# Women should learn from nra
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [July 24, 2013, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338 "2013-07-24T00:17:04Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Renee\_RL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee_RL)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/1 "2013-07-24T00:17:04Z")
The NRA won’t concede on anything because they feel their fun rights will be chipped away and they were successful. Why aren’t women’s groups meeting with the same success? Look at our reproductive rights being taken away
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### Author:  [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/2 "2013-07-24T00:36:19Z")
“The art of the possible.” If they (and their male allies, I hasten to add) could be as successful and effective, they (we) damn well would be.
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### Author:  [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/3 "2013-07-24T01:55:32Z")
Might be more effective if women tried a little [Lysistrata](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysistrata)-style persuasion.
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### Author:  [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/4 "2013-07-24T02:01:48Z")
Sometimes not conceding on anything will work, sometimes it won’t. Witness any number of fringe political parties that are ideologically pure but never win elections.
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### Author:  [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/5 "2013-07-24T02:15:59Z")
> [@Renee\_RL](#):
>
> The NRA won’t concede on anything because they feel their fun rights will be chipped away and they were successful. Why aren’t women’s groups meeting with the same success?
They don’t have a “women’s rights industry” to shower Congress with money the way the NRA has the gun manufacturing industry.
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### Author:  [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/6 "2013-07-24T02:22:00Z")
The gun-rights lobby had the massive advantage of starting with most of the rights they want being in effect (with a few exceptions, like concealed carry). There were no federal gun laws until 1934, and then no others until 1968.
Seems like it’d be easier to stop rights from being taken away, than to fight for them in the first place. The Second Amendment did most of that for gun rights in 1791.
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### Author:  [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/7 "2013-07-24T02:27:59Z")
Because the NRA is a relatively homogeneous group, the members of which associate with it voluntarily after figuring out what it stands for.
“Women” are persons without um…a package…who were born that way and can’t help their assignment to the group labeled “women” (on average, that is). They are not homogeneous wrt public policy or much of anything else.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/8 "2013-07-24T03:23:23Z")
> [@Oakminster](#):
>
> Might be more effective if women tried a little [Lysistrata](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysistrata)-style persuasion.
“Pussy’s pussy. You ought to see my gun collection!”
–any number of NRA members I’ve met over the years
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/9 "2013-07-24T11:59:25Z")
> [@Renee\_RL](#):
>
> Look at our reproductive rights being taken away
What, specifically, are you referring to here?
(Not a snark - just a non-US doper needing a clue)
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### Author:  [@Renee\_RL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee_RL)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/10 "2013-07-24T12:24:26Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#):
>
> They don’t have a “women’s rights industry” to shower Congress with money the way the NRA has the gun manufacturing industry.
But we have half the population…including pro choice men
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/11 "2013-07-24T12:54:26Z")
> [@Renee\_RL](#):
>
> The NRA won’t concede on anything because they feel their fun rights will be chipped away and they were successful. Why aren’t women’s groups meeting with the same success? Look at our reproductive rights being taken away
What NRA tactics would you have women adapt?
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/12 "2013-07-24T13:09:17Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> What NRA tactics would you have women adapt?
I think **Human Action’s** post was key. Maybe they should get an amendment to the constitution that says “Congress shall make no law…” and then start from there.
Having said that, are there more or fewer abortion regulations than gun regulations?
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### Author:  [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/13 "2013-07-24T13:29:42Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#):
>
> Having said that, are there more or fewer abortion regulations than gun regulations?
And do those regulations prevent or impede more gun ownership or abortion procedures?
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### Author:  [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/14 "2013-07-24T13:39:22Z")
> [@Prejteach2](#):
>
> But we have half the population…including pro choice men
You’re assuming 100% of women are pro-choice. That is hilariously inaccurate - there are many women that are pro-life.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/15 "2013-07-24T13:45:20Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#):
>
> And do those regulations prevent or impede more gun ownership or abortion procedures?
AFAIK, there is no law in the US that can prevent any woman from getting an abortion in the first trimester. You might argue that there are laws making it more difficult in some areas, but nowhere is it prohibited by law for even a single individual female.
There definitely are laws that prevent certain individuals from owning guns.
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### Author:  [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/16 "2013-07-24T13:47:11Z")
> [@Human\_Action](#):
>
> The gun-rights lobby had the massive advantage of starting with most of the rights they want being in effect…
That, and they have guns. Second amendment remedies.
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### Author:  [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/17 "2013-07-24T13:49:08Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#):
>
> That, and they have guns. Second amendment remedies.
And that has helped the gun-rights cause how, exactly?
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### Author:  [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/18 "2013-07-24T16:07:36Z")
The numbers of people who will only vote for pro-abortion politicians is smaller than those who will only vote for anti-abortion [politicians](http://www.gallup.com/poll/157886/abortion-threshold-issue-one-six-voters.aspx). 7% of the electorate versus 9% of the electorate. Gun rights advocates are alson more passionate than anti-gun rights [advocates](http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/05/31/gun-policy-more-of-a-make-or-break-voting-issue-for-gun-rights-defenders/). That is why they have more success. People just like guns and babies.
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### Author:  [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/19 "2013-07-24T16:40:51Z")
[Money, honey](http://www.vpc.org/press/1104blood.htm). NRA is a [well-funded organization](http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-03-14/the-nras-corporate-donors) that is more an advocate of the firearm industry than a representative of the [concerns of its members](http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/01/28/strong-majority-of-americans-nra-members-back-gun-control).
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### Author:  [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-should-learn-from-nra/664338/20 "2013-07-24T17:06:56Z")
> [@B.Serum](#):
>
> [Money, honey](http://www.vpc.org/press/1104blood.htm). NRA is a [well-funded organization](http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-03-14/the-nras-corporate-donors) that is more an advocate of the firearm industry than a representative of the [concerns of its members](http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/01/28/strong-majority-of-americans-nra-members-back-gun-control).
Whats funny is that the same news agency reported two weeks prior [that the NRA grew its membership by 250,000 in a month.](http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/01/15/nra-membership-has-grown-by-250000-in-one-month) One would think that if the base was at such odds with TPTB, membership numbers would be falling. Perhaps they should poll _actual_ NRA members next time rather than those who only self identify as such. Another lesson learned for any women’s rights group.
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