OPINION | Chris McCarthy: The NRA is America

The National Rifle Association is one of the oldest civil rights organizations in America, and they are your neighbors and your family members.

The weekend march for gun control featured a vicious attack on the members and leaders of the National Rifle Association. The marchers carried signs condemning and blaming innocent Americans for crimes they didn’t commit, and the speakers echoed those lies on national television and newspapers.

The National Rifle Association has been a volunteer organization since it was founded by soldiers who fought to end slavery and preserve the United States. Over the years, the organization has adapted and expanded its programs to the needs of a changing nation and world. When England was facing a Nazi invasion, the leaders and members sent firearms to help repel totalitarianism. In 1934, the NRA set up its legislative division to educate America on the importance of the civilian firearm ownership and monitor the government.

The Nazi government was confiscating private firearms, invading other nations, and the NRA was sending firearms to England and educating Americans on the Second Amendment.

History and facts matter. Or they should, to people who want to improve their society.

Certain forces in America want to demonize the volunteers who make up the National Rifle Association, and blame them for the most horrific murders of children. The members of the NRA haven’t murdered any children in school shootings, yet left wing activists and politicians encourage this vicious slander.

Members of the NRA include actors Tom Selleck, Chuck Norris, and the late Charlton Heston. NFL kicker Adam Vinatieri is a lifetime member of the NRA, as is the great pitcher Nolan Ryan. Are they murdering children?

There are 30 NRA gun clubs in the WBSM southeastern Massachusetts listening audience. Those 30 gun clubs mean there are thousands of National Rifle Association members in the same corner of America that votes for Elizabeth Warren and the Kennedy family. The local members of the NRA are some of the best citizens in our Republic, and they don’t deserve to be labeled child killers.

Contrast the NRA membership with their leading opponent in Congress, Mr. Bobby Rush of Chicago. He has been arrested and imprisoned for illegal firearms. He went AWOL from the military and advocated the murder of police officers. He advocated the overthrow of the American government while standing in common cause with the communist governments of North Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, and China. He named his son after a man who was convicted of murdering a police officer. Since becoming a member of Congress, he has praised the dictator Fidel Castro of Cuba.

Who would you rather have living next door to you here on the SouthCoast?

Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.