Editor’s note: This commentary is by John S. Liccardi, who is a retired attorney living in Rutland Town.
[A]s a lifelong outdoorsman I have cherished the right of gun ownership and the freedom to hunt and fish throughout North America, but never more proudly than in Vermont where the tradition of lawful hunting is safeguarded by our state’s Constitution. In turn, I have tried to give back by mentoring young sportsmen, serving as the chair of the state Fish and Wildlife Board and as past president of our local fish and game club and Vermont chapters of Ducks Unlimited and the National Wild Turkey Federation.
All of this has brought deep satisfaction. Today, however, I speak not as a representative of these worthy groups but as an individual.
I am ashamed of the NRA. This organization, of which I was once a supporting member, has devolved from a service-oriented body promoting gun safety and representing the rights of responsible gun owners to a purveyor of hate-mongering extremism and lobbyist for the firearms manufacturing industry. Their historic objectives of education, training and support of Second Amendment rights is now lost in an outrageous flood of odious extremism and all-out effort to silence even the mildest suggestions for safe, responsible gun ownership. Anyone doubting this is simply not paying attention. Some recent highlights:
• Television host and NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch labeled advocates of reasonable gun control as “… assassins of real news … who teach their children that their President is another Hitle,” and that the only way to “save our country” is through the NRA.
• NRA past president Marion Hammer likened the banning of assault-style weapons to racial discrimination.
• Following the Newtown School shooting, NRA board member Ted Nugent compared administration proposals to advance gun safety to Hitler’s murder of millions during the Holocaust.
• NRA News declared that honoring victims of gun violence made the world more dangerous for women.
• Following the bombing of the Alfred E. Murrah federal building, former President George H.W. Bush publicly destroyed his NRA membership card when an NRA fundraising letter slammed federal agents responding to the scene as “jack-booted thugs.” “Your broadside deeply offends my sense of honor and decency,” Bush declared.
This is hardly civil discourse, no matter one’s position on guns. It is nothing less than extremism intended to stoke the fires of fear and animosity. An unfortunate consequence of this high profile bullying is that the NRA has, to much of the general public, become the “face” of hunting. How often a non-hunter, learning of my outdoor activities, has assumed that I must be a member of the NRA or allied with its positions. To the contrary, the NRA’s stated membership of 5 million is a mere 3 percent of the nation’s 150 million gun owners and 13.6 percent of nearly 37 million hunters licensed in 2017. In short, the NRA does not speak for me or for the overwhelming majority of firearms owners.
Criticism is weakened unless it has a point. Here is mine:
• Why is it wrong to use our best, albeit imperfect, efforts to assure that all gun sales be denied to those who have proven to be a danger to themselves or others? Tell the NRA to support universal background checks.
• Why is it necessary, in the exercise of our rights and freedoms as sportspersons and firearms enthusiasts, to own weapons that belong only on a battlefield? Tell the NRA to support renewal of the ban on assault-style weapons, including bump stocks.
Vermont is home to many NRA members, some of whom I count among my friends. While respecting their right to disagree, it is simply inconceivable to suggest that such simple steps to help shield our citizenry from these horrific tragedies would not be favored by most Americans, including the vast majority of our firearms fraternity.
If you are among them, call the NRA (800-672-3888). Politely, but firmly, make them hear you.
