(Sent today.)
Dear Mr. LaPierre and the NRA,
I have been a member of the NRA for many years.
I renewed my membership after the Virginia Tech shooting, in which a deranged man killed 30+ classmates at a college. He never should’ve been able to purchase firearms, but your organization didn’t agree.
I renewed my membership after the Aurora, CO theater shooting. The killer in that shooting never should’ve been able to buy a drum magazine — it has no purpose being owned by an ordinary American. Soldiers in the military aren’t even issued them individually.
I renewed my membership after the Newtown, CT shooting, and that one was tough. You would think 20 small children being gunned down would cause your organization to at least soften its stance on the issue — to sound a little less combative — but no. Your organization came out after the event as angry as ever.
But the Las Vegas shooting is too much. There has to be limits to the 2nd amendment. Even if the stated goal of your organization is to help protect the right for citizens to arm themselves in the event of armed insurrection.
No one needs 50+ firearms. A common sense argument for your organization would be to say, if the goal of the 2nd amendment is to protect liberty, you only need one rifle and one handgun.
No one needs thousands and thousands of rounds of ammunition. A common sense argument for your organization would be to say, if the goal of the 2nd amendment is to protect liberty, you only need to be able to buy enough ammo that you could carry on your person in the event of a “SHTF” event. (One could purchase more ammunition for target practice at places like ranges and gun stores, but the ammunition should not be allowed to leave the premises.)
And no one, I mean no one, needs “slide fire” modifications to allow a semi-auto rifle to shoot fully automatic. Your organization could come out today and join the call for such devices to be banned, but you probably won’t.
I am a gun owner, and will remain one. I own one rifle, and one handgun. However, as of today, I will no longer renew my membership in the NRA. Also, I resign as a member of the NRA, said resignation to be effective immediately. Please remove my name from your membership lists.