Yesterday, the National Rifle Association met with the Obama Administration to discuss means of making our schools safer.  Predictably, they came away disappointed.  Later, they released a statement:

“The National Rifle Association of America is made up of over 4 million moms and dads, daughters and sons, who are involved in the national conversation about how to prevent a tragedy like Newtown from ever happening again.  We attended today’s White House meeting to discuss how to keep our children safe and were prepared to have a meaningful conversation about school safety, mental health issues, the marketing of violence to our kids and the collapse of federal prosecutions of violent criminals,” reads the NRA statement.

“We were disappointed with how little this meeting had to do with keeping our children safe and how much it had to do with an agenda to attack the Second Amendment.  While claiming that no policy proposals would be “prejudged,” this Task Force spent most of its time on proposed restrictions on lawful firearms owners – honest, taxpaying, hardworking Americans.  It is unfortunate that this Administration continues to insist on pushing failed solutions to our nation’s most pressing problems.  We will not allow law-abiding gun owners to be blamed for the acts of criminals and madmen.  Instead, we will now take our commitment and meaningful contributions to members of congress of both parties who are interested in having an honest conversation about what works – and what does not.“

Full disclosure:  Both Mrs. Animal and yr. obdt. are Life Members of the NRA.  So it should be apparent where we stand on this issue.

With that said:  The NRA is something many groups claim to be, but are not; a true grass-roots organization.  They are not funded by firearms or ammunition manufacturers; they are funded by their four million members, who elect the organization’s officers and Board, and vote on the organization’s by-laws.  Their political action branch, the Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) represents the interests of law-abiding gun owners in Congress – because that is what their members, who pay their salaries, are in effect hiring them to do.

I’m not aware of any of the anti-gun groups that allow their own contributors (most of them don’t have members as such) any such liberty.

A few related stories:

5 Facts About Guns, Schools and Violence.

100,000 New NRA Members Since Sandy Hook.

When Your Gun is Not Your Gun.

From Pravda (yes, really):  Americans, Never Give Up Your Guns.

Finally, from Florida, a store clerk’s concealed handgun beats a would-be robber’s catle prod.  Somehow this story failed to get national coverage, although there are similar situation daily, in which armed citizens prevent crime.

Apparently that doesn’t fit the narrative.  But that doesn’t make it any less true.