This past weekend I attended my very first NRA convention. I have been a member, off and on, for over thirty years. Yet, have never attended the annual meeting before now. Charlotte changed that for me. Probably forever.
You see, the thing that I discovered (re-discovered) is that the
People Of The Gun are truly some of the nicest people that you ever want to meet. Sure, we have our quirks. We have our flakes. But overall, we have a passion for our hobby that is infectious and inviting.
Most of the "gunnies" that I know will take a "newbie" out to the range, pay the fees, buy the ammo, and do the instructional things necessary to ensure that the new shooter is safe. And then, they try very hard to make sure that the shooter has fun. Lots of fun...
Having been involved in other hobbies, I am not sure that the same enthusiasm for outreach exists to this degree (Major exception:
aviation). Yet, you see gun owners bending over backwards to bring new people into the sport. To
teach women how to protect themselves. To reach out, through organizations like
Second Amendment Sisters and
Pink Pistols, to diverse groups not normally associated with the stereotypical gun enthusiast. The outreach continues with programs like the
Appleseed project, the
Civilian Marksmanship Program, and
Boomershoot. The people who run these programs, or volunteer their time to assist, do so for the love of the sport and the continuation of our liberty. Our civil rights.
Our HUMAN rights.This past weekend, I got to meet with leaders in the industry. I got to meet with the "movers and shakers" in the area of advocacy. I got to meet with media types ("old" and "new"). And, I got to meet new friends. It was a humbling experience. It also cemented my belief that we gun owners are the very foundation of what's good and right in America today.
During the recording of
Vicious Circle on Sunday,
Breda made a comment about how the gun culture varies regionally (in reference to the NRA's desire to move their convention around annually). I disagree with that contention. While we may have regional tastes, this past weekend reinforced to me my belief that the people of the gun, from wherever they may reside, are solid and stalwart citizens who share the same fundamental core values nationwide.
Over seventy thousand people attended this year's convention. While the Charlotte Convention Center disallowed carrying of firearms on-site, most of the people attending brought at least one gun with them into the city. If my duffle bag was any indication, the number of guns in the city increased dramatically. Yet, to the best of my knowledge, no NRA members shot anybody in anger. There was no blood in the streets. There were no angry, armed confrontations at the local Starbucks. None of the hysteria that passes as rational argument from the Anti's came to pass. In fact, the convention-goers were happy, polite, friendly, and courteous.
Even the protesters (all 10 of them) were treated politely...
As I said earlier, I had the pleasure of meeting many "bloggers" and other "folk" while there. The sidebar category of "People I've Met" has grown dramatically. They are all good people. They are all worthy of friendship. They are
People of the Gun.
Pax,
Newbius
