Knock it off, guys

This stupid crap has got to stop. As much as I admire the JPFO for their adamant stance on the 2nd Amendment, we don’t actually gain anything by sub-dividing and fighting amongst ourselves. At Snowflakes, Sebastian does a pretty good job of summing up how I feel about this sort of thing.

Seriously, that’s not going to help anything. Going after Joaquin Jackson for what he said was fine, but undermining other pro-gun groups and promoting the fragmentation of the movement help no one.

Especially when Mr. Jackson has already explained what he was trying to say right here at the NRA-ILA.

You don’t like what Mr. Jackson said? That’s fine, you’re entitled to your own opinion. However, calling for a “Zumboing” or similar silliness is not only foolish, it’s downright idiotic. Do you even remember what happened in the media after the Zumbo thing? All the mainstream media took the holy fervor with which we eagerly consumed one of our own and used it to paint us as extremist, reactionary nutcases.

Just because Zumbo apologized and is now apparently a “true believer” doesn’t mean that we should ignore the consequences of our actions. In the haste to eradicate “Fuddism” or somesuch from our holy, pure ideals, we run the risk of alienating people that we actually need on our side to win this thing.

What’s funny about all of this is that I actually am a 2nd Amendment extremist. I believe that “shall not be infringed” means exactly that; I think that what Mr. Jackson said was foolish and not well thought out. But that doesn’t mean that I’m willing to pillory a valuable member of the single most effective pro-gun organization in the country just I can feel good about myself and how I’m “contributing to the cause”.

When it comes to gun rights, the JPFO, the GOA, and all the organizations other than the NRA do serve a valuable purpose – I think that we need those groups to contribute to the larger body as a whole. But when those groups instigate fights with the NRA, it doesn’t help. We need the NRA, and the NRA needs us; Hunters, Cowboy Action Shooters, Tacticool Teddy’s, and everyone else. This is exactly the kind of foolishness that we don’t need.

Even more so than the JPFO, I’m a little disappointed in Kim’s reaction to all this. He was one of the first bloggers I read, and part of the reasons I got into blogging. His reach is over 9,000 unique hits a day, and it pains me to think that he’s more than happy to continue to incite people to subdivide and fight amongst ourselves. Yelling at the NRA and eating another one of our own just isn’t going to help any one.

Update: This quote from Robb is too good to leave in the comments.

I want the group to use my money to fight the gun grabbers, not other pro-gun groups.

8 Comments

  1. It also damages the overall strength because people like me can’t figure out where to spend their money. I’m not part of any group because each has failures. Bitching about the other groups adds to that uneasy feeling about joining.

    I want the group to use my money to fight the gun grabbers, not other pro-gun groups.

  2. I would suggest joining the NRA Robb. It may not be perfect, but of all the pro-gun organizations, it is the one the anti-gunners fear most. That is because they have power and clout in DC. Congresspeople may love or hate the NRA, but they do respect it. Most Congresspeople have never heard of GOA or JPFO. The more members the NRA has, the greater its clout on Capitol Hill.

  3. I really do agree with Sam. I may not always agree 100% with the NRA, but they have tremendous pull on The Hill, and that’s what really matters.

  4. The NRA is one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, pro-gun, pro-2nd Amendment, pro-gun owner, organizations in the world. That is why I am a life member. Do I agree with all they say and do, hell no; sometimes I cannot stomach them, but then I let them know it. Yet, I have not found another organization where my membership dues and my donations would be as well spent as they were with the NRA. You do not need to agree with them 100%, and they do not need to agree with you 100%, in order to win the fight to keep sacred our right to keep and bear arms. Anyone who takes an extremist view and joins and extremist group, will soner or later be disappointed by that group because they will not have kept 100% to your extremist views. That is just the nature of groups, no one will always be in agreement. Yet the NRA, despite difference in opinion, always strives toward the one goal, and tries to keep us pretty much untited in attaining that goal. When a better, or equal, group comes along, I’ll give them my dues for a life membership too.

    All the best,
    Glenn B

  5. Sam is absolutely correct. When I hear the Bradys and the anti-gunners in Congress and Harrisburg start moaning about the power of JPFO or GOA, I might think about joining. But they don’t, and there’s a reason for that.

  6. The best way to deal with Jackson would be to vote against him in the next NRA elections.

  7. i really agree with al and sam, the best way to change the things you may not like is from within

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