Time to Lead the Gun Rights Fight From the Front

This morning I found myself - once again - commenting on another anti-gun article filled with half-truths, misinformation and outright lies, and I wondered why?  Why am I constantly trying to educate people on the truth about guns, gun ownership, and the Second Amendment?  Where did it all go wrong?

When I was a boy, BB-guns and archery sets were excitedly brought to school for show and tell.  That's right, 8-year old boys with BB-guns and bows-and-arrows, bringing them on the bus, walking right through the school doors and no one batted an eye.

And there were no school shootings.

Now?  There would be a Team of Swat storming the school, doors barricaded, classrooms on lockdown, Principles scurrying, 24-hour Media coverage and, in the end, a small confused boy suspended.

Really?  It seems as Second Amendment advocates, we are always working from behind, defending against the lies and Liberal agenda driven by like-minded Media coverage.  Defending against a deluge of propaganda, from a myriad of sources, leaves us stuck in the mire of our own inability to gain traction.

I believe this needs to change.  

 

I think it's high-time we went on the attack.  Not abusive, name-calling, in your face attacks, but a subtle shift in how we conduct our business.  We should start by running some normal, everyday TV ads that educate and inform and assimilate the Second Amendment into the mainstream... as owning a gun is the most normal and natural thing a person can do - 1 in 3 Americans own a gun - moving us away from the fringe the Media purports us to be.

I would love the NRA to do some advertising, not for the NRA, but for child safety.  The NRA has always been a proponent of child safety, and now is the time to advance the thought in the mainstream media.  How about a 30-second spot in prime time with nothing more than some soothing music, a family enjoying life together, a nice sub-division, children playing in front of a fireplace and a fatherly voice-over saying...

"Protecting your Family is why you bore the responsibility of gun ownership. Of course, your responsibility doesn't end there.  Teach your children the four rules of Gun Safety to keep them out of harm's way. 1) If you see a gun, Stop!  2) Don't Touch  3) Leave the Room  And 4)  Tell an Adult!"

Fade to children playing in the sunshine with an overlay of the NRA / Eddie Eagle Logo and the fatherly voice-over... "Rules everyone can live by."

Or a commercial showing young adults enjoying themselves, out hunting in the fall colors,
shopping at a bustling grocery store, at the range with friends, leaving a church on a bright, sunny, spring morning, at a shooting match and then dinner with friends at a trendy eatery.  Healthy smiling faces, laughter, and love of life.  And the young voice-over...

"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness... only in America -The Land of the Free!"  

Fade to a montage of America - Oceans and lakes, fields of wheat, great cities, suburban life, and the NRA overlay.

And how about PSA's done in conjunction with Mental Illness groups like NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) which portrays depression as it is?  Black and white commercial.  A montage of desperate people in emotional pain. Ordinary citizens, Military, young people - all walks of life.

A soft, emotional, caring voice-over...

"In a compassionate, caring society, Mental Illness should be at the forefront, helping those desperate souls suffering from the hopelessness and despair of depression.  42,000 loving spirits take their own lives every year - 500,000 more attempt suicide.  It's time to meet the problem head-on. Time to make a difference."

Fade to black and the partnered logo of the Not for Profit and the NRA

It's time we go on the offensive, become pro-active instead of reacting to the next lie, the next attack.  Put the Antis on the defensive.  Make them react to us.  Make them defend.  It's time to get off the schneid and show our good side.  Our Second Amendment Right side.

Stay Safe and Carry Responsibly
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