# Now This is What I'm Talking About, or Why I'm an NRA Member **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 7, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-this-is-what-im-talking-about-or-why-im-an-nra-member/633926 "2012-09-07T00:20:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cynyc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@cynyc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cynyc)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-this-is-what-im-talking-about-or-why-im-an-nra-member/633926/1 "2012-09-07T00:20:09Z")
“Battle of Athens”: 13 min video with sound. Enjoy! [http://voxvocispublicus.homestead.com/Battle-of-Athens.html](http://voxvocispublicus.homestead.com/Battle-of-Athens.html) ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-this-is-what-im-talking-about-or-why-im-an-nra-member/633926/2 "2012-09-07T03:03:11Z")
How about a quick précis? ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-this-is-what-im-talking-about-or-why-im-an-nra-member/633926/3 "2012-09-07T04:07:11Z")
Interesting short film about a real event. I especially liked that one of the main bad guys was / is the same man as plays Lieutenant Provenza, W.G. Bailey ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-this-is-what-im-talking-about-or-why-im-an-nra-member/633926/4 "2012-09-07T05:07:52Z")
It’s a clip from a made for TV movie: > **[An American Story (TV Movie 1992) ⭐ 6.7 | Drama](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103673/)** > > 1h 34m | PG ---
**Author:** ![MaltLiquor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/858c86/32.png) [@MaltLiquor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaltLiquor)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-this-is-what-im-talking-about-or-why-im-an-nra-member/633926/5 "2012-09-07T05:20:27Z")
Hmmmmm…pass. Links in the OP are useless unless you enhance them with your own comments, and no the title does not count. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-this-is-what-im-talking-about-or-why-im-an-nra-member/633926/6 "2012-09-07T05:50:33Z")
Well, in Tennessee, there was a corrupt political machine that had been stealing elections. After WWII some returning Vets, were pretty appalled at this so they ran their own candidates. The corrupt sheriff showed up with 200 “deputies” and shot one of the vets who was watching a polling site. Then took the ballot boxes and locked themselves in the jail to count them. Expressly forbidden by Tennessee law which states that ballots must be counted publicly. So the vets got weapons from the local armory and shot up the jail got the ballot boxes back and the count showed that the veterans won. Text tells us that the vets were not prosecuted for their actions and all the guns they took from the armory were cleaned and returned by the next morning. It ends with a quote of the full text of the 2nd Amendment. But… But… They didn’t own their guns, they took guns from the state owned armory. The corrupt people used their personal guns to enforce tyranny. All and all, I find the story inspiring but it doesn’t make me want to join the NRA. ---
**Author:** ![JLRogers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@JLRogers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JLRogers)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-this-is-what-im-talking-about-or-why-im-an-nra-member/633926/7 "2012-09-07T09:50:48Z")
Let me be the first to point out that the NRA exists largely to ensure the continued existence of the NRA. Oh, and sell commemorative plates and coins. And help fund the Republican party by whipping their members into a froth about UN gun confiscation programs that don’t actually exist. Luckily the Second Amendment Foundation is out there doing work to protect firearm rights. The NRA just takes the credit. ---
**Author:** ![cynyc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@cynyc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cynyc)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-this-is-what-im-talking-about-or-why-im-an-nra-member/633926/8 "2012-09-07T19:06:42Z")
> [@MaltLiquor](#): > > Hmmmmm…pass. Links in the OP are useless unless you enhance them with your own comments, and no the title does not count. And your post _counts_? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-this-is-what-im-talking-about-or-why-im-an-nra-member/633926/9 "2012-09-07T19:51:53Z")
> [@cynyc](#): > > And your post _counts_? :rolleyes: Neither post is likely to win Best Post at the 2012 Postie Awards, but at least **MaltLiquor** ’s expressed an opinion… ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-this-is-what-im-talking-about-or-why-im-an-nra-member/633926/10 "2012-09-07T19:59:00Z")
If I knew there would be awards I would have worked harder this year. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-this-is-what-im-talking-about-or-why-im-an-nra-member/633926/11 "2012-09-07T20:03:31Z")
> [@MaltLiquor](#): > > Hmmmmm…pass. Links in the OP are useless unless you enhance them with your own comments, and no the title does not count. Agreed. Thanks to **Zebra** for the text description. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-this-is-what-im-talking-about-or-why-im-an-nra-member/633926/12 "2012-09-07T20:15:57Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Neither post is likely to win Best Post at the 2012 Postie Awards, but at least **MaltLiquor** ’s expressed an opinion… Even if it was the dumbest opinion I’ve read on these boards in several weeks. That’s saying something. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-this-is-what-im-talking-about-or-why-im-an-nra-member/633926/13 "2012-09-07T20:48:28Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > If I knew there would be awards I would have worked harder this year. Maybe you’ll make the “In Memoriam” tribute montage. ---
**Author:** ![cynyc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@cynyc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cynyc)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-this-is-what-im-talking-about-or-why-im-an-nra-member/633926/14 "2012-09-08T19:51:29Z")
This is an org I never heard of. Thanks. > [@JLRogers](#): > > Let me be the first to point out that the NRA exists largely to ensure the continued existence of the NRA. Oh, and sell commemorative plates and coins. And help fund the Republican party by whipping their members into a froth about UN gun confiscation programs that don’t actually exist. > > Luckily the Second Amendment Foundation is out there doing work to protect firearm rights. The NRA just takes the credit. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-this-is-what-im-talking-about-or-why-im-an-nra-member/633926/15 "2012-09-12T18:33:40Z")
Watching an excerpt from a badly made tv movie doesn’t influence my opinion one way or the other. It always amuses me that weapon enthusiasts are so desperate for a foreign invasion, or a totalitarian government, so they that they can rationalise their fascination with firearms as a tool for preserving freedom, rather then suffering from “small mans disease” whereby you can get your own back on all those men who are bigger then you. If you love weapons so much enlist, and make sure that you get into a front line outfit where you go TOWARDS the sound of gunfire. Not drive away from it. The fascination with weapons will soon wear off. The sensible way to look at a firearm is as just another tool , just like a lawnmower, or a hammer, or a screwdriver. C.W.G.s scare the crap out of me. You never know if they’re going to shoot you, or some other innocent person while they’re cleaning it, or showing their friends it, or showing off.