by John Marion

Brian Puckett’s article is right on target. However, it might be good for us who agree with him to think through some possible motives of why so many gun owners agree with the NRA’s position in supporting existing gun laws. My desire is that such an intellectual exercise will help us to become more effective in making converts to our side.

There are far too many gun owners that take a compromise position on the Second Amendment. Why is that? In one word: ignorance. But for the gun owner who does not carefully follow what is happening to the Second Amendment, the current gun laws make a lot of sense.

Let’s suppose Harry Gun Owner is middle-aged, grew up with guns in his home, has two or three firearms, and lives in an suburb of any large city in the US. He and Mrs. Gun Owner work full time and his teen age kids are home alone for a few hours each day after school. Although he has taught his kids proper gun safety–even using some of NRA’s Eddie Eagle materials–his kids friends are from a variety of backgrounds. Harry does a good job at teaching his kids not to let any real nut cases into the house, but he does know that he must take ultimate responsibility for the safe storage of his guns. The last thing he wants is one of his kid’s friends to find a firearm in the home and then suddenly handling it like he has seen in the movies.

Harry has come to the conclusion that properly storing firearms with kids in the home is a very important issue. He hears on the news of kids getting killed by accidental shootings. He has the impression that kids are more likely to get killed from a gun in the home than by drowning, poisoning, or even automobile accidents. For Harry, it makes sense to support gun laws which require guns to be safely stored. He knows that there are idiots out there who will not do it on their own but will learn to do so when a law is enforced. After all, Harry reasons, so many lives are saved because people are wearing seatbelts and they are wearing seatbelts because it’s the law.

Harry hears of gun owners opposing a common sense law like mandatory trigger locks. He thinks these people are nuts. They are the same nuts that want criminals to have easy access to bullets that will easily go through bullet proof vests that police officers wear. Harry believes in the Second Amendment, but the line has to be drawn somewhere. After all, the Second Amendment doesn’t give everyone the right to own their own personal nuclear bomb, Harry reasons.

Harry is an NRA member. When he hears the NRA supporting existing gun laws, he is proud to be part of an organization that has such a common sense approach for the situations in today’s society. He gave extra money to the NRA when he heard Wayne attack Clinton. He really got goose bumps when Charton Heston held up his musket at the convention and said, “from my cold dead hands”. Harry believes the NRA is protecting the Second Amendment while promoting common sense gun safety and common sense gun laws.

Project Exile makes a lot of sense to Harry. “Lock em up and throw away the key!” is one of his favorite things to yell at the TV during the news. He’s happy to stand among his non-gun-owning friends and speak with confidence declaring to them that the NRA is not an organization made up of nuts with nutty ideas. He might even get one of his co-workers to come to the range next week. He’s never fired a gun before in his life, but since Harry is no nut and makes a lot of sense when he talks about firearms, he’s willing to give it a try. Over the next six months Harry’s friend will go the range with Harry several time. He will then buy his first firearm, become an NRA member and fully support the NRA in their defense of the Second Amendment. And he will be sure to stay away from the nuts that Harry stays away from too.