Letter: A strategy for cancelling the NRA

Gun Rights


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Somewhere in the United States, an angry, isolated teenager is planning the next mass shooting of school children. He may feel isolated, but he is not alone. The gun industry is happy to sell him military-style assault weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. He is enabled by members of Congress cowering in fear of the National Rifle Association. Stopping him will require a lot more than the weak gun control legislation that appears to be all the Senate can pass.

Anyone disgusted at the accounts out of Uvalde, Texas, about children who were decapitated or so badly mutilated they could only be identified by their sneakers may have something they can do. What is needed are not thoughts and prayers, not even money, what’s needed is our votes.

Contrary to popular opinion, members of Congress are not influenced by the NRA’s money as much as the votes the NRA controls. The organization controls those votes by spreading the fear that “they” want to take away guns. However, the NRA is not in the majority. Surveys have shown up to two-thirds of voters favor some form of gun control including a substantial number of responsible gun owners.

The NRA publishes annual ratings of members of Congress ranging from A to F. People upset over our epidemic of gun violence should consult these ratings and pledge not to vote for anybody who received an A or B. If just a third of the voters who favor some form of gun control make this pledge, they can out out-vote the NRA, turning A and B ratings into a liability and changing the climate in Washington.

This won’t solve all our problems with gun violence, but it may be an important step toward meaningful gun legislation.

Jim Flanigan

Wynantskill

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