Friday, April 11, 2014

Want real conservative reform in Washington? Don’t count on the NRA.

If there is any doubt which side the NRA’s bread is buttered on, just at look at who is speaking at the NRA annual meeting later this month—none other than compromiser-in-chief Mitch McConnell.

The NRA sucks up to RINOs and Democrats all the time, but McConnell more than anyone else. They’ve given him more money than any other member of Congress ($19,000 between 2006 and 2012). They roll out the red carpet for him at their convention. They let him give NRA awards at CPAC (although he looked like a complete idiot). And while they sit out many other Republican primaries, or wait until the last second to weigh in, they endorsed McConnell over Bevin six months before primary day.

With all this cuddly behavior from the NRA, you would think McConnell was firmly pro-gun. Except he isn’t. He voted for Joe Biden’s crime bill, which banned several types of assault weapons and installed a waiting period on handguns. When Rand Paul (who the NRA has never made a donation to, by the way) introduced a pro-gun bill in 2011, McConnell voted against it and the bill never passed. He also voted for a bill written by Barbara Boxer to require gun sellers to include gun storage devices with each of their sales.

And yet the NRA basically walks around laying rose petals at his feet. What the heck are they thinking about?

The answer is simple: money. McConnell is always ready to swing a deal (debt ceiling, anyone?). He knows how to grease the wheels of the Washington spending machine. Anyone interested in suckling at the power teat would be wise to cozy up to him.

And that is why the NRA loves him. Their members are blind to this fact, but the NRA depends on big government. Every time there are rumblings in Washington about gun control or background checks, their membership increases and the dues roll in. Every time liberals introduce gun grab legislation, Wayne LaPierre gets to go on TV.

Why would a gigantic gun rights group want the problem of gun control to go away? Gun control pays their salaries!

Conservatives need to wake up and start paying closer attention to the organizations that they support. They have been letting the charlatans in the NRA pull the wool over their eyes for too long. If you want smaller government and better gun laws, you can start by skipping the annual meeting and turning in your NRA card.