Gun Rights Activism and Advocacy


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Introduction:

Gun rights advocacy and gun rights activism is essential to attempting to repair and preserve the 2nd amendment. As much as individual people can buy up AR-15s and ammunition, without a cohesive, strong voice in the ear of politicians, Americans' rights are up for grabs by politicians that don't know about the things they're legislating. Gun rights advocacy groups provide citizens the opportunity to support organizations that talk to politicians, support on-the-ground activism, and file lawsuits on the citizens' behalf. Not all gun rights advocacy groups are committed equal though. Groups vary in how much they are willing to compromise on legislation and how fundamentalist they are in their interpretation of the 2nd amendment. I'm going to go over the big-three gun rights groups in the US: The Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), Gun Owners of America (GOA), and the National Rifle Association (NRA).

Details:

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First is the Firearm Policy Coalition, or FPC. The FPC is a smaller advocacy group that focuses on an interpretation of the 2nd amendment that has no compromises. They support policy that is thought of as more "radical" such as a repeal of the National Firearms Act. They were also very vocal in their opposition to Trumps unilateral ban on bump stocks. They have a strong social media presence and a podcast, making them a very accessible group that has appeal for younger gun owners. They also don't shy away from filing a lawsuit. They have a large section of their website dedicated to all of the different legal brief they've files and all the lawsuits that they're involved in. They even have a legal hotline for reporting potential violations of civil liberties or to join in class-action suits. One thing I really like about the FPC, aside from their apparel, is the fact that they will oppose all anti-gun legislation, no matter if it comes from a Republican or a Democrat.


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Next, we have Gun Owners of America, of GOA. The GOA has been around for a few decades and advertises itself as being a "no-compromise" gun lobby. They assert that they are not satisfied with the current state of the 2nd amendment and are actively working to regain rights that have been lost. Some hot issues that the GOA have taken stances on include the deregulation of suppressors, opposition to red flag laws, and opposition to universal background checks. These issues are extremely popular in the firearms community, and serve to both repair and defend the 2nd amendment. The GOA does not have as clear of an apolitical stance as the FPC, but it does advocate for issues that Republicans do not always agree wait, such as the GOA's opposition to red flag laws. 


Finally, there is the National Rifle Association, or NRA. The NRA is your grandfather's gun rights group, meaning, they will 100% advocate to protect your right to own a bolt action hunting rifle. Especially compared to the GOA and FPC, the NRA's views on gun rights are fairly dated, and they do not take strong stances, especially against Republicans. Their politician-rating system has very limited merit. They typically just give the Republican that they want an A, Republicans they don't want B's and C's, and Democrats get F's. From what I can tell, the rating system is not really based on anything, and there is just an assurance that whoever they endorse will do vague actions like 'defend your 2nd amendment'. The NRA has voiced support for red flag laws and was supportive of Trump's bump stock ban. Unfortunately, the NRA, with all of its history in the US, has become a Republican PAC that lines the pockets of politicians and NRA board members. While the FPC was supporting 'ghost guns' and the GOA was suing the ATF, the NRA's Institute for legislative action put this out:

Conclusion:

Personally, my favorite group out of these three has to be the FPC. Being a younger person, I appreciate that they keep on the bleeding edge of firearms technology, such as 3D printing and 80% lowers. I also really like that they oppose bad legislation, no matter which side of the aisle it comes from. I think that this is an often overlooked part of the 2nd amendment. Gun rights aren't limited to those on the right. People on the left, right, and center have the right to self defense and self preservation with firearms too. Just look at the so-called autonomous zone in Seattle. Left-leaning people are playing the role of armed security. These guys have AR pistols and are wearing load-bearing gear just like any other gun guy, just left leaning. The 2nd amendment is for everyone.

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