We are told that we will never be able to get meaningful gun reform because the NRA will not allow it. They are just too powerful.
They claim to have some 4.3 million members who actually pay them money to advocate on their behalf. They claim that since the slaughtering of innocence at Sandy Hook, their membership has grown. How sick is that?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
In the days since the Dec. 14 massacre -- in which a gunman armed with a military-style assault weapon and high-capacity magazines shot and killed 26 people, including 20 young children -- the NRA's membership increased from 4.1 million to 4.2 million, Politico's Mike Allen reports. New members must pay a fee of $25, and in return get access to NRA events and a free gift.Have some disappointing news for those members, however, as they are not really the source of the NRA's power. No, to the extent that they have any real power, it comes from the hold they have over our congress.
Weren't you just sick to your stomach when you learned that members of congress, elected by the citizens of this country. could not condemn the massacre in SH for fear of upsetting the NRA?
This is what NRA president David Keene told CNN about the talk of new gun legislation:
You don't want to bet your house on the outcome. But I would say that the likelihood is that they are not going to be able to get an assault weapons ban through this Congress,"Time to do something about this hold the NRA have on the Congress of the United States of America. Time to make those congressmen and women ashamed of themselves for associating with this toxic organization. "The lobbyist for mass murderers," as Lawrence O'Donnell describes them, should never be issuing grades for our elected officials in the first place. Unacceptable!
The New York Times says that currently, 286 lawmakers enjoy an A rating. The House with 242 and 46 from the Senate. No wonder the NRA is so arrogantly confident.
A partial list of NRA “A” Rated Senators in 2012 Cycle:
1.) John Barasso (A) – NRA Endorsed
2.) Bob Corker (A) – NRA Endorsed
3.) Ted Cruz (A+) – NRA Endorsed
4.) Joe Donnelly (A)
5.) Deb Fischer (A) – NRA Endorsed
6.) Jeff Flake (A) – NRA Endorsed
7.) Orrin Hatch (A+) – NRA Endorsed
8.) Heidi Heitkamp (AQ)
9.) Dean Heller (A) – NRA Endorsed
10.) Joe Manchin (A) – NRA Endorsed
11.) Jon Tester (A-)
12.) Roger Wicker (A+) – NRA Endorsed
A more extensive list can be found here.
See Sunlight Foundation to get an idea of the incestuous relationship between the Congress and the NRA.
I say we use every social media tool available to heap shame on those who are currently enjoying a favorable rating from the NRA. The old-fashioned, tried and true method of marching and calling on offices should also be employed.
What sayest thou?