For the pledge of NRA support, a candidate need only step forward at appropriate moments to decry gun-control activists as dupes or traitors, and, of course, recite on cue that guns don’t kill people, people do. (Babe Ruth hit home runs, too, but the Bambino would have been a bum without a bat. Oh, what’s the use?)
If a political hopeful doesn’t mind doublecrossing his intellect and shredding what may pass for his morality, the NRA (membership: 3.3 million) offers a pretty good deal. Hell, chances are the pol isn’t going to personally know anyone who gets snuffed by a Saturday Night Special or wasted when the full moon prompts the next whackinola to play Tet offensive at a fast-food joint. To reward candidate Joe Blow’s loyalty, NRAers rally the troops on election day and thereby keep the country safe for democracy–and the owners of AK-47s. As Abraham Lincoln said, it is quite possible to hoodwink some of the people all of the time. On this premise do the NRA and its political footmen survive and, often, flourish. (more…)