B.M. Brogden Jr.: NRA falsehoods

Regarding the June 28 letter “The NRA’s part”: Had the letter-writer substituted NEA (National Educators Association), NAM (National Association of Manufacturers), NCC (National Council of Churches), NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) or even NAACP (National Association for Advancement of Colored People), The N&O would not have printed such misinformation.

The letter said, “Getting a gun is easy because the NRA, which gets income from every gun sale, has opposed all ... efforts to limit who can access a gun.” The NRA does not now and has never received “income from every gun sale.”

It also said, “NRA was established as a gun safety organization.” The NRA was established in the aftermath of the Civil War by high-ranking Union Army officers to promote civilian marksmanship in light of the difficulties of training recruits in war conditions.

The letter then said the NRA “supported universal background checks.” The NRA has never supported this concept. It did support the instant national background check system now in place. The NRA opposes government regulation of transfers between family members or private residents who are not prohibited from firearm ownership by law.

Finally, it “shows little regard for the safety of innocent people, even, children.” Safe use and storage of firearms have always been a part of NRA programs.

This story was originally published June 30, 2015 at 5:47 PM with the headline "B.M. Brogden Jr.: NRA falsehoods."