Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Trying The Back Door

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Trying The Back Door

If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results, you’ve got to recognize that some among the anti-gunner crowd seem to be having a lucid moment. Since all the misplaced outrage and all the money in the world aren’t enough to advance their agenda through legislative channels—in the most recent example, Everytown for Gun Safety and affiliated groups outspent pro-gunners 5-to-1 in Vermont and still didn’t get their way—gun grabbers are getting wise and working to bypass official political channels entirely.

We’ve seen how groups like Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America have been busy trying to cajole and even bully retail chains into banning guns. Given how many companies have opted for a soft response—usually asking their customers not to bring in guns without actually changing their policies—they’ve evidently decided to get tough. Now Moms is demanding that their supporters boycott Kroger for nothing more than allowing legal gun owners to carry in their stores.

This “hit them in the wallet” approach has a mixed track record—especially on firearm-related issues. But the prevalence of social media and some people’s thirst for a good public shaming means that there is little cost associated with trying. At times it can be very effective, too, sometimes with repercussions that go beyond company policies. However you feel about the result, you’ve got to recognize that the approach—affecting the legislative process without ever contacting your representative—is high on gun-banners’ to-do list.

Simple boycotts aren’t the only way in which anti-gunners are seeking to bypass legislative channels. We’ve also seen a notable increase in shareholder activism focused on stealing support from firearm manufacturers and sellers. New York’s Trinity Church, a Wal-Mart shareholder, agitated to get the retail giant to stop offering AR-style rifles to customers. And California teachers organized to keep gun makers out of the public pension fund that supports their retirement. Their motivation? It seems that the fund includes Remington Outdoor Company, manufacturer of the Bushmaster rifle. The Wal-Mart case likewise revolved around the entire class of AR-style guns—or as they like to call them, “assault rifles."The anti-gun movement’s last-ditch effort is to win the hearts and minds of Americans, but those hearts and minds already belong to us. The only thing we have to fear is complacency.

So is there cause for concern? Not necessarily. This is just one of numerous ways in which anti-gunners are transitioning to a long game of trying to mold public opinion, since their legislative agenda is stalled and won’t revive unless a lot more people start thinking their way. The kind of junk science that NRA was successful at defunding in the 1990s is starting to pop back up in unofficial outlets—instead of CDC reports, we’re seeing Mother Jonesand the Los Angeles Times running their own biased studies and trumpeting a “scientific consensus” that is intended to confound gun-rights supporters.

But for all the sound and fury, Americans aren’t buying their narrative. Polling shows that the majority of us support the Second Amendment. It also reveals that African-American voters are throwing off the anti-gun movement’s influence and recognizing firearms as tools for self-defense. Even the academic elite aren’t entirely on the side of the gun-control agenda, as a survey of economists shows their positive views on the role of guns in society. There is absolutely a shift in public opinion taking place; it just happens to be away from Michael Bloomberg and his cronies.

Shareholder activism can be a tricky problem since a limited number of people hold the reins of power. But both sides of the gun debate can play at this game. If you have a stake, you’re more than capable of fighting back against the anti-freedom set. A great example is former NRA President Charlton Heston reading the lyrics to Ice-T’s “Cop Killer” at a Time Warner shareholders meeting in 1992. To say his actions made a huge difference in company policy would be an understatement.

When it comes to boycotts, they tend to be more cries for attention than actual threats. We’re the majority, and we have money, too. Don’t want to see Kroger get bullied into banning guns? Start shopping there. Let people know why you’re doing it. The anti-gun movement’s last-ditch effort is to win the hearts and minds of Americans, but those hearts and minds already belong to us. The only thing we have to fear is complacency.

TRENDING NOW
Congress Passes the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Now Headed to President Trump

News  

Thursday, July 3, 2025

Congress Passes the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Now Headed to President Trump

Earlier today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” This bill contained a provision that would, among other things, eliminate the burdensome $200 excise tax imposed by federal law on suppressors, short-barreled firearms, ...

One Big Beautiful Bill Clears Senate, and Heads Back to House

News  

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

One Big Beautiful Bill Clears Senate, and Heads Back to House

Earlier today the U.S. Senate passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” This bill contained a provision that would, among other things, eliminate the burdensome $200 excise tax imposed by federal law on suppressors, short-barreled firearms, and “any ...

U.S. House Sends Reconciliation Bill to President Trump

News  

Second Amendment  

Thursday, July 3, 2025

U.S. House Sends Reconciliation Bill to President Trump

NFA Tax on Suppressors, Short-Barreled Firearms, and Other Arms Reduced to $0

U.S. House Passes Reconciliation Bill, Removing Suppressors from the National Firearms Act

News  

Second Amendment  

Thursday, May 22, 2025

U.S. House Passes Reconciliation Bill, Removing Suppressors from the National Firearms Act

Earlier today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.1 the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included Section 2 of the Hearing Protection Act, completely removing suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA).

U.S. Senate Adds Pro-Gun Tax Relief Language Back into Reconciliation Bill

News  

Saturday, June 28, 2025

U.S. Senate Adds Pro-Gun Tax Relief Language Back into Reconciliation Bill

Overnight, the U.S. Senate added pro-gun tax relief language back into the Reconciliation bill after the Senate Parliamentarian struck out an earlier provision.  While this new provision is not as expansive as the language we advocated for which ...

President Trump Signs the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” into Law

News  

Friday, July 4, 2025

President Trump Signs the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” into Law

Earlier today, on the 4th of July, a day on which our Founding Fathers declared their intent for a free nation, the President of the United State of America, Donald Trump, signed the “One Big ...

Armed Churchgoers Prevent Mass Attack as State Lawmakers Plot More Gun Control

News  

Monday, June 30, 2025

Armed Churchgoers Prevent Mass Attack as State Lawmakers Plot More Gun Control

Just over an hour away from the state capitol in Lansing, Michigan – even as lawmakers worked feverishly to pass various gun control measures, including expansion of “gun free” zones – a chilling reminder unfolded of the ...

North Carolina: Update on Gun Bills Moving through the General Assembly

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

North Carolina: Update on Gun Bills Moving through the General Assembly

Recently, House Bill 193 (H193) was reported favorably out of both the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Rules Committee, with amendments.

Canada’s Big Ugly Gun Grab: An Update

News  

Monday, June 30, 2025

Canada’s Big Ugly Gun Grab: An Update

Canada’s Liberal government is pressing on with its harebrained gun ban and confiscation program for “assault style weapons,” but, true to form and precedents, it has been far from smooth sailing.

Washington Post Admits that Anti-gun Lawfare “Cannot be the Solution” to Crime

News  

Monday, March 17, 2025

Washington Post Admits that Anti-gun Lawfare “Cannot be the Solution” to Crime

In a turnabout worthy of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Washington Post (WAPO) published an editorial last Tuesday criticizing the gun control movement for ignoring the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) and pursuing its agenda in ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.