Posted by Kromey at 1:04pm Sep 13 '13a majority of NRA members were in favor of expanding background checks to include gun shows. the NRA opposed it with vehemence.
a) The polls that showed that were egregiously flawed.
b) That was not the proposal being floated -- it would have required Bob to pass a background check before Grandpa passed down his old squirrel gun!
When NRA members were asked about what was actually being proposed, they overwhelmingly opposed it.
why? because the NRA isn't there to represent its members. it's there to make sure the gun manufacturers make as much money as possible....and it's not in their best interests to have background checks.
Non sequitor.
Riddle me this: How do gun manufacturers benefit in any way, shape, or form from requiring individuals and collectors to start doing background checks on second-hand gun sales?
Sales at gun shows already require background checks when they're sold be registered dealers. And only registered dealers are selling guns from the manufacturers -- everyone else is selling guns they previously bought through registered dealers.
Which means that, contrary to your specious claim, the way the NRA would actually benefit the manufacturers is by supporting background checks for private sales, as that would introduce a hurdle to private sellers that would result in fewer such sales and driving more buyers to the dealers, which in turn moves more of the manufacturers' stock.
This is exactly why, for example, the XBone originally wasn't going to allow used games at all -- because the manufacturers only get any money on the first sale, not on re-sales of used items. Therefore making it harder to re-sell used items benefits the manufacturers, while making it easier instead benefits private individuals.
In other words, this is a clear-cut case of the NRA supporting its members at the expense of manufacturers.
cue NRA-built paranoia that "gun control" = "dismantle the second amendment and take away everyone's guns"....THIS is actually my primary beef with them - and gun nuts in general. it's impossible to have dialog with someone who believes that everything you say is just "code" for "the most drastic infringement of constitutional rights in the entire history of the country".
Okay, you're actually talking about GOA and other hard-line pro-gun groups here. As mentioned elsewhere, repeatedly, the NRA supports reasonable gun control, such as NICS, expanding NICS to include mental health reporting, and expanding funding to NICS to include grants to improve on states' reporting of mental health issues.
The NRA also advocates stronger enforcement of existing gun laws, such as actually prosecuting people who lie on their NICS forms -- something the Obama administration has literally said "we don't have the time" for.
What the NRA opposes is gun-grabbing efforts such as the shit New York pulled earlier this year, or ridiculous and capricious arbitrary limits on magazine capacity.
i just thought it was strange that you took the leap from two recalls to "the wishes of the people of Colorado." as proved here in wisconsin, the two are definitely not the same.
In order for a recall to succeed, there does have to be popular support for it. Two recalls succeeded here, proving there was support for it among the people of Colorado. That others didn't succeed means only that recalling sitting politicians is hard, such as the failure to recall Walker earlier despite massive public outcry over his actions.
Re: it's my view of the NRA - Kromey