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BC-NXT-NRAUNIVERSITY:MCT — lifestyle (1000 words)

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By Antonio Franquiz McClatchy-Tribune (MCT)

WASHINGTON — Politicians on Capitol Hill are not the only people in town who are talking about gun control vs. Second Amendment rights. At the weekend-long 2013 International Students for Liberty Conference in downtown Washington, D.C., Feb. 15-17, an estimated 1,200 liberty-minded students from across the country and some from abroad gathered to boost their libertarian knowledge by attending a vast array of concurrent seminars and workshops, one of which was titled “NRA University.” During the session, National Rifle Association pitchman and activist Colton Kerrigan sold the receptive roomful of 30 or so students on the NRA’s familiar hard-line stance in the national gun debate now under way while mobilizing them to action on the organization's behalf. Say what you will about the NRA, it knows how to mobilize its activist base. The pro-gun giant become one of the country’s most influential lobbying groups, boasting 4 million members and an annual budget of at least $220 million. “(The Second Amendment) is about an individual having a God-given right to own a firearm,” said Kerrigan — who works for NRA-ILA, the group’s lobbying arm — emphasizing that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” This appeal to the explicit language of the Constitution struck a chord with the audience. Staunchly devoted to the literal interpretation of the Constitution and fiercely opposed to perceived government overreach, the students in the room — most of them libertarians — voiced their approval for the NRA’s uncompromising message. “You guys are doing great work,” one student said approvingly in the question-and-answer period following Kerrigan’s lecture, while another student voiced his allegiance to the largely right-wing NRA by lamenting that, in his home state of Colorado, “we were dumb enough to vote in Democrats.” The students in the room were buying what Kerrigan was selling. And why shouldn’t they? Kerrigan and his colleague Miranda Bond, who also works for NRA-ILA, erected an air-tight and well-rehearsed defense of the pro-gun agenda, hitting all the major talking points well within the seminar’s 45-minute time limit. The arguments were both familiar and predictable, but they jibed well with the Constitution-minded crowd. Heads all around the room nodded in knowing assent as Kerrigan kept up a steady stream of allegations of government encroachment and overregulation, arguing that “now we’re making it nearly impossible for a law-abiding citizen to own a handgun.” He cited a general trend of increasing gun ownership and decreasing violent crime rates as evidence that the idea that “more guns equals more crime (is) completely false.” Aside from the usual arguments, Kerrigan also posited a marked appeal to the somewhat paranoid view of the government unique to libertarianism. “God forbid, if a tyrannical government came into power, and they came to take over the country, we would be ready,” Kerrigan said ominously. “Now some people call us nuts when we say that. They say that would never happen.” He especially took up issue with the federal assault weapons ban currently on the table, calling it “the current assault on the Second Amendment.” But it wasn’t just Kerrigan and Bond talking to the audience the whole time. The students erupted with laughter when, in demonstrating the disparity between people's perceptions of assault weapons and their true nature, a video contrasted an iconic Rambo spray-and-pray scene with a heavily minimized clip of a target shooter slowly and calmly squeezing off a few shots.

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Aside from selling much of the audience on the NRA’s approach to the gun debate, the seminar also served as a recruitment tool and a call to action. As soon as they walked into the room, each student was handed an NRA-ILA pamphlet urging them to “write your lawmakers today!” about “the threats to our rights” and touting a free one-year NRA membership — “a $35 dollar value!” There was even a stack of free NRA hats at the front of the room, which several students could later be seen wearing throughout the conference venue. And tote bags with the NRA insignia imprinted on them were popular — the huntingvest-bright-orange color was hard to miss as they almost literally flew out of the hands of volunteers passing them out in the common areas outside meeting rooms. “Activism is about action,” Kerrigan said, “so do something.” He advertised the NRA’s social media pages, encouraged students to get the ball rolling on campus by organizing rallies, events and protests, and even gave a shout-out to Eddie Eagle, the NRA’s child-friendly mascot. “NRA-U: Preparing you to be a top-notch activist” read the pamphlet placed in every student’s hand. Almost certainly, the NRA’s broad-based membership, deep pockets and political clout come from events like “NRA University.” Its staff knows how to effectively push its message, which Kerrigan and Bond did with used-car-lot salesman precision. Beyond that, it mobilizes attendees to action equally well, appealing to their personal political inclinations and their desire to get involved. All in all, this system grows and sustains a nationwide network of members and activists devoted to the message that Bond bluntly stated at the end of the seminar: “at the end of the day, the NRA is against all anti-gun legislation . . . and anyone who argues against that is completely wrong and an idiot, basically.” ——— (Antonio Franquiz is a student at the University of Maryland and an intern at the McClatchy-Tribune News Service this semester. He covered the International Students for Liberty Conference on assignment for MCT.) ——— ©2013 McClatchy-Tribune Information Services Distributed by MCT Information Services

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2/28/2013 3:18 PM