United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- Second Amendment supporters often have raised a stink about times major legislation that attacks our rights is enacted. The 1968 Gun Control Act and the 1993 Brady Act are two major bones some pick with the National Rifle Association at the time. But then there are times when the NRA scored wins – like halting any federal gun control after Columbine and Sandy Hook.
One thing to keep in mind with these differing outcomes is this: The situations were very different. In 1968 and 1993, the Congress and White House were in the hands of foes of the Second Amendment, and the margins in Congress were significantly in their favor. For the 1968 Gun Control Act and the Brady Act, the best option was to limit the damage.
In 1968, LBJ wanted a federal licensing and registration scheme. That didn’t happen. In 1993, Clinton wanted a permanent waiting period on handguns bought from FFLs. That didn’t happen. Not that those laws don’t need massive changes (and the bulk of the provisions affecting those laws would ideally be gone) but compared to what those who try to take our rights wanted, they fell short of what anti-Second Amendment extremists wanted. In 1994, of course, the NRA didn’t give an inch on the crime bill with the semi-auto ban. That was because gun bans don’t leave any room for falling back, even with a sunset provision.
In the case of Columbine, the NRA’s tactics were very successful in defending gun shows from being destroyed by federal legislation. The way it was done was to present a version that covered pro-Second Amendment lawmakers, while still being unacceptable to anti-Second Amendment extremists.
In addition, the NRA pushed Project Exile, and that also helped defeat Al Gore in 2000. While some raise objections to that program, it very well may have been the difference in that razor-close election. George W. Bush’s appointments of John Roberts and Samuel Alito were the difference in the landmark Heller and McDonald rulings.
Similarly, in the wake of Sandy Hook, federal legislation was stopped by a filibuster in the Senate. But a big part of it was an alternative to the sweeping semi-auto ban Obama was pushing in the form of the Protecting Communities and Preserving the Second Amendment Act. That led to big gains in the 2014 mid-terms.
Second Amendment supporters should keep in mind the importance of the right strategy and tactics as they seek to defeat anti-Second Amendment extremists at the federal, state, and local levels via the ballot box in the upcoming elections.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.
The NRA under LaPierre has a consistent history of trying to take credit for anything done anywhere in the USA by anyone that turned out well for gun owners. The reality is that had the money stolen and squandered by LaPierre and his toadies actually been used to defend the 2nd Amendment instead of “feathering their nests”, we wouldn’t have to worry daily about some local, state or Federal politician or bureaucrat infringing on our 2nd Amendment rights. Let’s not forget all the times when NRA actually promoted gun control either actively or by remaining silent, something they don’t like… Read more »
if the nra had told all its members do not comply with 1968 act it would have been stopped and Nixon could have killed it. stop the ball dont let it roll. tricky dick was not the best but he supported alpha 66 so .people in everglades with machine guns ,most bought from Woolworth with 2$ tax stamp (paper receipt from register)
These Butters and Fudds are always celebrating their “compromises” as wins while also trying to convince us that the NRA is so big and powerful and we need them to save our 2A rights. They always fail to tell the whole truth which is that the NRA supported, and in some cases helped write, most of these infringements. If the NRA is so big and powerful then they should have taken a no compromise stance instead of negotiating our rights away a piece at a time.
There you are again with your tactical strategery, Harold. It’s been a while.
You’re still a believer in what’s allowed incremental gun control over the years: compromise. Your way of thinking and your beloved NRA has exposed us to death by a thousand cuts.
You’re wrong.
By compromising we help gun control pass. Not only that, those intolerable acts become tolerated rather than fought in the legislature, fought in the courts, repealed, or nullified.
We need your brand of help like we need knives in our backs, so:
Please go away, Harold.
Well, Lorena Bobbitt, please compromise just a little and only cut little bit off your hubby’s dick. There all better. Then, work ever more to gain that lost little bit back……just send donations to the cause. Tell Hubby he should be very thankful for your reduced impact. Sound like the NRA???
Maybe Allies should have saved thousands of lives by compromising with Nazis, and be required to speak German only on days ending in “y”.
Probably just a really, really old guy being hung up on “…shall not be infringed.”
And what has the NRA done for me lately? I’d love to upgrade my life membership from Patron to Benefactor and will do so when it is likely to give me some return on my investment. Until then there are a half dozen other organizations getting my hard earned dollars and they put them to good use.
If I engage in “the importance of the right strategy and tactics” mentality, then that might mean that I should not open carry a weapon as that would arouse the anti-gun people and we might end up deeper in the hole. Rather, I think in terms of challenging them to the point that they must directly infringe in my activities to achieve their goals. I don’t think they will succeed in doing this. Right now, I am pretty much alone when their proxy, the police, confront me. When those proxy start to fade away because more of us challenge them,… Read more »
Here is a good resultant of people showing their arms, though they suffered in the mean time.
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/federal-judge-rules-washington-dc-is-liable-for-post-heller-wrongful-firearm-arrests/
HLB
There is no more room for any surrender at all.
One political party in particular no longer recognizes firearm ownership as a right, and more important, does not recognize that firearm ownership is a RIGHT TO POWER.
Allowance to low capacity POP-GUNS does us no favors.
The line is drawn – in states where democrats have gone too far, MASS NON-COMPLIANCE has been the response.
Americans would be much better off if the NRA never existed to consistently negotiate and compromise our rights away. It needs be nuked, abolished, section 8’d, destroyed, and all board members and corp staff and legal team deserve jail time. Anyone who sends them money is a moron who funds their own betrayal.
The victories you name are not wins, they’re Pyrrhic victories.We lose just a little more with each “win”.
What a load of bullshill. NRA didn’t try to fight GCA’68. As to the federal “AW” ban, it was NRA’s fecklessness, appeasement, pre-emptive surrenders & betrayals before & after the 1989 Stockton massacre that paved the way for Bush’s import ban, Cali & NJ bans, and the federal ban.
Coming out again, Harold? Is this the quality of payola-hackologia NRA is reduced to these days? I’m surprised Col Brown paid for it.
P.S. STRIKE GROUP REAGAN! LOL
Every time gun owners heap hate on the NRA, the Left chortles and rubs their hands together. They use their media slaves to push articles about how bad the NRA is and how it’ll be defunct soon because gun owners have turned against it. Is the NRA perfect? No. Do we as gun owners need to stop turning against it and fighting amongst ourselves? Yes. So everyone needs to get with it and present a united front that includes the NRA, GOA, the NAGR and your state organizations. Otherwise the Left is going to be laughing at all of us… Read more »
Horsepatuckey! You are so full of it you don’t even recognize the excrement bloviating out your mouth. The NRA has advocated for, supported and even written gun control bills since the 1930’s. They have sold our rights down the river, while pretending to fight for us and enriching corporate members. F–k the NRA. The only good they ever did was with instruction, which is far overshadowed by their betrayals.
It’s amazing how some people can justify their support of backstabbing traitors. Hard to tell if it’s ignorance, cognitive dissonance, plain old stupidity, or maybe these people are just a bunch of Butters and Fudds who also support certain arms laws.