Guns: Several items of interest

Many years ago the National Rifle Association (NRA) was an organization that served — and was funded by — hunters, target shooters, etc.  Over the years most of the NRA’s budget has become funded by gun manufacturers rather than ordinary people.  Those corporations want to sell more and more guns.  That is why even though many gun owners support responsible laws to reduce gun violence, the NRA (funded by gun manufacturers) lobbies and donates to politicians’ campaigns in order to PREVENT SENSIBLE LAWS that most gun owners actually support.

A few years ago Congress was considering legislation to limit sales of guns to the worst foreign dictators — the world’s worst violators of human rights.  The NRA killed the legislation.  If the NRA had really represented hunters and target shooters, the NRA would have had no reason to oppose this law.  But the NRA is primarily the lobbying and campaign financing arm of weapons manufacturers.

Actually, the  U.S. gun industry wants to sell more guns worldwide, including to terrorists, etc.  Consider this article:  https://www.alternet.org/us-gun-industry-wants-bigger-piece-worlds-arms-trade?src=newsletter1092802

 

 

Do not assume more polarization about guns than actually exists.  Actually, gun owners and non-owners REALLY DO AGREE on a lot of possible reforms!  Let’s work together with sensible allies to reject the NRA’s extremism and reduce gun violence.  See this article:  https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gun-owners-non-gun-owners-agree-reforms_us_5afd913fe4b06a3fb50e75ae?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=__Politics__051818&utm_content=__Politics__051818+Version+A+CID_2530ef7a8bb4246fb12c49ea75125fe0&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=Gun%20Owners%20And%20Non-Gun%20Owners%20Actually%20Agree%20On%20A%20Lot%20Of%20Gun%20Reforms&ncid=newsltushpmgnews__Politics__051818

 

Despite Trump’s anti-Islamic hatred and fear-mongering, NO Americans have been killed by terrorists from the Muslim-majority nations from which Trump has banned visitors and refugees.  Actually, white racist and right-wing Americans have been conducting mass shootings and terrorism within the U.S.  The U.S. news media simply do not label these white right-wingers as “terrorists.”   Police documents about the man who shot people in Las Vegas in May 2018 show that he is a right-wing terrorist but no one will say so.  Mainstream U.S. news media reserve the term “terrorist” only for the kinds of people Trump is demonizing.  Consider this article:  https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/5/21/1766015/-Police-documents-about-the-Las-Vegas-shooter-say-he-s-a-right-wing-terrorist-but-no-one-will-say-so?detail=emaildkre

 

 

The NRA wants more guns everywhere, except the NRA is BANNING GUNS at their convention while V.P. Pence is there.  https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/04/parkland-survivors-mock-nra-for-banning-guns-during-pence-speech-at-convention.html

 

 

Sensible solutions do exist.  Politicians need the political will to take sensible, effective actions.  Here are SIX WAYS TO REDUCE GUN VIOLENCE in the U.S.  https://www.americanprogress.org/series/6-ways-to-reduce-gun-violence-in-america/view/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=progReport

 

 

Here is a creative nonviolent action.  For various kinds of issue, some people use light to project messages onto walls.   People have done this in a great many locations.  The Backbone Campaign, based on Vashon Island in Washington state (www.backbone.org) has organized a Solidarity Brigade Network.  Recently they projected lights in 11 cities throughout the U.S.  They projected messages against gun violence and the NRA’s corrupting and bullying of elected officials that keeps our country from having the common sense policies we deserve and our youth are now demanding.  See this:  https://www.backbonecampaign.org/sbvsnra?splash=1

 

 

 

 

About GlenAnderson 1499 Articles
Since the late 1960s Glen Anderson has devoted his life to working as a volunteer for peace, nonviolence, social justice, and progressive political issues. He has worked through many existing organizations and started several. Over the years he has worked especially for such wide-ranging goals as making peace with Vietnam, eliminating nuclear weapons, converting from a military economy to a peacetime economy, abolishing the death penalty, promoting nonviolence at all levels throughout society, and helping people organize and strategize for grassroots movements to solve many kinds of problems. He writes, speaks, and conducts training workshops on a wide variety of topics. Since 1987 he has produced and hosted a one-hour cable TV interview program on many kinds of issues. Since 2017 he has blogged at https://parallaxperspectives.org He lives in Lacey near Olympia WA. You can reach him at (360) 491-9093 glen@parallaxperspectives.org