David Codrea of the excellent War on Guns blog posted a questionnaire for candidates for the NRA Board of Directors. I realize I am running for President; not for the NRA Board of Directors, but I thought you might like to see where I would stand if I were. I am a disgruntled life member of the NRA. This is where I stand, and where I wish a candidate for the NRA Board of Directors would stand as well:
1. Do you believe that the Constitution is the "supreme law of the land" and that the Bill of Rights acknowledges the birthrights of all Americans?
Absolutely. Rights exist independent of government choosing to acknowledge them, however a government that does not recognize and respect rights has lost any legitimacy it may have once had.
2. If so, should these rights be proactively protected from infringement by all levels of government, including city, county and state?
If by "proactively protected" you mean that every counterfeit "law" (any law which seeks to regulate something other than actual force or fraud) should be stricken from the books and that any law enforcement action that violates any rights possessed by anyone should be punished swiftly and harshly, then yes, I do believe they should be.
3. Please give some examples of gun laws you consider constitutional.
No such laws exist.
4. Please give some examples of gun laws you consider unconstitutional.
National Firearms Act of 1934; Gun Control Act of 1968; background check requirements; laws forbidding firearms to former felons who have completed their sentence; etc.
5. Does the right to bear arms include the right for any peaceable citizen to carry them concealed without a permit, as in Vermont?
Yes. Government has no authority to regulate firearms (or other weaponry) in any way.
6. Do you believe that Americans have a right to own, use and carry weapons of military pattern?
Yes.
7. Do you support or oppose Project Exile, and do you agree with current NRA management’s call to “enforce existing gun laws”?
Project Exile is an abomination and should be abandoned as such. I have written to the NRA on several occasions demanding an end to their call to "enforce existing gun laws".
8. Do you support or oppose licensing requirements to own or carry firearms? Why?
Oppose. Government has no authority to regulate firearms in any way.
9. What specific gun laws will you work to get repealed?
If I could only choose one, I would work to get the National Firearms Act of 1934 thrown out. Next would be the Gun Control Act of 1968. I would work my way down from there.
10. If elected to the NRA Board, will you back your words of support for firearms rights up with consistent actions? How?
Yes I would, by speaking out against victim disarmament and acknowledging the help of other (more consistent) gun rights organizations.
11. Do you agree with the way NRA assigns political ratings? If not, what would you change and why? Who would you have given a different rating to, what would it been and why?
No. I would have given Ron Paul an "A+" rating and G.W. Bush an "F" rating to reflect their support or lack thereof for gun owners.
12. Do you disagree with any policies being promulgated by NRA management? What is you biggest area of dissent? Have you offered superior alternatives and worked with others to implement them?
I disagree with their support for anti-gun programs such as Project Exile and Project Safe Neighborhoods. I have called for the end of these programs. The only "superior alternative" that is necessary is the Second Amendment, which means: "Because a Very Effective, Armed, Population is Essential in order for America to stay Free and safe, the Absolute Right of Everyone to Own and to Carry any type of Weapon they choose, in any way they wish, anywhere they see fit, cannot be regulated, licensed, or even questioned in the smallest way!"
13. Have you ever publicly spoken out against an NRA position because you thought it was wrong? When, where, and what were the results?
Just on this blog and in conversation with other gun owners. I have been doing this since I became politically active a few years ago. Most gun owners don't see that the NRA is wrong, unfortunately, so results were not apparent.
14. What reforms do you think are needed at NRA and why?
NRA needs to publicly apologize to America for siding with the victim disarmament crowd, and needs to firmly state its commitment to work towards overturning every gun law in America.
15. If elected, how will you inform members of your performance and voting record? Will you let us know when you dissent and why?
I would set up a blog and/or a website to catalog up-to-date information about actions of the NRA and my stance on those actions and my voting record.
16. Do you agree with Executive VP Wayne LaPierre, who stated: "[W]e believe in absolutely gun-free, zero-tolerance, totally safe schools. That means no guns in America's schools, period ... with the rare exception of law enforcement officers or trained security personnel"? If not, what do you plan to do about it?
I absolutely do not agree. See my opinion on "gun-free schools" here: School Shootings.
