On Target with the NRA

Political Science students visited the National Rifle Association Headquarters and Museum in Fairfax, Virginia on December 13th, 2006. Students researched the history and meaning of the 2^nd Amendment and recent gun issues. They also looked at the political power of the NRA and how they have used this power to influence legislation and elections. NRA representative Katrina Ruminski (above Mike) presented a brief lecture on the 2^nd Amendment, NRA political efforts and then participated in a Q-A with students. The students then toured the National Firearms Museum adjacent to the NRA HQ.

We are a single issue group with the promotion of the 2nd amendment being our only goal. - Safety courses should not be required because it would be too hard to regulate. - The 2nd amendment is not a collective right for groups, like militias, it was meant to be an individual right like the rights in the first amendment. - In every election we go against elected officials who are consistently against the NRA. - The power of our organization is our 6 million members. - Other countries may not have high murder rates but they have high rates of other crimes that may be reduced if they had easier access to guns. - Bowling for Columbine was fiction. - Legitimate restrictions on guns are what is already in place.