Yes, I am a loyal supporter of the NRA. I always have been and always will be.
In the event you are not up to speed, NRA stands for the National Rifle Association, proudly, the oldest and largest firearms authority in the world.
And certain folks want the federal government agencies to research the use of guns in our society when the NRA has been doing that for years, no, generations.
Which brings to mind that for generations the NRA has brought a safer and better understanding of firearms safety to our society than any other institution.
The volunteer members are constantly involved with programs for youth, men, women, police and sheriff departments, government agencies and even our military forces.
These programs have specific goals, but the end result is to make weaponry a more natural fit with the various environments that depend on them.
About 77 years ago, I first became involved with the NRA when I learned about firearms at a summer camp where the safe use of 22 rifles was taught.
I won an assortment of medals for accuracy in the various positions and distances then taught under the Junior NRA program. I was on the camp rifle team that competed all over the nation and helped our team bring home a traveling trophy we could each display throughout the next year for a short period of time.
Also, I, like most boys of the time, received permission from my parents to spend my newspaper route money on my first shotgun at the age of 12.
I went to the hardware store where I had been admiring one and it was a beautiful Model 12 that I still have.
My father was not physically able to take me hunting, so my mother asked a male family friend to take me out. He did, and I had the thrill of my first season of pheasants.
All of this horrible use of guns stood me well when I entered the Army. In Infantry Basic and Advanced I was able to garner sharpshooter in all weapons, but one.
For some strange reason, the weapon that most thought was more effective by throwing it at an enemy than firing it, brought me an Expert standing. It was the snub-nosed 38 cal. revolver. my MOS weapon.
The point is that I was no different than thousands of young men and now women who serve their country. Our civilian experience with weapons has helped to make our military the tough, invincible forces that they have proved to be in every war we have fought.
The NRA needs to be appreciated and supported today, not subject to the countless derogatory statements made by those who do not know whereof they speak.
One example is the argument over the use of “assault weapons”. Firstly, there are no “assault weapons” on the market. They are not allowed. An assault weapon is one that today fires full automatic and usually is equipped with a bayonet. As the name indicates, they are used to assault enemy positions with maximum fire power in an effort to dislodge him or destroy him.
What we see as “assault weapons” are only dressed up to look that way.
You could make them look like Buck Rogers ray guns, too, but they would not shoot deadly rays. So, let’s quit getting so excited about what gun haters mislabel as “assault weapons” in order to convince us to give up our guns.
Our 2nd Amendment to the Constitution is written as simply as it could be in order to make it impossible to alter. Remember the phrase, “shall not be infringed”? What could be more simple a declaration? And yet, lawmakers have written thousands of lines of laws to “infringe” upon our rights.
I have battled in the trenches for decades for 1st Amendment rights, but I tell my newspaper friends that it is the 2nd Amendment that really guarantees the 1st.
Thomas Jefferson, who penned our Declaration had a number of quotes to support the 2nd Amendment. Here are a few: “No freeman shall be debarred the use of arms.”
“The constitutions of most of our States assert that all power is inherent in the people; that … it is their right and duty to be at all times armed.”
“For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is the best security.”
“One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have occasion for them.”
“None but an armed nation can dispense with a standing army. To keep ours armed and disciplined is therefore at all times important.”
“Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state.”
Now, let’s recall our culture and our heritage and find solutions to gun violence where they can be effective: better background checks (questionable still under the 2nd Amendment), more knowledge of mental illness and extremely limited use of the so-called “free zones.”
Support the NRA, pledged to help you stay alive when you are under assault.
Duane Rasmussen Laguna Vista
