My Two Cents - Boycotting the Companies that do Business with the NRA

As I write this over a dozen companies have announced that they will be discontinuing their relationships with the NRA. It seems that most of these companies are stating that "consumer complaints" were the reason for these decisions.

If I understand correctly, these companies were providing discounts on products or services that were offered to the NRA membership.

Did the NRA membership attack a school? Have they harmed schoolchildren? What has the NRA membership done to harm others? Nothing. But if these companies feel that they cannot be associated in any way with the NRA, that is their right.

The anti-gun movement must "do" something. Even if what they are doing has no effect on gun violence or the safety of schools.

Now I see that some retailers are refusing to sell non-firearm products from companies that have subsidiaries that manufacture firearms. This I can understand. If these retailers feel that they will be better served by forgoing the possible profits to be made from these products, that is their right.

I hear that Dick's Sporting Goods has decided to stop selling AR-15 pattern rifles (for the second time). Dick's stopped selling AR-15 pattern rifles in 2012. But, it seems that their subsidiary Field and Stream was still selling these rifles. That seems rather hypocritical.

I can respect those companies that try to live up to their values. Even if I don't agree with them. But the flip-flop nature of Dick's and its subsidiary upset me.

My Two Cents - School Shootings

I guess, like so many others, I need to get this off my chest. Here goes . . .

Banning firearms of a particular style, raising the age to buy a long gun, repealing the second amendment, or other such ideas will not work in this country. Why not? For one reason, there are too many guns, both legally and illegally possessed, in this country for any of these to ever work.

I am one of those "old farts" who remember going to school and walking through the student parking lot. It seemed as if every other pickup had a gun rack in the back window with one or more firearm in it. You could be assured that they were loaded. And no one got shot.

Why?

Because our families raised us differently than it seems most children are being raised today. We were raised to respect our elders. We raised to say "Yes, Ma'am" and "No, Sir". We were raised to treat others as we wished to be treated. We were raised to respect human life. We were raised to understand and apply the four rules of gun safety. All of these beliefs and ideas shaped what we thought of the world and those around us.

Today, I see little of this being taught. I saw this in our schools when I worked as a teacher. I see this in my encounters in public.

Again, why?

I can theorize as well as the next guy as to what the possible contributors might be. The breakdown of the nuclear family and the resulting lack of male role models. The "Me First" mindset that seems to permeate our culture.

So, what do we do about it?

Ultimately, it is going to take our society addressing some of the factors listed above. Then we need to consistently apply the numerous gun laws that we already have on the books.

So what do we do in the interim as these changes slowly make their way through our society? I have one suggestion. It is not new or original. It comes from my time spent in teaching. Train and arm those teachers and administrators who are willing to volunteer for this duty. Just as many teachers feel it is a duty to teach the following generations, many of them feel that same duty to protect their students.

I'm reminded of a quote from Benjamin Franklin, "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" This applies just as well to this situation.