One of the most important aspects of the NRA convention is the opportunity to meet people and exchange ideas. I had a chance to sit with, talk to, and banter about ideas with people who occupy the entire spectrum of thought on Second Amendment issues. I am a "no compromise, not another inch" "Threeper", yet I understand the necessity of an organization like the
NRA. The NRA exists to cater to the "Middle 60%" of the gun owners. In doing so, they will annoy the extremes at each end of the gun owner spectrum "Fudds"-(for lack of a better term although I disdain the term personally)-and
"The Three Percent".
In my earlier post "
Three Percent Bitch", I advocated for our end of the spectrum to engage and take over from within. To make the NRA into
our 800-pound gorilla. At least one Threeper wrote me off as an apologist and shill for the group. I know I pissed off a few more who didn't bother to comment. So be it. But, here is the rub: as a political organization, the NRA interfaces with politicians who are afraid of the fringe 40%. The NRA, as an organization, only really understands their own middle 60%, and is ALSO afraid of the fringe 40%. They are a group of moderates, talking to a group of moderates, who only want to get along and not take radical and unpopular stands on issues.
Here is where this benefits us. We need to move the
Overton Window on them. It was moved against us gradually over many years, until guns were seen as outside of the mainstream. We need to normalize guns again. Part of that strategy is push the "fringe" farther out. Like it or not, the Threepers are considered "fringe" by the mainstream. We are written off as crazy, absolutist, uncompromising, etc.. Let's fix that.
Here is a core truth: We need the NRA. Here is another core truth: The NRA needs US.
We lose sight of the fact that, while they have sinned against us in the past, they are still listened to in the halls of Congress. We need to understand that
our voices are heard the loudest when the biggest mouth is singing our song. Like I stated in Three Percent Bitch, we need to engage them from within and bend them to our will.
The NRA needs us too, and they don't yet understand why. They need the Threeper movement to push the Overton Window. We need to push the window towards the Constitutional Ideal; of Constitutional Carry without restrictions, nationwide. In doing so, we push what our goal is loudly and force the less "extreme" measures that relax restrictions into the 'normal mainstream' of thought and acceptability. And, we keep pushing.
Together, we Liberty-minded gun owners and Second Amendment advocates can accomplish much. To do so, we need to quit sniping at each other (well, most of the sniping), pull together, and act. Failure to do so has allowed the enemies of Liberty to push the window towards Statism at the expense of our freedoms.
The gun banners and leftist politicians use the Overton Window against us. It is time to turnabout and do the same to them. Are you with me?
Newbius
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