Did the NRA conspire to stimulate gun sales? Wallet cards in the NRA magazine

[Are_grits_groceries]

No other issue, save for perhaps the abortion issue, is as fraught with propaganda (from both sides) as the gun issue. As a gun-loving Democrat, and perhaps the only informed moderate in the country on the subject, I’ve always been profoundly irritated with the sheer amount of lies, spin, propaganda and grossly misleading information on the topic. While “preaching to the choir”, so to speak, is commonplace among passionate political players, for no other issue is it as common to lie to the choir as it is with the gun issue.

The most macabre of reactions to this cycle’s election results has been the uptick (to say the least) in gun sales that is being widely reported across the country.

http://www.examiner.com/x-1470-DC-Progressive-Examiner~y2008m11d14-Did-the-NRA-conspire-to-stimulate-gun-sales

Now I see where the wingnuts got a lot of their shouting points. I'm sure there would have been an uptick in sales,
but I bet this increased it by a brazillion %.

[Pab Sungenis]

1. Who cares?

If they're spurring legal gun sales, they haven't committed any crimes, and they actually are helping to stimulate the economy in the process.

If they were using misinformation to inspire their members to vote a certain way, it's unfortunate but not illegal.

But if someone takes a pot shot at Obama and they're a subscriber or found with this card in their pocket, then it becomes something else.

[ThomWV]

2. "Conspire to stimulate", what in hell is that supposed to mean?

You conspire to do something clandestine or illegal, not improve sales.

[aikoaiko]

3. Their primary motivation is to get the best gun rights politicians in office

And once they've made that determination they will exaggerate and distort the worst choice and ignore the liabilities of the best. That card is a good example of exaggerations and distortions.

There are kernels of truth based on things Obama said his Chicago and Illinois political campaigns to each of the NRA points.

So yes, the NRA hopes more guns get sold, but in the long run.

The current run on guns is mostly fueled by Obama's continued support for a Federal gun ban on many popular guns used for recreation, competion, hunting and self-defense.

Prices are still relatively low even with the run and people just don't want to screwed should another ban come down the road.

[rucky]

4. The gun industry profiting from fear?

say it ain't so!

[Edweird]

5. As a Democrat that owns guns, I resent the fact that the NRA

is just as dishonest as the shrieking kneejerk gun-grabbers. They are not helping individual gun owners with this kind of nonsense. I am not a member.

[Are_grits_groceries]

7. I don't want anybody's guns.

I was talking to my brother and in the middle of the conversation, he started shrieking
about some of these very points. I finally calmed him down and got him to listen. He is
actually quite moderate in what he believes about guns. And yes he could have tried to
find out if some of this was true, but you get a bunch of people together who listen to
all the misinformation spouted and they believe it. When McCain puts out misinformation,
he lends some credence to the message. Then all the other nuts don't seem so far out.

[benEzra]

10. The main thing gun owners are worried about is another ban on modern-looking rifles.

More Americans own so-called "assault weapons" than hunt.

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. I'll bet it doesn't take much to motivate some of their subscribers

to run out and load up on weaponry.

One pic I saw in a local paper showed a young woman dressed in fatigues with little kids in tow at a gun store plunking big bucks down on rifles for the upcoming who-knows-what.

Spooky stuff.

[StClone]

8. There is no problem

[slackmaster]

9. The NRA is far more interested in boosting its own membership than in selling firearms

They get only a small amount of money per firearm sold.

Many dealers of firearms and related items have a "NRA Round Up" program where the purchase price gets rounded up to the next even dollar, with the fractional dollar going straight to the NRA's political wing (its PAC).

They get some support from the gun industry directly. But their main source of income by far is simply membership dues.

[javadu]

11. If I Was A Bad Guy and Had A Little Startup Money

It seems that the gun owning, NRA community is ripe to be scammed. I wish that my morals and my wallet would stop preventing me from getting in on some of that action.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

12. They are accurate on 2 of the points.

[krispos42]

13. Most of that is a complelation of the worst of state or local laws...

...with the assumtion that Obama will make them nationwide.


It was discussed and I refuted them here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=4436594#4437822