personal protection. Politically, the NRA has won “the debate about the use of firearms” to the extent that even Democrats fear saying the words “gun control.” But when the NRA staged its annual meeting in St. Louis last week, paranoia was in the air, with the group’s leaders warning that President Obama would use his second term “to launch a massive anti-gun onslaught.” In reality, Obama has shown no interest in taking on the powerful gun lobby, said E.J. Dionne Jr. in The Washington Post. But without an obvious battle to fight, the NRA is trying to prove its relevance by pushing “increasingly extreme laws to extend the reach of guns into American life.” Among them: the “Stand Your Ground” laws it enacted in 25 states, authorizing gun owners like George Zimmerman to shoot anyone they perceive as a threat.

The NRA has good reason for its paranoia, said Jonathan S. Tobin in CommentaryMagazine.com. The organization has opposed “even the most sensible” gun restrictions, such as a ban on assault weapons, because the ultimate goal of liberal ideologues “is the banning of all guns.” The eagerness of the Left to use Trayvon Martin’s death to attack “Stand Your Ground” laws is exactly why we need an NRA. And the battle for gun rights is far from over, said Robert VerBruggen in NationalReview.com. The Supreme Court may have recognized the right to keep and bear arms, but cities like Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C., have passed onerous regulations “designed to discourage citizens from owning guns.” Even though they’re losing, gun-control advocates have hardly raised the white flag.

In coming years, the NRA may face its biggest battle from within, said Adam Winkler in TheDailyBeast.com. Many younger gun owners now view the organization’s “bizarre conspiracy theories” with chagrin, believing the NRA has become “a bunch of graybeards fighting imaginary battles.” Older gun enthusiasts, meanwhile, feel that the NRA is “too soft,” supporting moderate Republicans like Mitt Romney simply to “maintain its political influence.” This should be the NRA’s heyday, but the “unexpected hostility from within” is slowly tearing the group apart.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up