When debating gun rights, I’ve had people suggest that the NRA is some evil organization whose goal is to profit from the shooting of innocent people. This is flatly untrue hyperbole. As discussed below, the NRA and other such pro gun rights groups are made up of millions of law abiding citizens who have come together to defend the constitutional right to own a gun.
NRA members are law abiding gun owners
The NRA membership base is composed of law abiding gun owners. These individuals care about gun rights and gun laws, because they are the type of people who obey the law. Since NRA members buy their guns from licensed dealers, submit to background checks, and obey the multitude of other gun laws, they they have an interest in seeing that the laws are reasonable and constitutional, instead of unduly restrictive.
Criminals, on the other hand, don’t spend their time and money fighting for gun rights, as they disobey gun control laws the same way they ignore the laws against robbery or murder. Since criminals buy their guns on the black market, they wouldn’t care if law abiding gun stores were closed down or regulated out of business. Furthermore, criminals like unarmed victims and would happily see the citizenry disarmed, allowing the criminals to have a monopoly on firearms.
Most NRA members have no financial interests in the sale of guns
The majority of NRA members are private citizens who own several guns. The anti gun groups like to ignore this fact, and suggest that NRA membership consists solely of gun manufacturers. The reality of the situation is that the overwhelming majority of NRA members are ordinary citizens who have come together to form an organization dedicated to firearms rights and firearms safety training. Rather than making money, most NRA members spend their hard earned money helping to defend the right to keep and bear arms. Such political activism is truly a noble thing, and is the epitome of the type of political speech and activism the First Amendment encourages.